London Borough of

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A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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London Borough of Barnet T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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 Adult Learning Inspectorate Adult Learning Inspectorate

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The Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) was established under the provisions of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 to bring the inspection of all aspects of adult learning and work-based training within the remit of a single inspectorate. The ALI is responsible for inspecting a wide range of government-funded learning, including:

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♦ work-based training for all people over 16 ♦ provision in further education colleges for people aged 19 and over ♦ the University for Industry’s learndirect provision ♦ adult and community learning ♦ training given by the Employment Service under the New Deals.

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Inspections are carried out in accordance with the Common Inspection Framework by teams of full-time inspectors and part-time associate inspectors who have knowledge of, and experience in, the work which they inspect. All providers are invited to nominate a senior member of their staff to participate in the inspection as a team member.

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In summarising their judgements about the quality of provision in curriculum or occupational areas and about the quality of leadership and management, including quality assurance and equality of opportunity, inspectors use a five-point scale. The descriptors for the five grades are:

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♦ grade 1 – outstanding ♦ grade 2 – good ♦ grade 3 – satisfactory ♦ grade 4 – unsatisfactory ♦ grade 5 – very weak. T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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The original inspection of London Borough of Barnet was carried out by the Training Standards Council’s inspectors. The inspection resulted in less than satisfactory grades being awarded for business administration, management of training and quality assurance. These areas have been reinspected against the requirements of the Common Inspection Framework by the Adult Learning Inspectorate, which replaced the Training Standards Council on 1 April 2001. The sections of the original report dealing with business administration, management of training and quality assurance have been replaced with the findings of the reinspection. Also, the report summary, report introduction and introduction to the inspection findings have been updated and reflect the findings of the reinspection. Sections of the report, dealing with areas which have not been reinspected, have been left in their original form. The amended inspection

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report is published on the Adult Learning Inspectorate’s website ( www.ali.gov.uk ).

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The training and development unit of the London Borough of Barnet provides satisfactory training for modern apprentices in sport and recreation. The training is well planned. Learners have the opportunity to work towards a wide range of additional qualifications but none had completed their apprenticeship frameworks at the time of the original inspection. On the business administration training programme, which was reinspected, there is well-planned off-the-job training. In the workplaces, modern apprentices still have access to too narrow a range of assessment methods and some receive poor support from their work-based assessors. The promotion of equal opportunities is highly effective. Learners receive good support. Although there has been a recent management strategy to improve the training there was slow action by senior managers to address weaknesses in the management of training from the original inspection.

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With the exception of good evaluation of off-the-job training, the quality assurance process is inadequate, particularly regarding modern apprenticeship training. There is ineffective internal verification.

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OCCUPATIONAL AREAS GRADE GENERIC AREAS GRADE Business administration 4 Equal opportunities 2 Leisure, sport & travel 3 Trainee support 2 Management of training 4 Quality assurance 4

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REINSPECTION GRADE REINSPECTION GRADE Business administration 4 Management of training 4 Quality assurance 4 T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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 Adult Learning Inspectorate KEY STRENGTHS ♦ learners’ excellent understanding of NVQ process ♦ good retention rates ♦ good opportunities to work towards additional sport and recreation qualifications ♦ learners’ good understanding of equal opportunities issues ♦ wide range of resources for learners’ support

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KEY WEAKNESSES ♦ little use of observation as a means of assessment ♦ insufficient identification of learners’ needs ♦ no clear objectives for progress reviews ♦ slow progress towards qualifications ♦ inadequate management of key skills training ♦ inadequate quality assurance of modern apprenticeship training T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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 Adult Learning Inspectorate INTRODUCTION

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1. The borough of Barnet is in north London. The borough council employs over 9,000 people and provides services to 331,500 residents. It is the largest employer in the area and the second largest borough in London. Its training and development unit (the unit) is situated in premises belonging to Barnet College of Further Education in Colindale. A senior training consultant manages the everyday running of the unit and is assisted by a full-time training consultant and one full-time administration assistant. The unit held a contract with North London Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) for five years and now holds a contract with the London North Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Originally, it was contracted as an employer to provide modern apprenticeship training through the TEC’s direct contract unit. Since June 2000, the unit has held a contract to offer advanced modern apprenticeships in amenity horticulture, engineering, business

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administration, customer service, sport and leisure and care of the elderly. Learners work towards national vocational qualifications (NVQs) at levels 2 and 3. At the time of the original inspection, there was one modern apprentice in heating and ventilation, electrical installation and care of the elderly. There were three learners on customer service modern apprenticeships and nine on amenity horticulture modern apprenticeships. None of these vocational areas was inspected. There were 13 business administration learners and eight learners working towards qualifications in sport and leisure. At the reinspection there were 25 modern apprentices still in training. All the learners are employed when they start training.

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2. The borough is an affluent area although it has pockets of deprivation. The proportion of people in Barnet from minority ethnic groups is 18.4 per cent, compared with 6.2 per cent in England as a whole. The unemployment rate in the borough in August 2000 was 3 per cent, slightly lower than the national average of 3.5 per cent. In September 2001 it was 3.1 per cent, slightly higher than the national average of 2.9 per cent. The main sectors for employment in the area are business services, retailing and manufacturing. Most employers are small or medium-sized. Currently, there is growth in the business services, health and social work and retailing sectors. In 1999, the proportion of school leavers achieving five or more general certificates of secondary education (GCSEs) at grade C and above was high at 56.9 per cent, compared with the national average of 47.9 per cent. In 2000, the proportion of school leavers achieving five or more GCSEs at grade C

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and above was still high at 57.5 per cent, compared with the national average of 49.2 per cent. T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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 Adult Learning Inspectorate INSPECTION FINDINGS

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3. The unit produced its first self-assessment report in September 2000 for the original inspection. A member of staff attended a workshop on the self-assessment process run by the TEC. The report was produced with help from a consultant recommended by the TEC. The senior training consultant consulted with training and assessment staff before, and following, the writing of the report. The second self-assessment report was produced in November 2001 and was written against the Common Inspection Framework . It was produced by a newly appointed senior training consultant.

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4. For the original inspection, three inspectors spent a total of 12 days at the unit’s site in Colindale in October and November 2000. They visited 14 modern apprentices at five council sites, held eight interviews involving managers, trainers, assessors and internal verifiers. They looked at a wide range of documents, including management files, written quality assurance procedures, the TEC contract, data on learners’ progression and achievements and learners’ personal files and portfolios. Inspectors evaluated resources for on- and off-the-job training. They inspected one training session in each of the two occupational areas and awarded both of them a grade 3.

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5. The reinspection was carried out by a team of three inspectors who spent a total of nine days with the unit during November 2001. Inspectors interviewed 16 learners. They examined seven portfolios and seven individual learning plans, observed a monitoring visit where an assessment was also planned and observed and graded one training session. One observation was awarded a grade 2 and the other as a grade 3. Inspectors examined documents relating to management and quality assurance and interviewed the unit’s staff. They visited five work placements and interviewed five employers’ staff.

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Business administration Grade 4

6. The London Borough of Barnet provides training in administration to eight advanced modern apprentices. Two are working towards NVQs at level 2 and five are working towards NVQs at level 3. One learner has recently completed the modern apprenticeship framework. Young people are recruited onto the programme when suitable vacancies arise within the council and are employed from the start of their training. Training consultants give induction to learners in groups and individually during the learners’ first week. Modern apprentices participate in the council’s induction training and 18-week assessment process for new staff. Most learners’ line managers act as their assessor. Others are assessed by staff from the training and development unit. Assessment takes place in the workplace. Learners attend off-the-job training at the unit’s premises. They have T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N

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Business administration Grade 4

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Business administration Grade 4

 Adult Learning Inspectorate progress reviews with a member of staff from the unit every six weeks. Six strengths were proposed by the provider in its self-assessment report. Inspectors agreed with one of these relating to off-the-job training. Other strengths were not about business administration, or were no more than normal practice. The unit accurately proposed two weaknesses relating to unqualified assessors and slow progress. Inspectors awarded a grade lower than that given in the self-assessment report.

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Business administration Grade 4

At the original inspection, the main weaknesses identified were; ♦ trainees’ lack of understanding of modern apprenticeship framework ♦ little use of observation in assessment ♦ unqualified assessors ♦ failure to plan training to meet individual trainees’ needs 7. Learners now have a satisfactory understanding of the requirements of their modern apprenticeship framework. Some are not clear on the range of options available to them. For example, they are unaware of additional units they can gain. However, they do know about the key components of the NVQ, key skills units and additional requirements, and the different levels of qualification. There is still not enough assessment by observation. Typically, portfolios contain only one or two observation reports, despite learners and their assessors working together in the same office. Some work-based assessors in administration are not yet qualified assessors. Some provide inadequate support for learners due to their inexperience.

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Business administration Grade 4

The planning of training remains a weakness. While the provider has made some recent minor improvements, there is still a lack of structure and coherence to the way training is co-ordinated.

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Business administration Grade 4

STRENGTHS ♦ well-planned off-the-job training ♦ good retention rates

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Business administration Grade 4

WEAKNESSES ♦ inadequate individual learning plans ♦ narrow range of assessment methods ♦ slow progress towards qualifications ♦ poor support from some work-based assessors

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Business administration Grade 4

8. Learners receive good off-the-job training to meet the theory requirements of their NVQs and key skills qualifications. Trainers plan the training sessions in great detail. Courses involve a range of enjoyable participative learning activities. Learners enjoy the workshops and gain valuable vocational skills and knowledge. Learners’ written feedback about this training is consistently positive. In key skills training sessions, learners explore barriers to communication and practise presentation skills. Trainers make good use of group discussions to explore acceptable and non-acceptable behaviour and issues such as treating others fairly. T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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Business administration Grade 4

 Adult Learning Inspectorate Trainers do not always make it clear to learners how the sessions are relevant to their individual learning plans. For example, a session on communication skills was not linked to the requirements of key skills qualifications.

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Business administration Grade 4

9. For the years 1999-2000 and 2000-01, retention was 100 per cent. Completion of frameworks is steadily improving. It increased from 40 per cent in 1998-99 to 67 per cent in 1999-2000. Some of these learners started before 1998. The unit has an achievement rate for level 3 NVQs of 100 per cent. Since 1998, 17 learners registered in total, only 24 per cent have achieved key skills.

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Business administration Grade 4

10. Arrangements for planning individual learners’ training are inadequate. The unit has recently introduced an individual learning plan which combines the results of the learner’s initial assessment with a summary of the units and key skills to be achieved. It also includes a summary of additional vocational training to be taken, such as computer courses. However, there is insufficient detail about how all aspects of the framework requirements and learners’ work responsibilities are to be integrated. Learners’ assessment plans concentrate on single units and they progress through them one at a time. Assessors fail to plan assessment so that it meets a range of requirements from across the framework. Assessors at the unit make references to key skills qualifications in the plans. However, the plans contain insufficient detail about the evidence to be gathered and how it will meet specific key skills requirements. The pace of work is not challenging enough for

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Business administration Grade 4

some learners, while others do not respond well to the high level of report writing and paperwork required.

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Business administration Grade 4

11. Learners produce good evidence for their portfolios. However, assessors place too much emphasis on the collection of paperwork in order to assess learners’ competence. They make insufficient use of observations and other direct forms of assessment such as discussion and question and answer sessions. Learners are required to write many reports for their NVQ, and some collect more than 100 items of evidence. Assessors and verifiers are failing to make better use of evidence to assess learners’ competence across different units of the NVQ simultaneously. Assessors do not choose assessment methods to suit the individual needs of learners. Unqualified assessors have insufficient understanding of the range of assessment methods they can use. The unit has recently included a section on a new review form to record discussions with learners and assessors about planned observations.

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Business administration Grade 4

12. Learners’ progress towards level 2 and level 3 NVQs and key skills qualifications is slow. One learner who completed an NVQ at level 3 over 16 months spent a further eight months completing the key skills qualification. One learner who started a level 2 NVQ in July 2000 had completed only 2 units by November 2001. Another learner who started in August 2000 had completed only two level 3 NVQ units by November 2001. Assessors typically wait for learners to produce work over long periods of time. They do not take opportunities to vary the assessment plans or assessment methods in response to a learner’s slow progress. POOR PRACTICE Three work-based assessors said that they have planned observations of learners to meet the requirements of the assessor qualification they are working towards. For all the learners involved, this was the only opportunity they have had to be observed. T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N

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Business administration Grade 4

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Business administration Grade 4

 Adult Learning Inspectorate 13. Learners do not receive frequent support from their assessors. Reviews, carried out by a member of staff from the unit, are supposed to take place every six weeks. There are many examples where this period has been exceeded. Work- based assessors, often learners’ line managers, do not dedicate sufficient time to planning and carrying out assessment. Some learners wait long periods for their assessors to check their work. As assessors usually wait for learners to complete one unit before starting another, learners do not have learning or assessment plans to work through during this period. In some cases, relationships between learners and their assessors are poor. The lack of communication and support for learners affects their motivation and progress.

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

14. The council appoints young people seeking careers in the sports and recreation industry to posts in its leisure and recreation department. The young people have employed status and undertake modern apprenticeships from the outset. There are currently eight modern apprentices. Three are working towards an NVQ in operational services. Those who obtain this then work towards an NVQ in facility operations at level 3 and currently, five modern apprentices are registered for this. None of the trainees has achieved certification in key skills. In addition to their main qualifications, trainees are required to achieve qualifications such as the pool lifeguard award, and other work-related qualifications, including those in first aid. Most trainees achieve more than the three required additional qualifications. Most trainees take part in a wide range of additional training courses offered by the council including those in information technology, drugs awareness and customer

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

service. The trainees are employed in one of the two sports and recreation facilities operated by the council. In most cases, the trainees’ line managers are also their NVQ assessors. Inspectors did not agree with some of the strengths and weaknesses stated in the self-assessment report. One of the strengths was more relevant to trainee support. Inspectors awarded the same grade as that given in the self-assessment report.

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

STRENGTHS ♦ well-planned training ♦ good opportunities for trainees to undertake additional training ♦ assessment on demand ♦ well-qualified assessors ♦ trainees’ excellent understanding of the NVQ process

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

WEAKNESSES ♦ too much paper-based evidence in portfolios ♦ trainees’ inadequate understanding of the industry ♦ lack of clarity in some feedback on assessment T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

 Adult Learning Inspectorate 15. There are two staff training sessions each week at both sports and recreation centres. At both centres, there is a 12-month training plan for staff. This aims to ensure that staff acquire new skills and update their existing skills. Training is relevant to the jobs that staff do and to the competencies they need to acquire in order to obtain their NVQ. Training is arranged flexibly to ensure the specific training needs of each trainee are met.

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

16. Trainees receive significantly more additional training than that specified in the modern apprenticeship framework. This additional training aims to make them more employable and give them the skills they need in order to progress to positions of greater responsibility.

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

17. Trainees have frequent contact with their assessors, who are usually their line managers. There is more than one assessor at each sports and recreation centre. If trainees’ shift patterns make it difficult for the trainees to make contact with the assessor assigned to them, they can turn to other assessors for guidance, support or assessment. The availability of assessors in the workplace facilitates trainees’ progress towards achievement of the NVQ.

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

18. In addition to holding the required assessor qualification, all assessors have extensive experience in the industry including working in all the job roles their trainees have. They also have a wide range of vocational qualifications. Many have obtained an NVQ at level 3 and some have also completed a modern apprenticeship. Their knowledge and experience enables them to provide trainees with effective support.

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

19. Trainees have an excellent understanding of all aspects of their NVQ is excellent. They have detailed knowledge of their roles and responsibilities, and the roles of the internal and external verifiers, the appeals procedure, and of how to cross-reference evidence to NVQ units. Both trainees who have been working towards their NVQ for a relatively short time, and those who have been on the programme over a year have this comprehensive understanding of the NVQ process.

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

20. Witness testimony of trainees’ competence is used as evidence for the trainees’ portfolios. There is, however, virtually no assessment of trainees through direct observation of their performance at work. There is a disproportionate amount of paper-based evidence in trainees’ portfolios. Although the evidence is valid, the production of it is unduly time-consuming. Assessors are not aware of the difference between witness testimony and direct assessment of the trainee by observation. Assessors constantly observe trainees carrying out tasks in the workplace to ensure they perform them correctly, but they do not take the opportunity to assess them at the same time.

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

21. Staff are not aware that one of the key requirements of the modern apprenticeship framework is that trainees should have a thorough understanding of their industry. Although trainees are well informed about the council and the sport T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

 Adult Learning Inspectorate and recreation services it provides, they have little understanding of the nature and scope of the leisure industry as a whole.

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Leisure, sport & travel Grade 3

22. Assessors complete feedback reports for the trainees on the extent to which the evidence they provide meets the requirements of the NVQ. These reports, however, are insufficiently detailed to be of much help to the trainee or the internal and external verifiers. They provide little guidance for the trainees on whether the evidence, and the way it has been gathered, is appropriate. The assessors’ comments are often bland and perfunctory.

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

23. The London borough of Barnet has an equal opportunities policy, a harassment and dignity-at-work policy and statements on the employment of people with disabilities. There are formal grievance procedures. The training and development unit is responsible for the modern apprenticeship programme and the council’s equal opportunities action plan covers the work of the unit. Modern apprentices are recruited according to the policies and procedures used for the recruitment of all council staff. Potential trainees are sent a copy of the council’s equal opportunities statement when they apply. Equal opportunities is covered during the trainees’ induction to the modern apprenticeship programme, during the trainees’ induction to the workplace and at their corporate induction. Inspectors identified different strengths and weaknesses from those identified in the self- assessment report. Inspectors awarded the same grade as that given by the unit.

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

STRENGTHS ♦ comprehensive equal opportunities policies and procedures ♦ extensive equal opportunities training for staff ♦ detailed corporate plan to promote equality of opportunity ♦ trainees’ good understanding of equal opportunities issues

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

WEAKNESSES ♦ insufficient analysis of equal opportunities data on the modern apprenticeship programme ♦ no recruitment of under-represented groups

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

24. The equal opportunities employment policy clearly states the council’s commitment to promoting equal opportunities through all aspects of its work. The personnel procedures manual contains a harassment and dignity-at-work policy which clearly explains forms of harassment and the responsibilities of line managers and employees for countering it. The personnel and procedures manual also includes specific guidance on the employment of people with disabilities and T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

 Adult Learning Inspectorate the implications of The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 it sets out and job share and part-time working arrangements for people unable to work full time. There are also comprehensive recruitment and selection policies and procedures. Grievance and disciplinary procedures are explained in the staff handbook.

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

25. All new staff attend a corporate induction which includes a session on the council’s equal opportunities strategy. Trainees joining the modern apprenticeship programme receive the corporate induction. Equal opportunities policies are covered in trainees’ induction to the programme and the workplace. The staff induction and assessment pack includes a checklist to help new staff familiarise themselves with the grievance, disciplinary and equal opportunities policies and procedures during their 18-week assessment period. The council runs a structured training programme for managers which includes courses on managing diversity, recruitment and selection and handling complaints. The managing diversity training session covers the operation of the harassment and dignity at work procedures, the law and policy on equal opportunities and the benefits of promoting diversity. The council has recently introduced a programme to combat

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

racial harassment and promote equality in Barnet.

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

26. There is a detailed corporate plan to promote equality of opportunity. This year, a questionnaire for staff included questions relating to the treatment of minority ethnic staff, people with disabilities and women and the existence of harassment, bullying and victimisation within the council. Another questionnaire related to the use of the council’s services by minority ethnic groups. Action on responses to these questionnaires has led to the development of a new strategy to meet diverse needs and remove barriers to equality of opportunity. An action plan to improve data collection and monitoring of the upholding of equal opportunities is being prepared. The need for additional cultural and equality awareness training has been identified.

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

27. Trainees have a good understanding of the wider equal opportunities issues and are aware of their rights and responsibilities. Trainees are able to talk confidently about the arrangements the council makes for people with disabilities. Staff of the training and development unit provide related training to equal opportunities for all council staff and have an in-depth knowledge of the equal opportunities issues.

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

28. The council reviews the fairness of its central recruitment and selection process carefully. It does not, however, fully analyse data relating to the gender, ethnicity and disabilities of trainees on the modern apprenticeship programme. All persons holding grade 1 - 4 posts with the council are referred to the training and development unit where they are assessed to see if they are suitable to take up a modern apprenticeship. Suitable posts are advertised and all applicants who return an application are guaranteed to be shortlisted against the job specification. In line with council policy, young people with disabilities or learning difficulties are guaranteed an interview. Data relating to the gender, ethnicity and disabilities of applicants and successful candidates are not analysed. No systematic comparison T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

 Adult Learning Inspectorate is made between the proportion of modern apprentices from minority ethnic groups and the proportion of persons from these groups in the local population.

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

29. Council policy does not allow the targeted recruitment of persons from under- represented groups. Advertisements for modern apprenticeship posts display the council’s equal opportunities statement but job advertisements are not placed in the local minority ethnic press or community centres.

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Trainee support Grade 2

30. Trainees are recruited to specific posts within the council in exactly the same way as other council employees. Training and development staff determine the training and support needs of trainees through the interview process, by making an initial visit to them in the workplace, and studying the findings of their 18-week assessment period reports and the outcomes of their two-weekly progress reviews. All trainees have an induction to their NVQ, an induction to their work-role, and a corporate induction. The training and development unit’s training consultants and line managers share responsibility for monitoring trainees’ progress and the effectiveness of the learning and pastoral support trainees receive. The training consultants, and particularly the senior training consultant, take primary responsibility for providing career and progression counselling. Other personal counselling is available from specialist counsellors employed by the council.

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Trainee support Grade 2

Inspectors broadly agreed with the judgements in the self-assessment report but they did not agree with some relating to individual training plans. They found both strengths and weaknesses the organisation had not identified and awarded a grade higher than that given in the self-assessment report.

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Trainee support Grade 2

STRENGTHS ♦ highly effective induction process ♦ guaranteed time for trainees to carry out NVQ tasks at work ♦ rigorous initial monitoring of trainees’ performance ♦ wide range of resources for trainee support

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Trainee support Grade 2

WEAKNESSES ♦ insufficient diagnostic element in initial tests for trainees ♦ fragmented records on trainees ♦ no clear objectives for trainees’ progress reviews

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Trainee support Grade 2

31. The three induction sessions trainees receive are carefully structured and carried out well. Trainees understand and remember what they are told during induction. Both trainees who are newly appointed and those who have been employed for several years, have a good understanding of NVQs, their rights and responsibilities, the structure of the council and its general policies, and the complaints, appeals and grievance procedures. T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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Trainee support Grade 2

 Adult Learning Inspectorate 32. The organisation has a firm commitment to furthering the personal development of the young people it employs. Trainees are allowed six hours a week in work time to gather evidence for their portfolios and undergo assessment, in addition to time allowed for training or attendance at NVQ workshops. During busy periods in the summer, it may not be possible for trainees to take their allowance of six hours off work for training purposes. In this event, however, the time due to them is logged and they may use it later, sometimes in block periods of up to a week.

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Trainee support Grade 2

33. The council carries out an assessment of the performance of all new employees over an 18-week period. Line managers report in detail on employees after one week and then after four, nine and 18 weeks, and then discuss their progress with them. Assessment focuses on the trainees’ attendance and responsiveness to instruction. Line managers also check that trainees are receiving the support they need. They identify employees’ broad training needs and set them targets of a general, rather than job-specific nature. This continuous assessment over the 18-week period, and the twice-weekly progress reviews of trainees carried out by training consultants aim to ensure that trainees are well supported during the early stage of their employment.

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Trainee support Grade 2

34. Trainees have access to a wide range of sources of support, not the least of which are the various staff they can call upon. This includes their line manager, other assessors in their workplace, and the training consultants whom they can contact at any time, and whom they meet with at least every two weeks. The training consultants, and in particular the senior training consultant offer confidential pastoral and career counselling. In some instances, staff visit trainees’ homes and hold discussions with trainees’ parents to resolve particularly difficult problems. Where necessary, trainees are referred to specialist counsellors employed by the council. In addition to this, all trainees have the opportunity to undergo a wide variety of additional training and most choose to do so. Unlike other staff, trainees can undertake any internal training they feel is appropriate to their needs. They can also use the open learning centre, which contains a wide

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Trainee support Grade 2

variety of learning resources, including computers.

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Trainee support Grade 2

35. Staff apply criteria when deciding whether a trainee should work towards an NVQ at level 2 or an NVQ at level 3. The criteria are known to, and understood by staff, but they are not written down. New staff are not given any specification of the criteria in writing. There is no systematic process for checking that the criteria are carried out consistently.

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Trainee support Grade 2

36. New trainees undergo initial assessment. Staff devote a considerable amount of time to identifying trainees’ needs through discussion and interviews with the trainees themselves. The initial assessment process, however, is fragmented and it is not co-ordinated systematically. It is council policy that new employees shall not be subjected to testing that is too diagnostic. In some instances, however, trainees are recruited to posts for which they do not have the necessary skills. Once in post, the council has to spend a great deal of time identifying the support the trainees T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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Trainee support Grade 2

 Adult Learning Inspectorate need and in ensuring they receive it.

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Trainee support Grade 2

37. Information about the trainees and their training programme is held by line managers, on trainees’ files or on other files. It is not brought together and recorded on one document to give a clear picture of the training programme and learning support each trainee receives, the progress each trainee has made, and the training courses each trainee has attended.

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Trainee support Grade 2

38. Most trainees receive reviews of their progress every two weeks. The reviews are carried out by training consultants. Some of the consultants are qualified in the occupational area related to the NVQ towards which the trainees are working. They are able to advise the trainees on ways of collecting evidence of their competencies. Other consultants, however, do not have qualifications relevant to the trainees’ occupational interests. Many trainees are unclear about the purpose of their reviews. They are uncertain whether the reviews are a means of monitoring their progress, or an opportunity for them to receive pastoral care and advice. The records of the reviews are unclear and insufficiently detailed.

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Management of training Grade 4

39. A senior training consultant oversees the modern apprenticeship training. A training consultant supported by one full-time administrative assistant manage the training on a daily basis. Theory training is delivered in workshops run by additional qualified training consultants based at the unit’s training centre. Some key skills training is subcontracted to a college. There are 25 advanced modern apprentices, all employed by the borough council. The unit achieved the Investors in People award, a national standard for improving an organisation’s performance through its people, in 1997. All staff employed in running the apprenticeship scheme are in frequent contact with each other and meet to discuss individual learners’ progress. Staff are employed under the same conditions as other local authority employees. All new staff receive an induction. All staff receive an annual appraisal. During this, an assessment is made of the extent to which they have met

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Management of training Grade 4

their performance objectives and their training needs are identified, discussed and recorded. Staff work with 26 work-based assessors who are the learners’ line managers in the council’s divisions. The effective involvement of work-based assessors was identified as a strength in the self-assessment report but this is a weakness in business administration. Most strengths identified in the self- assessment report were considered no more than normal practice by inspectors. The self-assessment report did not identify the weaknesses found by inspectors. The self-assessment report identified two weaknesses, which inspectors did not consider weaknesses. Inspectors awarded a lower grade than that in the self- assessment report.

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Management of training Grade 4

At the original inspection, the main weaknesses identified were: ♦ failure of any modern apprentice to complete the framework T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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Management of training Grade 4

 Adult Learning Inspectorate ♦ poor implementation of training in key skills ♦ insufficient understanding of the modern apprenticeship framework on the part of staff ♦ significant staffing shortages ♦ inadequate management-information system

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Management of training Grade 4

40. The original weaknesses relating to insufficient understanding of the framework, significant staff shortages and inadequate management information systems have all been rectified. The weaknesses relating to the failure of modern apprentices to complete their frameworks and the poor key skills training have not been fully rectified and inspectors found an additional weakness.

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Management of training Grade 4

STRENGTHS ♦ well-established staff policies and procedures

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Management of training Grade 4

WEAKNESSES ♦ slow senior management action to address weaknesses ♦ inadequate management of key skills training

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Management of training Grade 4

41. The borough council has clearly written staff policies and procedures on recruitment and selection, induction, appraisal and staff development. These have little impact on the management of training of the modern apprenticeship programme. They are based on the borough council’s policies and are well- presented in procedure manuals given to staff and learners. Guidelines on recruitment and selection are clear. There are person specifications and job descriptions for all positions. New staff attend an induction about council procedures as well as the unit’s induction. New employees serve an 18-week probationary period. During this, their training needs are identified. The senior training consultant uses the annual staff appraisal to set the staff targets and identify their training needs. The appropriateness of these targets is reviewed after six months. The council provides staff with training in response to local and

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Management of training Grade 4

national initiatives or changes in policies and procedures. There are regular informal meetings of staff. These meetings are now more effective. At these, staff discuss their progress towards reaching performance targets.

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Management of training Grade 4

42. The unit now has a clear strategy for improving the management of its training. It has appointed a permanent senior training consultant to oversee this. There has not been sufficient time to develop the strategy fully to cover all areas of management of modern apprenticeships. Unit staff now have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and are motivated to bring about improvements. The strategy targets learners’ completion of key skills qualifications as a priority to enable completion of modern apprenticeship frameworks. Five learners have now completed their frameworks and a number are nearing completion. This is rectifying a major weakness from the original inspection. Key skills training packs have been developed and have begun to be distributed to learners. The integration of key skills training with the vocational T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N

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Management of training Grade 4

B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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Management of training Grade 4

 Adult Learning Inspectorate training for foundation modern apprentices has started. Key skills training sessions take place regularly at the training centre and are well attended. Staff responsible for the modern apprenticeships now work closely together and formal and informal communications have improved. Learners, internal verifiers and assessors working at the various council sites are now regularly informed of training events and meetings. The monitoring of learners’ progress has improved.

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Management of training Grade 4

43. Senior managers were slow to take effective action to ensure that the weaknesses identified in the original inspection report were rectified. The manager at the time of the original inspection left in December 2000. It took 10 months for a new manager to take up the post. Existing staff, workplace internal verifiers and assessors were left with little support during this period and learners made inadequate progress. There are still staff shortages, although a new full-time NVQ assessor is due to start work in January 2002. Trainee assessors are still making slow progress towards becoming qualified. Two-thirds are working towards the qualification. Some have been doing so for more than three years. This is double the maximum period recommended by some awarding bodies.

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Management of training Grade 4

44. In the five years during which the borough council has trained modern apprenticeships, few learners in sport and business administration have completed the modern apprenticeship framework in full. Some learners, who completed work for their NVQ in early 2000 have only recently started work on key skills. Some learners were being given a year in which to achieve their key skills qualifications but were unable to do so because of delays in key skills lessons. This delay reflects the problems of staffing identified in the original inspection report rather than the learners’ individual aptitude. The unit has recently re-introduced workshops on key skills, with the aim of ensuring that more learners complete the full apprenticeship. There is no systematic identification of learners’ individual training needs in relation to key skills. Training and assessment in key skills are now being integrated with the learners’ vocational training. Most learners only

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Management of training Grade 4

collect evidence of their competence in key skills after they have completed work for their NVQ, missing opportunities to cross-reference evidence for both their NVQ and key skills. No member of staff is yet qualified to carry out training in, or assessment of, key skills. The unit has recently introduced assessment and accreditation of learners’ prior learning of key skills and learners are exempted from key skills training if appropriate. Learners are not always able to attend key skills workshops due to their work commitments. There is an expectation that workplace assessors will plan and assess learners’ key skills but the assessors are unclear about the process.

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Quality assurance Grade 4

45. Barnet Council’s corporate plan includes quality assurance procedures, which also cover the training and development unit. Responsibility for monitoring and evaluating quality assurance practices and procedures rests with the senior training consultant who has been in post for just over two months. There are two qualified T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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Quality assurance Grade 4

 Adult Learning Inspectorate internal verifiers and two staff working towards the qualification. Of the 26 assessors, eight are qualified and 18 are working towards qualifications. Feedback from learners and assessors is obtained at regular intervals through monitoring visits. Learners’ achievement rates and destinations are monitored. The sports and recreation training programme complies with the requirements of ISO 9002, an international quality assurance standard, which the unit obtained in 1998. The self- assessment report identified one strength and no weaknesses for quality assurance. Inspectors partially agreed with the strength relating to continuous improvement but also found two weaknesses. Inspectors awarded a lower grade than that given in the self-assessment report.

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Quality assurance Grade 4

At the original inspection, the main weaknesses identified were: ♦ insufficient understanding of quality assurance among staff ♦ some weak internal verification practices ♦ inadequate quality assurance system ♦ no action-planning to achieve improvement

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Quality assurance Grade 4

46. The four weaknesses identified at the original inspection have all been acted upon to some extent. None have become strengths and there are still significant weaknesses. Assessors now have an improved understanding of quality assurance, but are unclear about aspects of internal verification, self-assessment and inspection. Flow charts of processes are being introduced to aid their understanding. Aspects of internal verification have improved since the last inspection and it is happening regularly, but there is no internal verification file that presents a clear overview of the internal verification process and the gaps within it. The quality assurance procedures that apply to the borough council are being adapted for its training and development unit but do not adequately assure the quality of the modern apprenticeship training. An action plan has been put in place for modern apprenticeships and is starting to have a positive effect on the

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Quality assurance Grade 4

STRENGTHS ♦ good evaluation of off-the-job training sessions ♦ good use of feedback

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Quality assurance Grade 4

WEAKNESSES ♦ ineffective internal verification ♦ inadequate quality assurance of modern apprenticeship training

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Quality assurance Grade 4

47. There is a good, thorough evaluation process for the series of off-the-job training workshops which learners attend. Key unit staff meet to design the workshops’ objectives and select the most suitable trainer to deliver it. A pilot workshop then takes place and staff seek the views of learners attending, using questionnaires. An initial review meeting takes place, involving the trainer who delivered the workshop and one of the learners who attended. The workshop is T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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Quality assurance Grade 4

 Adult Learning Inspectorate modified as required and presented a second time. Following this second workshop, a final review meeting takes place with another learner who attended and the workshop becomes a formal part of the training programme. This is relatively new but is working well. Other established workshops are also subject to review. Good feedback is collected from learners following all training courses they attend, using questionnaires. A dozen questions ask learners about their level of satisfaction for areas such as pre-course administration, training resources, quality of teaching and usefulness of the course to gaining qualifications. Learners also have the chance to give more detailed evaluation on how the course could be improved and what aspects they have found most useful. The feedback from learners is used to evaluate training and comments from learners, such as ‘more handouts would be useful’, are followed up. In 1999-2000, an average of 88 per

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Quality assurance Grade 4

cent of learners were more than satisfied with the training they had received. This has risen to almost 100 per cent in the six months prior to the inspection. The high level of learners’ satisfaction was recognised as a strength in the self-assessment report in the occupational areas.

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Quality assurance Grade 4

48. The unit has made improvements to training in response to this feedback. One example is alterations to the premises to reduce noise in the training rooms. A number of other improvements have been made recently that are starting to affect the experience of learners. Initial assessment paperwork now places more emphasis on learners’ prior experience and learning and the suitability of the learners’ jobs for the qualifications they are taking. There have been other improvements to paperwork used for aspects of assessment and internal verification. Key skills packs have been developed and are awaiting distribution to learners. The unit currently only uses target-setting and performance indicators for targets that relate to finance and the LSC contract. An action plan developed for the modern apprenticeship programme has begun to produce more demanding targets for completion of frameworks based on the capability of learners rather

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Quality assurance Grade 4

than income for the unit. One learner interviewed who had just completed a business administration modern apprenticeship said they did more in six months than in the previous two years.

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Quality assurance Grade 4

49. Internal verification, particularly the maintenance of records and planning, is still a significant weakness. No single internal verification file exists containing signatures of those who give witness testimonies, copies of assessors’ certificates, external verifiers’ reports and copies of feedback given to those who have been internally verified. A list of dates of when internal verification is planned to take place is shared with assessors, but the particular activities planned for those dates, such as observing an assessment or oral questioning, are not identified. The poor practice at the original inspection of no internal verification sampling plans has been partially corrected by setting dates for internal verification activities and having some paperwork to plan this. There is no sampling plan that incorporates the planning of units with assessors, assessment methods to be sampled, assessment location and assessor. The unit does have some of the information that

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Quality assurance Grade 4

should be included in an internal verification file, but in a variety of different places. This makes it difficult to monitor the overall effectiveness of the internal T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : L O N D O N B O R O U G H O F B A R N E T O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 0 A D U L T L E A R N I N G I N S P E C T O R A T E R E I N S P E C T I O N N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 1

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Quality assurance Grade 4

 Adult Learning Inspectorate verification process. Weaknesses or strengths in the assessment process, for example the over-reliance on paper-based assessment in business administration, are insufficiently identified and shared with assessors to promote improvement. Internal verifiers observe assessors and provide written feedback. A minority of observation records are not dated. More recent examples of trainee assessors being observed contain appropriate written feedback. Work-based assessors have a poor understanding of the arrangements for internal verification. Some are not clear about who is the internal verifier for their learners or for their own assessor training. They receive insufficient support for their development as assessors from the verifier, for example in areas such as key skills or assessment planning. Standardisation meetings for assessors are supposed to take place four times a year. Assessors should attend 75 per cent of these meetings. The meetings are not

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Quality assurance Grade 4

held frequently enough. In business administration, only two meetings have taken place in the last 11 months. For sports and recreation, only six meetings have taken place in two years. Outcomes of the meetings are not well recorded and dates of the next meeting are not always agreed at the meeting. The unit has an established clear criteria for deciding whether an assessor is experienced or not. Closer scrutiny is given to trainee assessors, whose assessments are now countersigned. Some assessors have made extremely slow progress towards completion of their assessor qualifications, in some cases taking over three years.

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Quality assurance Grade 4

50. Specific quality assurance procedures for the modern apprenticeship programme are inadequate and are not linked to the self-assessment process. The feedback that is collected is part of the review process or end of unit achievement rates and is not adequately structured or anonymous. The unit’s generally good evaluation of off-the-job training has not been applied to the whole modern apprenticeship training programme. The impact of areas such as poor relationships between some assessors and their learners has not been evaluated to determine their impact on the learners concerned. One learner refused the chance to change assessors. Flowcharts of quality assurance processes have recently been devised and introduced to improve staff’s understanding of quality assurance but they have not yet impacted on quality assurance procedures. Those learners who complete their training or leave early are not asked for their views about the training. The

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Quality assurance Grade 4

self-assessment report was produced in a short space of time by the new senior training consultant for the reinspection in November 2001. It contains quantitative data but this was not adequately analysed to identify strengths around retention rates. Assessors made little contribution to the production of the report. Assessors have little understanding of the inspection process and the role of self-assessment in quality assurance. Several key weaknesses were not identified in the areas being reinspected and the majority of strengths in the self-assessment report were in fact no more than normal practice. Inspectors did not agree with any of the grades in the self-assessment report for the three areas being reinspected and awarded lower grades in all cases.

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