Business Plan for Lancashire WBL Executive Forum for the Financial Year 2015 to 2016
Business Plan 2015/2016 August 15 QUALITY GROWTH INFLUENCE Vision The Lancashire Work Based Learning Executive Forum is committed to supporting its members to provide the highest quality of Work Based Learning opportunities to young people and adults within the workforce to the benefit of employers and the wider society in Lancashire. Our vision is that Apprenticeships are seen as a valid and recognised route of choice into Higher Education (HE) or career progression. Mission To provide our members with information to enable understanding of existing and emerging policies through the establishment of high level strategic partnerships with existing, new and emerging Government agencies/departments and other relevant bodies. To gather and represent the views of our members, in order to influence the development of policy and strategy at both Regional and National level. To support members in developing excellence in practice through establishing the provision of CPD activities and arranging good practice networks both locally and regionally. To raise the profile of Work Based Learning through the celebration of individual and collective successes and through the promotion of the Apprenticeship brand. To work collaboratively and in partnership with members to secure additional funding to support activities that will help deliver the Forum mission. Extend our influence and recognition to ensure that the needs of Lancashire are recognised in Regional and Local Strategic groups.
Introduction Our Business Plan for the financial year 2015-16 describes how we will deliver our key objectives. Government skills priorities have remained broadly the same since 2010, signalling that government sees its role as setting strategic priorities, with the SFA focussed on delivery. We must support our members to be flexible enough to respond to future publicly-funded skills priorities. Our members face considerable challenges in the year ahead, with reducing budgets, pressures to increase outputs and changes to the political landscape. A major risk that our members have to manage over the coming year/s is the increasing pressure on financial health and we want to ensure that we help members make the best possible use of the funding available. For the 2015-2016 financial year, apprenticeships, traineeships and English and maths remain the key priorities for the SFA. At the heart of apprenticeships are employers. We need to assist members to increase the number of employers that offer apprenticeships, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, while at the same time meeting the challenge of changes brought about by the funding reform. Apprenticeships will continue to be the key to solving skills shortages and coping resiliently with the country s future skills needs. We have to achieve our objectives in an environment of increased pressures on the provider network
Key Objectives for the Financial Year 2015 to 2016 The Lancashire WBL Executive Forum has six key objectives. Objective 1 To continue to drive provider performance by supporting Forum members to deliver high quality programmes Objective 2 To increase and widen participation in Traineeships and Apprenticeships in line with the Government s ambitions and targets Objective 3 To increase employer engagement through raising the profile of Work Based Learning Objective 4 To develop and maintain strong relationships with key partners to maximise opportunities for members and ensure high quality communications for members Objective 5 To source and bid for addition funding to maximised membership delivery Objective 6 To support members with the reform of Apprenticeships and changes to the funding system
Objective 1 To continue to drive provider performance by supporting Forum members to deliver high quality programmes Approaches Actions Group / Who Target / Close out Continue to facilitate the QI Arrange at least 4 meetings per year September 15 Sub group Continue to seek funding to support members quality initiatives Research funding streams and bid for appropriate funding. Promote Worldskills and competition activity to help providers drive innovation and quality Maintain an on-going dialogue with the SFA audit team Support individual provider s quality plans and business strategies Share what is working well and lessons learned at sub group meetings and hold themed sharing good practice sessions Distribute information on WorldSkills to members to ensure that they are able to participate in competition activity. Bid for funding to support members SFA to be invited to Forum meetings and include as a member of the QI sub group. Ensure that SFA audit team attend at least 1 meeting per year Assess requests for help from providers and action accordingly Ask relevant speakers to attend meetings to update on developments Disseminate information from Regional meeting and any updates received Arrange training sessions as requested by wider network and Quality Improvement sub group Hold bi-monthly Quality Improvement meetings with each meeting to have set theme or task and finish group QI Sub group QI Sub group Add Nigel Lund Prevent agenda September 15 Prevent agenda Facilitate open honest data sharing to share good practice and help address areas for improvement across providers Research with SFA data that is available that can be shared between members, sector specific QI Sub group
Objective 2 To increase and widen participation in Traineeships and Apprenticeships in line with the Government s ambitions and targets Approaches Actions Group / Who To share good practices and work together with providers to establish effective routes and opportunities To develop information regarding progression routes and source funding for publication of those opportunities. Continue to work with Local Authorities and large employers to promote Apprenticeships More involvement in identifying and developing realistic Higher Level Apprenticeships Arrange quarterly meetings with Board and Director of Children s services. Invite key note speakers from Local Authority to Exec Group meeting Arrange appropriate briefing sessions To forge stronger partnerships between providers to increase opportunities for the sector. To work with LAs and other agencies to identify the demographics and demand within the area for all provision Support forum members with the implementation of Traineeships Arrange regular forum meeting with networking opportunities Ensure JCP are invited to appropriate meetings to give information about unemployed Ensure LAs are invited to appropriate meetings to give information on NEET and the makeup of the group i.e. gender ethnicity Ensure LAs are invited to appropriate meetings to discuss gaps in provision Invite guest speakers to meeting. Distribute information through bulletin. All sub groups Employer & Skills Group Note include Economies of scale
Objective 3 To increase employer engagement through raising the profile of Work Based Learning Approaches Actions Group / Who Develop links with the LEP to promote WBL and its impact on their priorities, to increase employer engagement and achieve growth Work with the Lancashire LEP and in particular the Skill Hub to understand the outcomes of the Area wide research and associated Sector based research via the resulting action plans to aid provider planning process Emp & Skills sub group Effective marketing of value, benefits, success stories across providers to raise the profile of Apprenticeships Engage with employers or employer forums to attend meetings To support the organisers of local jobs fairs to deliver events and promotional with appropriate involvement and engagement. Ensure articles are sent including success stories to Lancashire Business View and other forms of media. Ensure Lancashire Forum website is updated to include success stories and case studies Encourage submissions for Apprenticeship awards both National and local Invite key note speakers to Forum meeting Respond to requests for support and disseminate information to members RD Forum
Objective 4 To develop and maintain strong relationships with key partners to maximise opportunities for members and ensure high quality communications for members Approaches Actions Group / Who Work closely with other groups such as AELP, AoC, JCP and NAS Key note speakers at Forum meeting or relevant sub group. Forum representation at external Regional and National meetings. Regional Lead activity and disseminate information Maximise opportunities on the Forum website to link into partner organisations. Summarise information from meetings and network events disseminate to members Communicate key messages/updates from funding agencies Continue to produce monthly bulletin and invite key note speakers to Forum, Board and sub group meetings To enable members to respond or challenge as a group with relation to any matters that arises throughout the year. I.e. mailing lists, IAG in schools LWBLEF represents its members and Work Based Learning as a whole on a variety of Boards and Networks Issues identified at Board and Forum meetings to be actioned within agreed protocols. Represent and lobby on behalf of members at local, regional and national events and share information with members. Executive Board Add LCC Scrutiny Committee and Youth Council Continue to work with the NWPN to maximise Lead responsibility for Apprenticeships Executive Board 22 nd Sept SRM meeting
opportunities for members. WorldSkills JISC Objective 5 To source and bid for additional funding to maximise membership delivery Approaches Actions Group / Who Target / Close out Develop links with The Lancashire Colleges (TLC) and progress the formation of the LESE partnership Work out of Preston s College one day per week. Organise and facilitate the LESE Board meetings in partnership with TLC. Develop plans to bid for ESIF funding Source and bid for additional funding through a number of funding streams Research funding streams and bid for appropriate funding (also included in objective 1) Objective 6 To support members with the reform of Apprenticeships and changes to the funding system Approaches Actions Group / Who Target/Close out Respond to consultations on behalf of LWBLEF Arrange briefing events either at Forum meetings or through NWPN activity Continue to respond to consultations affecting the training provider network in order for the network to respond in their own right and as a collective to Government policy. Liaise with NWPN and other sub regions. Continue to arrange briefing events or briefing papers to support the training provider network respond to Government policy. I.e. Area review Trailblazer Inc. new standards Task & Finish Group Apprenticeship Levy Consultation 2 nd Oct 15