Select Committee on Public Accounts Minutes of Evidence

Supplementary memorandum submitted by the Northern Ireland Department for Employment and Learning

Question 4 (Chairman):

Document No	NIAO Figure Ref	Report Pg No
1.	4	29	Weaknesses Reported in ETI reports 2001-04
2.	6	35	ETI Gradings of Training Areas 2002-04
3.	10	49	Leavers Destinations as at December 2004

Reference NIAO Figure 4

WEAKNESSES REPORTED IN ETI REPORTS 2001 TO 2004

	Frequency of Recurrence
Recurrent Weakness	NIAO Report (1998 to 2000)	ETI Update (2001 to 2004)
Deficiencies in the quality of directed training within TOs	88% (23 of 26 inspections)	70% (26 of 37 inspections)
Poor development and ineffective incorporation of Key Skills within training	88% (23 of 26 inspections)	70% (26 of 37 inspections)
Assessment, quality assurance arrangement and internal verification processes	69% (18 of 26 inspections)	60% (22 of 37 inspections)
Variable retention and success rates	62% (15 of 26 inspections)	60% (22 of 37 inspections)
Weaknesses in initial assessment arrangements and their effectiveness	58% (15 of 26 inspections)	20% (7 of 37 inspections)
Poor quality of work-placements	58% (15 of 26 inspections)	50% (18 of 37 inspections)
Employer understanding and involvement	50% (13 of 26 inspections)	40% (15 of 37 inspections)
Systems of management review and evaluation of training quality	42% (11 of 26 inspections)	35% (13 of 37 inspections)

Reference NIAO Figure 6

Reference NIAO Figure 10

Question 5 (Chairman):

  1.  The Department takes very seriously the quality of provision for the young people who participate on Jobskills. Many have problems, some serious, including behavioural as well as weaknesses in literacy and numeracy. Consequently, they need and deserve the best possible provision.

  2.  The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) provides the Department with an evaluation of the quality of provision through:

—  inspection of individual training organisations (now one in four year cycle);

—  surveys of particular aspects of provision (this will mean inspections of this aspect in a number of organisations with one written report);

—  regular visits to individual training organisations by specialist inspectors such as construction, administration, ICT etc (no written report);

—  regular visits by the District Inspector to training organisations in their districts to assess issues relating to the whole organisation, for example, to discuss the introduction of the self-evaluation process "Improving Quality: Raising Standards" (no written report);

—  meetings between ETI and Regional Managers.

  3.  After an inspection, the organisation is required to draw up an action plan setting out how they will address weaknesses. This is assessed by the Inspectorate to ensure that the plan is robust and will address the weaknesses. Within 18-24 months the Inspectorate undertakes a follow-up inspection. This report is also published. In the case of inspections identified in the NIAO report, all organisations have been or will be re-inspected. Those who have been re-inspected have, according to ETI, addressed satisfactorily the issues raised in the original inspection.

  4.  Training organisations are now, on a yearly basis, required to complete a self-evaluation of the quality of their provision based on the indicators of quality set out in the Inspectorate's document "Improving Quality: Raising Standards". Organisations are, along with the evaluations, required to produce an action plan setting out how they intend to address the weaknesses. This evaluation is assessed by the Regional Managers supported by the Inspectorate.

  5.  Awarding bodies and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) are responsible for ensuring that the standard and integrity of NVQs are maintained within the training organisations.

GENERAL ISSUES RELATING TO INSPECTION

  6.  The majority of inspections show that there are more organisations with significant strengths or more strengths than weaknesses (75%) than with more weaknesses than strengths (25%). This does not mean that the Department is complacent about dealing with poor practice.

  7.  Organisations which are assessed as having more weaknesses than strengths are not poor in every aspect of provision. In fact in the organisations covered by the NIAO report the Inspectorate found some significant strengths such as, among others:

—  good retention rates;

—  good progression rates for trainees completing successfully their training programmes;

—  rigorous assessment and verification procedures;

—  good quality workplace training;

—  improved self-confidence and self-esteem of the majority of Access trainees.

    If provision does not improve in those areas graded poor, the Department removes these areas from the contract.

DEPARTMENT'S SUPPORT FOR QUALITY

  8.  The Department takes seriously the need for quality provision and has taken a number of steps to improve the quality of training offered to young people and to address issues raised by ETI, especially in the area of literacy and numeracy.

(i)  all tutors who provide training in Essential Skills either meet the Tutor Education requirements set out in the Essential Skills Strategy or are currently being trained; this is a significant achievement;

(ii)  the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has developed and is piloting a diagnostic test to assess the competence of young people in Essential Skills on entry to training in a number of training organisations;

(iii)  the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) provides support to all organisations, including Jobskills providers, for Essential Skills;

(iv)  the Department funds Key Skills Resource Centres to provide support for key skills;

(v)  the Department is piloting new provision for Access trainees to address specifically the significant multiple barriers that face these young people including drug and alcohol abuse; behavioural difficulties; low self-esteem; literacy and numeracy weaknesses; early findings show significant improvements.

  9.  In addition, the Department:

(i)  has discussed with the Centre for Excellence in Leadership the extension of its provision to Northern Ireland for managers in training organisations; this is currently operational in further education;

(ii)  is currently evaluating the curriculum and staff development support from LSDA for further education and has opened discussions to extend the contract to include Jobskills providers, specifically to provide support after inspection;

(iii)  supports the new Sector Skills Council for Lifelong Learning which includes training organisations and has committed to ensuring the staff are trained to the standards set by the SSC; these discussions have taken place already with the SSC;

(iv)  is discussing actively with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) the extension of the remit for the recently announced Quality Improvement Agency to Northern Ireland.

  10.  Other areas relevant to quality:

—  arrangements are in train to place ETI reports on the DEL web-site and add new reports as they become available;

—  examples of good practice will be placed on the Department's web-site.

  11.  The Inspectorate is engaged in helping the Department to improve quality by:

—  helping the Department to analyse the self evaluation reports and the attendant action plans on individual organisations;

—  the organisation of conferences and seminars to share good practice;

—  the training and use of highly skilled tutors from training organisations across Northern Ireland as Associate Assessors for use in inspections; this will help in the sharing of good practice.

  12.  Other major developments:

—  the Department, in its draft Skills Strategy, launched in November 2004, is reconfiguring its Jobskills provision with a view to strengthening the Access strand and developing the Apprenticeship strand as the flagship training provision and alternative to full-time education;

—  the Department is establishing a Policy and Improvement Unit which will have responsibility for:

(i)  ensuring that accredited professional training programmes are developed for staff to meet the standards set by the SSC for staff;

(ii)  ensuring the weaknesses identified by the Inspectorate are addressed;

(iii)  ensuring good practice is shared;

(iv)  the contracts with the Learning and Skills Development Agency and the Centre for Excellence in Leadership;

(v)  taking forward the work identified by the Quality Improvement Agency.

Question 90 (Mr Alan Williams):

  The poorest performing Training Organisations (20%)—NVQ Achievement as at March 2002 is as follows, together with their current status:

Training Organisation	Current Status
Chatham House	Withdrawn
Desmond and Sons Ltd	Withdrawn
Federation of Retail Licensing Trade	Withdrawn
* Royal Mail	Withdrawn
Stylo Barratts	Withdrawn
CTRS Computer Training	Withdrawn
Sea Fish Industry	Withdrawn
* Melbourne Training and Employment	Withdrawn
MARI Group Ltd	Withdrawn
MARI Group Strabane	Withdrawn
Hospitality and Service	Withdrawn
* Worknet	Withdrawn
JTM Adult Employment Agency	Withdrawn
NIHCC	No longer involved in training
Springskills	Still operating
Advanced Training and Development	Still operating
* Derry Youth and Community Workshop Ltd	Still operating
Austins Quality Training Services (formerly A&D Training Services)	Still operating
* Dairy Farm People First	Still operating
North Down Training Organisation	Still operating
* H J O'Boyle	Still operating
Graham Training	Still operating
Cookstown Training	Still operating
* Department of Agriculture and Rural Development	Still operating
*  Those marked with an asterisk are those also included in the Employment outcomes list (Question 93 supplementary note)

Question 93 (Mr Alan Williams):

  The poorest performing Training Organisations (20%)—Employment Outcome as at March 2002 is as follows, together with their current status:

Training Organisation	Current Status
* Royal Mail	Withdrawn
Maydown Youth Training Project	Withdrawn
* Worknet	Withdrawn
* Melbourne Training & Employment	Withdrawn
Glenmount Training Services	Withdrawn
Wade Training Armagh	Withdrawn
Shantallow Training Services	Withdrawn
Springtown Training Centre	Subsumed within North West Institute
Maydown Training Centre	Subsumed within North West Institute
Felden Training Centre	Subsumed within East Antrim Institute
Construction Industry Training Board	Still operating
SX3 (NIE Powerteam)	Still operating
Department of Agriculture	Still operating
Training Direct	Still operating
JTM Youth & Adult Employment	Still operating
* H J O'Boyle Belfast	Still operating
* Department of Agriculture and Rural Development	Still operating
Wade Training Armagh	Still operating
JTM Youth & Adult Employment	Still operating
* Derry Youth and Community Workshop Ltd	Still operating
Bombardier—Shorts	Still operating
* Dairy Farm	Still operating
Tyrone Training	Still operating
North Down and Ards Institute	Still operating
Electrical Training (NI) Ltd	Still operating
JTM Youth & Adult Employment	Still operating
Springskills Belfast (Protocol)	Still operating
*  Those marked with an asterisk are those included in the

Q112 (Mr Ian Davidson):

  The figures quoted in the NIAO Report (29% and 20% respectively) are based on responses from a survey of young people. The Department feels that in using these surveys there needs to be caution. It is our view that there is a danger that some young people fail to recognise the broader aspects of Jobskills training, particularly regarding transferable skills, which can be successfully harnessed to meet the needs of an employer.

  However, the Department accepts that young people's views are relevant to the process of improving quality. It will review the survey questionnaire so that in the forthcoming evaluation a wider range of questions are used to gain a better indication of how the skills developed through training are transferred to the workplace and will see how this assists in improving the relevant training.

Q113 (Mr Brian Jenkins):

  The attainment of key skills became a mandatory requirement from April 1999. For training organisations to obtain output-related funding in respect of qualification achievement individual trainees had to attain the relevant NVQ and all the specified key skills. Consequently, organisations were not required to report the attainment of individual key skill awards. However, as recommended in the NIAO Report, the Jobskills management information system has been amended to allow data on the attainment of individual key skill awards to be collected.

---

---

Prepared 2 November 2005