5C: How is success in leadership and management recognised?

Business planning is good and staff are fully involved. The business plan is well structured at corporate level and leads to an operational plan, which has clearly identified measurable targets, timescales and responsibilities. Minimum standards are set. Key areas for development are well defined.

[The provider] has a clear strategic direction, as part of the council’s client services department, to develop the employment prospects of adults with disabilities who cannot find or maintain employment without specialist training and support in the workplace. It has a three-year plan to provide suitable supported placements with council departments for people with a range of disabilities. This is linked with progression targets for existing clients and the provision of a wide range of support services to meet the clients’ individual needs. There are partnership arrangements across the city and the wider region in the public, private and voluntary sectors that are designed to further enhance the range of employment and development opportunities available to clients. The Workstep programme is now subject to rigorous internal quality assurance to ensure a planned and coherent improvement strategy.

[The provider] has comprehensive data management systems to record clients’ records, calculate retention and achievement rates and monitor budgets. The client database records clients’ background, initial assessment, progress information and responses to questionnaires. It can produce a wide range of reports for monitoring purposes.

[The provider] manages its resources efficiently. There is thorough monitoring of financial, staffing, accommodation and IT resources at senior management and board meetings Gateway to Work and jobsearch staff work on both training programmes and there are plans to further develop the adult training. Additional resources are used flexibly between training centres to improve the learning environment, and to meet changes in demand and individual client’s needs. For example, the company gained additional funding to purchase laptop computers. The company reviews public transport routes and travel expenses for clients when planning its training.

[The provider] has a clearly written contract that all employers and work placement providers must sign. The contract requires them to have an equal opportunities policy.

[The provider] has good links with national and local organisations working with under-represented groups, including those working with asylum-seekers and refugees. [It] also has links with more than 60 other community bodies. These include housing associations and hostels, groups offering specialist advice and Christian organisations. [The provider] uses funding from a wide variety of sources including ESF as well as Government and council grants. This allows it to fund training for refugees and other people who are not eligible for support from Jobcentre Plus.

The company links extensively and effectively with partner organisations for the benefit of clients. The company leads a county-wide information, advice and guidance partnership for adults with 193 members. Additionally, the company coordinates the [local] New Deal Gateway partnership, which offers most of the Gateway Services and New Deal provision across the county. The basic skills assessment centre is a member of the [local] New Deal Gateway partnership and staff from Jobcentre Plus attend meetings on a regular basis.

[The provider] works hard with partners to encourage effective collaboration which will benefit clients. For example, there is a comprehensive directory for clients showing all regional training providers of support and training. These directories are distributed widely and updated regularly. [The provider] has diversified considerably over the past six years and uses the services from its other divisions to benefit clients. For example, staff in the careers service regularly meet with Gateway to Work and jobsearch staff to ensure a continuity of service. The company’s recruitment agency also works with jobsearch staff to find employment for clients. Local employers give talks, hold mock interviews and offer work-placement opportunities for clients.

There is particularly good internal communication between the company’s staff. Regular use is made of informal methods of communication as the most appropriate way to update staff across a wide geographical area. Formal meetings are scheduled for centre coordinators, centre teams and for staff working on Gateway to Work and jobsearch programmes. Staff attend a wide cross-section of meetings. Managers work hard to ensure that outcomes from senior management meetings are shared at all the company’s meetings. Meetings are used to share information and good practice. At an annual conference, all staff can discuss the company’s performance and business objectives. Agendas are precise and the minutes of meetings are circulated widely.

Appraisal systems are effective and result in additional training for staff. All staff are appraised each year and have a good understanding of their own job responsibilities and those of managers. There is training for staff on how the appraisal system works and guidelines on preparing for appraisal. Appeal and confidentiality agreements are built into the process. The appraisal includes a review of job descriptions and workload. There is an assessment of performance, barriers to performance and a training needs analysis. Identified training needs are measured against the company’s annual business objectives and priorities. Staff assess their own contribution to these objectives. Essential tasks for the year are agreed for individual staff.

All staff are well qualified. The teaching staff all hold, or are working towards, a recognised teaching qualification. This was partially recognised in the self-assessment report. Most staff, including the drivers, have attended a basic ESOL course, and two have had further ESOL training. When the ESOL programme began, appropriately qualified staff were recruited. All the teaching staff have had initial literacy, numeracy and language training, and [the provider] has worked actively with the Basic Skills Agency to develop staff skills and resources. Some staff have also had health and safety and first aid training.

[The] staff are welcoming and highly inclusive in their approach to clients. Clients come from a very diverse range of racial and religious backgrounds. [The] directors collect equal opportunities data and analyse it. They have a very good understanding of the composition of their client group. Approximately one-third of clients are asylum seekers or refugees, most of whom speak little or no English, and who face considerable difficulty in adjusting to life in the UK. One-quarter of [the] clients have severe to moderate learning difficulties and over 15 per cent are ex-offenders or are currently being processed through the judicial system. The company’s ethos is welcoming and highly inclusive, and no one is turned away unless the company lacks the physical space to offer them a place. One of the directors uses the Internet to research the different backgrounds of clients, to improve his understanding of their experience and their cultural expectations. New clients whose first language is not English are helped to communicate either by a translator from the social services department or by other clients who share the same language. This provides a good start to their training. Clients speak highly of the welcome they are given, and value the staff’s understanding and respect for diversity.

The leadership and management of the foundation programmes are good. Managers have a clear understanding of the strategy for progressing clients and for ensuring continuous improvements in the quality of provision. The two managers for literacy, numeracy and language hold meetings every other month to discuss improvements to the programmes, and concerns are dealt with quickly and effectively. A strategy for literacy, numeracy and language is in place with targets for achievement and staff training and development. Monthly staff meetings are held for all programmes and have a set agenda. Minutes are detailed with action points with clear timescales and targets for all staff. Close working relationships and effective organisational communication ensure that good practice is shared and considered by all staff. Moderation and assessment practice for literacy, numeracy and language are satisfactory, and clients receive appropriate and effective support. Documents are completed in line with awarding body requirements and external verification reports state that clients’ portfolios are excellent.