1A: How to achieve success with learner achievement

Providers that are seeing success in customer achievement in the Jobcentre Plus environment consider the following factors to be critical.

• Good initial assessment of skills. This means assessing customers’ literacy, numeracy and language (ESOL) skills as well as their previous skills and experience in terms of education and work.
• The use of this information to write the individual learning plan (ILP). The ILP will include targets for literacy, numeracy and language (ESOL) development and goals for personal development and employability that are sympathetic to customers’ situations and be realistic and achievable.
• Regular reviews and tutorials. At such reviews, time should be devoted to identifying a customer’s additional support needs. This could include help for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia but also counselling, advice on housing benefits and immigration or help with childcare, travel and so on.
• A carefully planned training programme. The programme needs to be relevant and to meet the specific needs of the customer and potential employers. The programme can offer additional relevant qualifications in work-related areas, for example, health and safety, first aid, customer service or food hygiene to increase a customer’s employability.
• A flexible programme of training. Successful programmes take into account the wide range of needs, interests, experience and age of customers, while also meeting the demands and requirements of employers.
• A positive learning environment. The accommodation needs to be stimulating, and to offer good access to appropriate resources.
• Strong and effective links with employers. Employers have a big contribution to make in terms of offering work placement opportunities and visits to companies and places of work.
• Strong and effective local networks. Links with specialist organisations that can provide support to customers as well as specialist information and skills development.
• Rigorous record-keeping, monitoring and evaluation systems. For example, some providers use a spreadsheet to record and monitor completed elements which can then be used for across-the-board monitoring purposes.

 

• Self-analysis by customers. By encouraging customers to analyse their own skills and experience and to relate these to the requirements of employers, customers are helped to present themselves in a more effective and confident manner at interview.
• Continued employer involvement. This can help maintain workers’ motivation after they have attended a workplace training programme.
• Strategies and systems for monitoring attendance and punctuality.