Setting

T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L

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I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Haringey Adult Learning Services I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Haringey Adult Learning Services provides satisfactory training in business administration and foundation for work. Training resources for business administration are good. Retention rates are low on some business administration programmes. The foundation for work programme is organised flexibly to enable trainees to work at their own pace. Few trainees, however, progress to further training or work. Construction training is unsatisfactory. During their progress reviews, trainees are not set demanding targets. Some trainees on the electrical programme make slow progress towards achieving their NVQs. The organisation promotes equal opportunities well. There is a comprehensive policy on equal opportunities. Guidelines for its implementation are updated regularly. Marketing materials, however, make no explicit reference to equal opportunities. Trainee support is satisfactory but is not recorded systematically. Training in job search is good. Management of training and quality

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assurance are unsatisfactory. Co-ordination of on- and off-the-job training is poor. There is little analysis and use of data in the planning of improvements.

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OCCUPATIONAL AREAS GRADE GENERIC AREAS GRADE Construction 4 Equal opportunities 2 Business administration 3 Trainee support 3 Foundation for work 3 Management of training 4 Quality assurance 4

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KEY STRENGTHS ♦ well-planned training at the training centre ♦ well-devised training projects in business administration ♦ well-structured training and assessment for ESOL trainees ♦ good understanding of equal opportunities on the part of staff ♦ good opportunities for trainees to receive additional training

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KEY WEAKNESSES ♦ lack of work-based assessment ♦ no clear objectives for trainees’ progress reviews ♦ low retention and achievement rates on some programmes ♦ no systematic use of data in planning improvements ♦ poor management of modern apprenticeship programme ♦ inadequate quality assurance system ♦ little understanding of government-funded training procedures by staff I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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 Training Standards Council INTRODUCTION

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1. Haringey Adult Learning Services (HALS) is part of the Haringey Education Directorate’s Services to Students and Communities. HALS was established in May 1998 when Haringey Education Service Training Agency (HESTA), Haringey Adult Guidance Service and a number of family learning and regeneration programmes came together under one organisational structure. HESTA was established in the late 1980s from the amalgamation of a number of training centres and employer-based youth training organisations. Over the last 10 years, HESTA has provided an average of 500 training places a year, principally for unemployed people wishing to enter or re-enter the employment market. The adult guidance service interviews about 1,600 people a year and responds to between 70 and 100 enquiries each week. Since 1998, HALS has changed the types of programmes it offers and has altered its structure to suit these. HALS runs

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its services through four teams, the guidance team, the training team, the employment team and the central team. HALS employs 56 staff to cover all its activities. Some of these are part time. The main site for HALS is in White Hart Lane where there is the main training centre and an annexe. HALS also has premises in the central library at Wood Green.

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2. Since September 1999, HALS has had a contract with North London Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) to provide other work-based training for young people in business administration and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). It also has a contract to provide modern apprenticeships in construction, business administration, sport and recreation and retail and customer service. It took this contract over from Haringey Council Corporate Services in April 2000. There were few trainees on the sport and recreation and the retail and customer service programmes, and these were not inspected. HALS has a contract with a local college to provide the full-time education and training option in New Deal and also manages New Deal Gateway for Haringey. This contract started in July 1998. There are 37 young people and 16 New Deal clients on the following programmes:

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PROGRAMME Modern Apprenticeships Other Work- based Training New Deal Totals

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Construction 9 9 Business Administration 6 11 5 22 Foundation for work 4 11 15 Sport & recreation 6 6 Retail & customer service 1 1

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3. HALS uses its own training facilities for the other work-based training for young people and New Deal. The off-the-job training and assessment for the modern apprenticeship programme are subcontracted to other training providers. I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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 Training Standards Council 4. Haringey’s economic development plan for 2000-2001 states that Haringey has one of the highest levels of unemployment in the country. In January 2000, 10 per cent of residents were unemployed and claiming benefit, compared with 5.6 per cent in Greater London. The Haringey competitiveness audit for 1999 confirms that Haringey has the highest level of long-term unemployment of any London borough. There is a large difference between the east and the west areas of Haringey in relation to employment, pay, qualifications and skill levels. The wards in the west are relatively affluent. The unemployment rate in them is low and they have a higher number of well-qualified residents. The wards in the east have some of the highest levels of deprivation and unemployment in the country. People from minority ethnic groups and young people under 25 are disproportionately represented in the unemployment figures. Refugees face particular difficulties and

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80 per cent of refugees of working age are unemployed. Twenty-nine per cent of the population are from minority ethnic groups.

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5. In 1999-2000, the proportions of 16-year olds and 17-year olds in the North London TEC area who stayed on in full-time education were 69 per cent and 57 per cent, respectively. The proportion of 16-year olds who achieved five or more general certificates of secondary education (GCSEs) at grade C or above, was 48 per cent, just above the national average of 47.9 per cent. Only 6.3 per cent of school leavers in the area failed to obtain any GCSEs at all. The North London TEC area includes Haringey. I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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 Training Standards Council INSPECTION FINDINGS

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6. HALS began its self-assessment process in December 1999. The acting head of service invited a local training provider who had been inspected to visit HALS and share the experience of both self-assessment and inspection. In March 2000, the TEC arranged for a consultant to visit the organisation and produce a report giving an overview of its services and how they might be improved. The main self- assessment process started in July 2000 and the acting head of service attended a three-day workshop arranged by the TEC. The managers and co-ordinators’ team met to plan the self-assessment. A process structure was implemented which involved staff teams, trainees and included feedback from employers. A draft report was produced and circulated to the staff. There was a great deal of discussion about the content and the grades given. The self-assessment report received final editing by the acting head of service and was finished in September

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2000. It is very detailed and contains a lot of background information about the way HALS operates. It was helpful to inspectors in planning the inspection. The inspectors did not agree with all the judgements in the self-assessment report and identified additional strengths and weaknesses. They agreed with all the grades given in the self-assessment report, with the exception of the grade for equal opportunities. The grade they awarded for equal opportunities was higher than that given in the self-assessment report.

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7. A team of five inspectors spent a total of 13 days at HALS in October 2000. They interviewed 30 trainees, 14 staff, six members of subcontractors’ staff and eight workplace supervisors and employers. They visited 10 work placements. They observed and graded five training sessions, two assessments and two progress reviews. The grades awarded are given below. Inspectors examined trainees’ individual training plans, review records, files and portfolios. A wide range of other documents was examined; including contracts, external reports, internal reports, minutes of meetings, staff personnel records, policies and procedures.

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GRADE 1 GRADE 2 GRADE 3 GRADE 4 GRADE 5 TOTAL

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Total 1 1 5 2 0 9 I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Construction Grade 4

8. There are nine trainees on modern apprenticeships in construction. Four trainees are receiving training in electrical installation, three in wood occupations and two in plumbing. Haringey Council’s Corporate Services department employs all the trainees. Their range of work includes maintenance, repair and adaptation of housing, commercial and, to a lesser extent, industrial premises. HALS subcontracts all the training, assessment and verification of the NVQ programmes to two local colleges of further education. Trainees attend off-the-job training on one day each week during term time. Trainees receive all their assessment in the college. In April 2000, HALS took over the modern apprenticeship contract from Haringey Council. Since that time, no new trainees have started on the programme. Since 1997, 10 trainees have begun the programme but none has achieved all the objectives in their individual training plan. One trainee achieved an NVQ at level 2

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Construction Grade 4

and left the training programme but remains in employment with the council. Inspectors agreed with some of the strengths and one of the weaknesses in the self- assessment report. They identified additional strengths and weaknesses. They agreed with the grade in the self-assessment report.

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Construction Grade 4

STRENGTHS ♦ wide range of practical tasks in work placements ♦ good off-the-job training facilities

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Construction Grade 4

WEAKNESSES ♦ no co-ordination of on- and off-the-job training ♦ missed opportunities for collection of work-based evidence ♦ failure to set trainees demanding targets in their progress reviews ♦ slow progress of some electrical trainees towards achieving the NVQ

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Construction Grade 4

9. All trainees are employed and carry out the same tasks as other employees. They consider themselves to be part of the work teams. They take a pride in their work and aim to carry it out to a high standard. Supervisors allocate different tasks to trainees so that they cover a range of competencies in their on-the-job training. The workplace supervisors do their best to meet trainees’ training needs and recognise the importance of making time available for on-the-job training within the time constraints of the work schedule. Trainees benefit from being involved in real work situations. They often work in houses and meet the householders and have the opportunity to develop a range of skills.

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Construction Grade 4

10. The facilities at the two colleges are good and include well-equipped workshops. There are appropriately appointed areas which serve as a simulated I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Construction Grade 4

 Training Standards Council workplace where trainees are assessed. Logbooks or diaries are countersigned by the workplace recorder and used as evidence in portfolios. An assessor carries out assessment through observation of the trainees carrying out tasks in the simulated workplace. The woodwork workshops have been refurbished. The college lecturers are occupationally qualified and are either qualified assessors or are working towards their assessor qualifications.

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Construction Grade 4

11. There is no co-ordination of on- and off-the-job training. Although there are good opportunities for trainees to learn in the workplace and the supervisors are supportive, the on-the-job training is not planned. Supervisors have not received copies of the colleges’ training programmes or timetables. They know little about the requirements, range and structure of the NVQs or the modern apprenticeship framework. Trainees are not assessed in the workplace. They are assessed under simulated workplace conditions at college. For assessment purposes, trainees have to repeat in a simulated workplace work they have already carried out in a real workplace. They find this demotivating.

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Construction Grade 4

12. The trainees were transferred to HALS in April this year. HALS staff provided them with an induction to the organisation. Most trainees had their first progress review in September. The progress reviews were mainly used as an opportunity to give trainees pastoral care and support. During their reviews, the trainees were not set targets relating to their achievement of the NVQ. Furthermore, no attempt was made to relate on- and off-the-job training, no reference was made to key skills and there was no direct or indirect involvement of workplace supervisors or college tutors.

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Construction Grade 4

13. Two electrical trainees were scheduled to finish their apprenticeship within two months of the inspection. Neither has started to collect evidence towards achievement of their NVQs at level 2 or 3 or has started to work to obtain the required key skills certification. Both colleges have applied to become an approved assessment centre for the NVQ at level 3.

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Business administration Grade 3

14. The organisation has 17 trainees and five New Deal clients in this occupational area. Eleven trainees are on other work-based training for young people and are working towards an NVQ at levels 1 and 2 in information technology. All these trainees are endorsed as requiring additional learning support in order to achieve their NVQs at level 1. These trainees are on a 16-hour training programme. They spend their first 10 weeks in the training centre and then go out on a work placement. They attend the training centre for one day a week and spend two days a week in their work placements. The five New Deal clients are on the full-time education and training option and are working towards a computer literacy and information technology certificate. Six trainees are on the business administration modern apprenticeship programme. These six trainees are all employed within Haringey Council and their training and assessment are managed

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Business administration Grade 3

I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Business administration Grade 3

 Training Standards Council by a subcontractor. Training staff are all qualified trainers and/or assessors who have completed extra training to upgrade their occupational skills. HALS staff carry out all internal verification. Trainees are allocated a programme support officer who keeps in close contact with them and is responsible for aspects of their programme other than assessment, such as guidance and support, job search and liaison with the trainees’ work placements. They also provide some of the additional training trainees receive, such as training on equal opportunities and health and safety during the induction programme. Out of 23 trainees who joined other work-based training programmes 13 months ago, two have carried out their individual training plans in full, and six have achieved an NVQ at level 1. One has left to take up a job, one has progressed to further education and 11 trainees are

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Business administration Grade 3

still on the programme. Out of 10 trainees who have joined the modern apprenticeship programme in the last four years, two trainees have fulfilled the objectives in their individual training plan, six have achieved an NVQ at level 2 and two trainees have achieved an NVQ at level 3. Seven trainees are still in training. Out of 22 New Deal clients who have left, 13 have carried out their individual training plan in full. Inspectors considered many of the strengths in the self-assessment report to be no more than normal practice and the weaknesses more relevant to generic areas. They identified additional strengths and weaknesses and agreed with the grade given in the self-assessment report.

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Business administration Grade 3

STRENGTHS ♦ well-structured off-the-job information technology training ♦ good training resources ♦ well-devised business administration projects

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Business administration Grade 3

WEAKNESSES ♦ insufficient assessment of trainees carrying out everyday tasks ♦ inflexibly arranged other work-based training programme ♦ some low retention rates

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Business administration Grade 3

15. Trainees on the other work-based training for young people spend their first 10 weeks in the training centre. They receive intensive training in information technology which equips them with the skills needed to prepare them for their work placements. They are given projects and activities to carry out and they receive individual support and tuition from the staff. Once trainees are in their work placements, they attend the training centre on one day a week. The training programme is well-planned and effective. Staff have carefully identified the competencies the trainees need to acquire. They have devised projects for them through which the trainees are able to produce evidence for their portfolios of their acquisition of these competencies. New Deal clients have access to a workshop where they receive flexibly arranged training tailored to meet their needs. I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S

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Business administration Grade 3

 Training Standards Council 16. The training resources at the training centre are good. The training rooms are large and well lit and have plenty of space. The information technology training rooms are well equipped with industry-standard hardware and software similar to that trainees use in the workplace. There are plenty of computers and printers and these are well-maintained. Trainees have good work placements. These include work placements at HALS itself. The work trainees undertake in work placements enables them to develop and use a wide range of skills.

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Business administration Grade 3

17. The training and assessment for the modern apprenticeship programme are subcontracted to a private training company. The trainees attend the training centre for one day a week. Trainees are encouraged to take responsibility for compiling their own portfolios and the evidence in them which is related to their individual workplaces. Training in key skills is integral to the trainees’ programme. Trainees know what key skills are. They understand the relevance of key skills to the workplace and how they can develop them through their work for the NVQ. Employers play a full part in trainees’ progress reviews. They have in-depth understanding of the NVQ process and are able to help trainees identify opportunities for assessment in the workplace.

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Business administration Grade 3

18. The assessors monitor the progress of youth trainees on other work-based training programmes. Trainees do not take their portfolios out of the training centre except by special agreement. Action plans to help trainees gather specific evidence are drawn up every few weeks. Trainees keep a copy of the specification of NVQ standards in their portfolios. They do not have access to a copy in their work placements, however, to enable them to check that the evidence they gather at work is relevant to the standards. The assessor does not necessarily assess the trainees as they carry out tasks in the course of their normal work. Instead, the assessor may ask the trainees to repeat tasks, for assessment purposes, under simulated work-based conditions. All trainees have to work at the same pace towards achievement of the NVQ. Some more able trainees are demotivated by not being allowed to progress at a faster rate, while other trainees find it difficult to

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Business administration Grade 3

19. There have been two intakes of trainees to the other work-based training for young people programme. One was in September 1999 and the other in July 2000. There have been some early leavers. New trainees who start after the beginning of the programme have to catch up with the other trainees. They are not given an individual programme to meet their needs. They are given extra support, however, and some of them have a work placement in-house to help them catch up with the other trainees. After a certain point in the programme, it is essential that any late entrants who join it already have some significant degree of expertise in information technology. For some late starters, however, an NVQ at level 1 is not necessarily an appropriate qualification for them to work towards.

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Business administration Grade 3

20. Of the 23 starters trainees who began the programme 13 months ago, nine have left early. Five of these had no qualifications and four had some. The reasons for trainees leaving early are varied. One trainee achieved higher GCSE results than expected and returned to school. Another trainee had been used to receiving I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Business administration Grade 3

 Training Standards Council individual tuition and could not cope with learning in a group at the training centre. The dropout rate within the first three months of the programme was 35 per cent. Under the terms of its contract with the TEC, HALS may only accept trainees endorsed as requiring additional learning support to help them achieve an NVQ at level 1. Some of the trainees, however, have experience of, and qualifications in, information technology and do not require help with basic skills. Some trainees are working at a level below that of their ability and the targets they are given are not sufficiently demanding.

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Foundation for work Grade 3

21. There are four trainees on the other work-based training for young people and 11 New Deal clients on the full-time education and training option. The youth trainees are on a two-year programme consisting of 16 hours of training each week. They are working towards an NVQ in information technology at level 1. Their programme includes two days a week in a work placement and one day in the training centre where they develop information technology and English language skills. Trainees who require additional learning support spend their three days in the training centre improving their skills in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), numeracy and information technology, and may continue to do so for up to a year. Ten of the 11 New Deal clients are in the training centre for four days a week working on ESOL, numeracy and information technology. They also have one day of guided private study. Clients spend from six to 12 months on

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Foundation for work Grade 3

New Deal, according to their needs. Clients who receive training in ESOL also engage in jobsearch. They do not have any work experience. One New Deal client is working towards an NVQ in industrial sewing at level 2. All trainees and New Deal clients are working towards wordpower at entry level or level 1. Staff are suitably experienced and qualified to carry out training and assessment in ESOL. Fifteen trainees have joined the other work-based training for young people programme in the last 13 months. One trainee has carried out his individual training plan in full, one trainee has achieved an entry level qualification, one trainee has progressed into further education and 10 trainees have left early. Inspectors agreed with two of the strengths in the self-assessment report but did not agree with any of the weaknesses. They identified additional strengths and weaknesses and agreed with the grade given in the self-assessment report.

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Foundation for work Grade 3

STRENGTHS ♦ well-structured training in English language ♦ good learning materials ♦ flexibly arranged training to meet the needs of individual trainees GOOD PRACTICE Members of the ESOL team are active members of an ESOL Network. This brings training providers together to share good practice. It has developed a directory of training, a method of initial assessment, and guidance on good practice in ESOL. It is establishing a website which aims to facilitate referral of trainees to appropriate training providers with training vacancies. Through this network HALS is also able to tap into other London-based and national networks in order to share good practice. I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Foundation for work Grade 3

 Training Standards Council WEAKNESSES ♦ failure to make training in numeracy integral to programmes ♦ few opportunities for trainees and clients to receive individual tuition ♦ little progression of trainees and clients to further training or work

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Foundation for work Grade 3

22. Trainees and New Deal clients undergo a locally devised initial assessment in order to find out the level of their ESOL skills. They are then placed in an ESOL group which is appropriate for them. Training in English language is planned systematically to cover the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. A good range of training methods is used, and there is some very lively and effective teaching. Trainees work hard and co-operate well in pairs and groups. At the training centre, staff and trainees are expected to value cultural diversity and demonstrate mutual respect. Learning priorities are negotiated between the trainer and each group at three-monthly intervals. They relate to a core set of topics covering areas such as health, education, jobs and travel. Much of the material focuses on the local area and its community, and is used as a means of teaching language. The materials, however, are insufficiently topical. Although clients and

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Foundation for work Grade 3

also trainees receive good training in jobsearch, the expertise of some staff at HALS in jobsearch is not used to the full. Assessment and verification are carried out well according to a clear set of internal guidelines. Trainees and clients are credited with NVQ units as they obtain them and those who leave early have something to show for their training.

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Foundation for work Grade 3

23. Staff work together closely to develop good learning materials. Tutors for each group develop detailed schemes of work and co-ordinate the weekly timetables of the staff involved. These weekly timetables aim to ensure that the learning priorities, agreed by the trainer and each group, are met. The importance of health and safety, for example, is emphasised in the sewing and information technology sessions. Trainees and clients gather evidence for their wordpower portfolios through their work in supervised and individualised tasks in the training centre. Trainees are able to work at their own pace. With additional help from their trainer, they can accelerate their progress through entry level, to level 1. In the first 13 months of the other work-based training for young people programme, 10 out of 11 achieved either some wordpower units or the full award. Since 1998, 20 New Deal clients out of 29 leavers have achieved either some wordpower units or the

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Foundation for work Grade 3

24. Trainees are not placed in numeracy groups on the basis of their aptitude for numeracy, but rather because of their performance in language. In some instances, the trainees’ learning needs in numeracy are not fully met. Numeracy training is not an integral part of training programmes. There are no effective learning materials for numeracy to meet the individual needs of trainees and clients. Training in numeracy is not managed well. All trainees and clients work on the same tasks, irrespective of their ability and aptitude. They are not given individual learning assignments in numeracy to suit their particular needs. GOOD PRACTICE Three New Deal ESOL clients have joined an industrial sewing training programme at the training centre. Language support, information technology and numeracy are an integral part of their training and New Deal clients receive additional tuition. Clients go out to work placements to work

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Foundation for work Grade 3

towards an NVQ at level 2, with continued support. Work placements are selected carefully with the aim of preparing clients for employment. One woman with a young baby has been able to make good use of her vocational training and work from home. I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Foundation for work Grade 3

 Training Standards Council 25. All trainees and New Deal clients receive a great deal of individual help in the classroom and their progress is monitored carefully. They are not given, however, individual learning programmes to help them work on their own, overcome specific language difficulties and become more employable.

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Foundation for work Grade 3

26. New Deal clients are frequently referred to ESOL training without an initial Gateway period of diagnostic assessment and in-depth vocational guidance. The vocational guidance which takes place during the training is not adequately recorded. Although 48 per cent of New Deal clients have fulfilled all the objectives in their training plans, only 14 per cent have progressed to further training or have gained jobs. Two out of 29 clients have taken up jobs and two have progressed to further training. Work placements are only available to those New Deal clients who are receiving training in sewing. No youth trainees have yet achieved the information technology NVQ at level 1. Many of the youth trainees are refugees who have housing, financial and personal problems and leave their programmes early.

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

27. All employees of Haringey Council receive a copy of the council’s equal opportunities policy. HALS has a shortened version of this policy and this is given to all trainees at induction. There is also a trainees’ charter and a complaints procedure. All the training programmes and services at HALS aim to promote social inclusion. The organisation has links with local community groups. The organisation advertises its services to local community groups and through the media. Sixty-six per cent of trainees and clients are men. Sixty-six per cent of trainees and New Deal clients are from minority ethnic communities. Some are refugees. One trainee is disabled. Inspectors agreed with all the strengths stated in the self-assessment report and identified an additional strength. They agreed with two of the weaknesses and identified one additional weakness. Inspectors awarded a grade higher than that given in the self-assessment report.

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

STRENGTHS ♦ comprehensive policies and updated guidelines on their implementation ♦ good training for staff on equal opportunities ♦ effective working groups on equal opportunities ♦ effective complaints process I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

 Training Standards Council WEAKNESSES ♦ no systematic analysis of data in planning improvements ♦ little monitoring of the promotion of equal opportunities in the workplace ♦ no explicit promotion of equal opportunities in marketing materials

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

28. The equal opportunities policy provides a very broad definition of equality. The Haringey Council’s policy is to make implementation of equal opportunities the responsibility of every employee. The policy is accompanied by detailed guidelines on the rights and responsibilities of those working in education and training. The guidance is practical and current. The guidelines include a recent circular on the implications of the Human Rights Act, 1998 . HALS has its own policy on equal opportunities. This has been adapted for trainees, and is under review. It is intended that the revised policy will include a definition of behaviour that is unacceptable during training and that its language will be easily understandable to all those on ESOL programmes. All trainees receive a copy of the policy in their induction pack. Workshops held during the first 10 weeks of information technology training use case study material to focus on issues related

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

to race, gender, disability and grievance, in an informal but effective way.

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

29. Staff have a sound understanding of equal opportunities and seek to build upon it. In 1999-2000, staff were trained in working with refugees, working with disadvantaged young people, understanding barriers to employment for minority ethnic groups and in dyslexia awareness. HALS also arranges training sessions in which staff can share their expertise on, for example, ways of helping trainees and clients improve their basic skills. HALS is engaged in a range of initiatives aimed at widening participation. This includes a single regeneration fund project to provide training for young African and Kurdish men who have an exceptionally high rate of unemployment. Half the members of staff are from minority ethnic groups. Some staff members speak local community languages and can serve as interpreters.

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

30. Two working groups are addressing the practical implications of the equal opportunities policy. One is developing procedures for dealing with unacceptable behaviour. These procedures cover risk assessment and incident reporting on each site and further measures to ensure the personal safety of all staff and trainees. The second group is developing strategies for the more effective recruitment and support of trainees with special needs, to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act, 1995 and to increase the current low participation of trainees with a disability. Staff at a number of levels in the organisation are fully engaged in the work of these groups. The groups have made recommendations which are detailed and comprehensive. Trainees have made effective use of the complaints procedure. Complaints relating to bullying or harassment have been dealt with promptly. The management team checks that all complaints are dealt with

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

properly. I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

 Training Standards Council 31. Data on trainee recruitment, retention and progression are collected routinely and submitted to the local authority. There is, however, no systematic process for analysing these data, identifying trends and taking the findings into account when setting targets for improvement. Data are used at staff and management meetings when making decisions, but have not yet been used in course reviews. There are no established systems for monitoring the promotion of equal opportunities in the workplace. Employers, however, are told that they must uphold equality of opportunity and trainees are made fully aware of the importance of the promotion of equal opportunities in the workplace. The promotion of equal opportunities in the workplace is monitored informally by staff and their action is recorded in the minutes of staff team meetings.

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Equal opportunities Grade 2

32. Marketing materials are distributed widely through schools, youth clubs, snooker halls and community groups, and advertisements are placed in the local community press. None of these materials or advertisements include a clear statement about equality of opportunity or use visual material effectively to promote equal opportunities. HALS is already planning to produce promotional material in community languages and in large print format to rectify this weakness. Publicity stands at careers and promotional events include photographs of the activities at HALS and these promote a positive image of the cultural diversity of the staff, trainees and clients.

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Trainee support Grade 3

33. Most trainees are recruited through referrals from the careers service, local promotions and ‘word of mouth’ recommendations. New Deal clients are referred from the Employment Service. All the modern apprentices are employed by Haringey Council Corporate Services. Potential trainees attend an open day or have an appointment with a member of staff to learn more about the training available to them. All trainees have an initial interview and receive an initial assessment of their basic skills. Trainees often have to wait for a course to start. They have a course tutor and are also allocated a programme support officer who is responsible for their induction, reviews and work placements. Induction is spread over a four-week period. Most trainees carry out job search towards the end of their programme and makes use of the facilities at HALS job shop. Jobsearch for New Deal clients, and also trainees, who are learning ESOL, is an integral part

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Trainee support Grade 3

of their training. Inspectors agreed with the strengths in the self-assessment report and identified an additional strength. They agreed with one of the weaknesses and identified additional weaknesses. Inspectors agreed with the grade given in the self-assessment report.

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Trainee support Grade 3

STRENGTHS ♦ good support for individual trainees ♦ effective links with external agencies I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Trainee support Grade 3

 Training Standards Council ♦ good provision of additional training to meet identified needs ♦ good facilities for job search

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Trainee support Grade 3

WEAKNESSES ♦ no clear objectives for progress reviews ♦ no systematic recording of trainee support ♦ no updating of individual training plans

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Trainee support Grade 3

34. The programme support officers and trainers work closely together and share information about groups and individuals. The first four weeks of a course are treated as an induction and assessment period during which the individual needs of trainees are identified. Some trainees have an identified learning difficulty, others are recovering from mental illness, others have behavioural problems or dyslexia. Staff are able to win the trust of the trainees and break down barriers. They find out how much support the trainees need and agree a course of action with them to provide it. Where staff cannot provide all the support needed, advice is sought from specialist organisations or specialists are brought into the training centre. If they wish, trainees can obtain counselling on one afternoon each week from a qualified counsellor who has many years of experience dealing with victim support. This service is particularly aimed at refugees who are experiencing

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Trainee support Grade 3

problems associated with displacement, exile, bereavement, suffering the after- effects of being tortured in their own country, and having to adjust to living in a foreign environment. Help is also provided in other areas such as health, housing and education. A lone-parent advisor visits the main training centre one afternoon a month to provide confidential advice on employment and benefits.

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Trainee support Grade 3

35. Trainees who have identified weaknesses in basic skills are offered training to help them to carry out their jobs properly and work towards their qualification. Trainees who attend the training centre for one day a week can receive two hours of this additional learning support. It was identified that one group of trainees would increase their motivation to learn if they could manage conflict and anger. A specialist organisation was contacted and it ran sessions on management of conflict and anger. Trainees’ motivation and behaviour improved following these sessions. These sessions are now included in courses as part of training in personal development and leadership.

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Trainee support Grade 3

36. The programme support officers provide structured jobsearch training that is an integral part of personal effectiveness training. Trainees also receive help with job applications and mock interviews. Trainees who are still not employed by the later stage of their training programme attend the HALS job shop facility in a local library. This provides weekly workshops and one-to-one counselling in a friendly environment. The job shop co-ordinator works closely with local employers to identify job vacancies and help trainees to apply for them. The job shop facility can be used by trainees up to six months after they finish their training. Many trainees make good use of the job shop. I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Trainee support Grade 3

 Training Standards Council 37. Trainees are involved in various types of reviews. Subcontractors have their own system of reviews. Trainees based at HALS have at least five types of review: an assessment review undertaken four weeks after the trainee has started on a course; a pre-placement review; a placement review; an in-house review and a review when they leave. Most of these reviews are carried out by the programme support officers. Trainers also undertake assessment reviews with the trainees during the training programme and while the trainee is on a work placement. There is a different form for recording the findings from each type of review. There is a form for recording a trainee’s progress on a course, another for recording a trainee’s progress towards achievement of the NVQ, and another for recording progress in implementing the trainee’s last action plan. There is, however, no systematic co-ordination of the various types of review to help the trainees identify

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Trainee support Grade 3

clear learning goals for themselves and monitor their progress towards achieving their qualfications.

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Trainee support Grade 3

38. Staff carrying out the reviews focus on the trainees’ personal development and general progress towards the achievement of all the objectives in his or her individual training plan, rather than on the achievement of specific targets. During their reviews, the trainees do not engage in action planning to improve their performance. They regard the reviews as an opportunity to meet and talk with their programme support officer, rather than an opportunity for rigorous identification of how much progress they have made. Some staff are more thorough than other in their recording of the outcomes of reviews on the relevant forms. Some tutors or workplace supervisors do not enter any comments on the forms.

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Trainee support Grade 3

39. Trainees receive a great deal of support but much of it is given informally. Most trainees have frequent contact with their trainers and programme support officers and receive appropriate support when they need it, but details of this are not always recorded in the trainees’ files. The individual training plans are not always updated and details of the additional support provided is not always recorded on them.

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Management of training Grade 4

40. The acting head of HALS reports to the assistant director of education of Haringey who is responsible for services to students and communities. The acting head manages four teams of staff. The training team has three sections: vocational training based at the main training centre; ESOL and family learning based at the annexe and in schools; and computing in the suite at the central library. The guidance team is based at the central library and the employment team is based at the main training centre and in the job shop at the central library. The central team is responsible for business and finance and is based at the main training centre. The government-funded training programmes involve the training team and the employment team and use the services of the guidance team. There are regular team meetings which cover daily issues affecting training and wider issues within HALS. Issues arising from these meetings are fed back to the managers and co-

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Management of training Grade 4

ordinators’ meetings which take place every two weeks. At these meetings, I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Management of training Grade 4

 Training Standards Council strategic issues are considered, decisions are made and matters raised by the teams are discussed. All relevant information is fed back to the teams. The teams are involved in setting the objectives and targets associated with the business plan and reviewing progress towards reaching them. A number of working groups identify the organisation’s changing needs and ways of improving training. There is a formal staff recruitment and selection procedure. Induction follows Haringey council’s procedures and there is a staff appraisal and development process. A member of staff has responsibility for collecting data and ensuring that requisite information is available for managers. HALS was recognised as being an Investor in People in December 1999. Inspectors agreed with two of the strengths in the self-assessment report but considered them to constitute one strength about effective arrangements for staff appraisal and staff development. They identified

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Management of training Grade 4

an additional strength. They agreed with one of the weaknesses and identified additional weaknesses. Inspectors agreed with the grade given in the self- assessment report.

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Management of training Grade 4

STRENGTHS ♦ full involvement of staff in business planning ♦ effective arrangements for staff appraisal and staff development

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Management of training Grade 4

WEAKNESSES ♦ some ineffective operational management ♦ poor management of modern apprenticeship programme ♦ insufficient co-ordination of on- and off-the-job training

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Management of training Grade 4

41. Business planning is central to work at HALS. Its aim is to make HALS a positive force in the community, enabling people to achieve their learning and employment goals. Staff are fully involved in business planning. Their staff development aims to help them fulfil their individual objectives and those of their team. Business planning meetings include a detailed evaluation of the previous year’s performance using data from the management information system and reports from the team reviews. Information from the teams and the working groups on potential areas for development is discussed and objectives are set. These objectives are broken down into team objectives and targets are set for each team. The organisation reviews its overall progress every six months. Each team reviews progress towards meeting the objectives and targets on a quarterly basis. Staff are updated on how the organisation is performing and receive briefings on new

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Management of training Grade 4

developments. The computer system has been networked, and e-mails and the shared drive are used increasingly for communication purposes. Staff have welcomed the new bi-monthly newsletter. The September edition contains information on the project areas for which funding bids may be made. Staff are invited to choose projects for which HALS might seek funding. Staff are fully aware of the range of work the organisation carries out and they help to plan future developments. I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Management of training Grade 4

 Training Standards Council 42. There is an effective staff appraisal system. Staff development relates to objectives in the business plan. Individuals meet with their line managers four times a year to review their performance and progress in meeting their objectives. In June, individuals set their objectives for the following year with their line manager. These relate to the business plan. An individual training and development plan is agreed for each member of staff. Line managers meet with individual members of staff in September and December to review their performance. In March, all staff receive a full appraisal of their performance. At this, they make an evaluation of any training they have received, and this is taken into account when reviewing the performance of staff teams and the organisation as a whole. Detailed records are kept of staff appraisals and these show clearly the action staff are required to take to improve their performance. There is a HALS

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Management of training Grade 4

training plan and an identified budget for this. At the end of the year, the effectiveness of the training plan is evaluated using specific criteria. The responsibilities that managers have for staff development and for evaluating its effectiveness are defined in their job descriptions. Training activities for staff aim to ensure that staff can work effectively with trainees and clients whose needs are diverse, and that they are able to help the organisation fulfil the objectives in its business plan.

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Management of training Grade 4

43. The other work-based training for young people, modern apprenticeships and New Deal contracts are new to HALS. The organisation has not yet identified a clear administrative structure for the work and services generated by the contracts. Currently, responsibility for implementing the training programmes and New Deal is shared among two teams and also between two sections of one of the teams. Vocational training, arrangements relating to work placements, and jobsearch for New Deal clients are all managed separately. Staff who provide training in information technology skills on occupational training programmes and staff who teach the same skills on ESOL and family learning programmes hold separate staff meetings. The programme support officers are members of the employment team and are responsible for co-ordinating the trainees’ training programmes and reviewing trainees’ progress. They also carry out personal effectiveness training

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Management of training Grade 4

and teach the skills of job search. The employment manager is also responsible for the modern apprenticeship programme and one of the programme support officers carries out the progress reviews of all the modern apprentices. Managers and co- ordinators meet regularly but the government-funded training programmes are a small part of the total work they discuss. There is a lack of a co-ordination of the training programmes. Various reviews of different aspects of training are carried out. The findings from these, however, are not brought together to identify ways of helping individual trainees to succeed. There is no management process for maintaining an overview of the progress of all trainees on the programme.

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Management of training Grade 4

44. The modern apprenticeship programme was transferred to HALS in April 2000. All the modern apprentices met the staff of HALS who explained to them how their programme would be implemented. The trainees’ files were not transferred to HALS until late June and HALS staff found it difficult to make contact with the colleges providing the off-the-job training until mid-September. Trainees’ records clearly identified the qualifications trainees were working I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Management of training Grade 4

 Training Standards Council towards. They showed that, in some cases, trainees’ were making slow progress and had not started training in key skills. There were no plans to enable trainees to gather evidence during the summer of their acquisition of key skills. Many of the trainees did not have a progress review until September, four months after they had transferred to HALS. There was no structured plan to show how trainees would transfer to HALS, how their existing training programmes would be evaluated and how plans would be made for their progress to full completion of the modern apprenticeship framework would be monitored and reviewed on a frequent basis. Two construction trainees who were coming to the end of their training programme had not yet started to collect evidence of their acquisition of NVQ competencies at levels 2 and 3 or of key skills. HALS does not have copies of the agreements with the off-the-job training subcontractors and staff are not fully

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Management of training Grade 4

aware of what the subcontractors are required to provide.

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Management of training Grade 4

45. Links are made between off-the-job training in business administration and on- the-job training in the workplace. In many other occupational areas, however, on- and off-the-job training are not co-ordinated and workplace supervisors are not informed of the competencies trainees need to acquire in order to obtain their NVQs. Trainees are not shown how they may collect evidence of their acquisition of requisite competencies through their everyday work. Supervisors are not fully involved in trainees’ progress reviews. They are not involved in the reviews of training and are not given information on how trainees are progressing towards achievement of their NVQs.

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Quality assurance Grade 4

46. HALS has developed a quality assurance manual. It has quality assurance policies to cover all its activities and is in the process of collating the forms that are already being used by the teams. Staff teams have been involved in the development of the quality assurance manual. There is an internal verification system involving regular observations of assessments and training. Working groups develop new ideas. Trainees provide feedback on programmes by completing evaluation forms. Feedback from trainees who have left the programme is collected by post and telephone. The self-assessment report was the first report produced by HALS. It took into account feedback from staff, trainees and employers. Some actions in the accompanying action plan have been completed. Inspectors considered two of the strengths in the self-assessment report to be no more than normal practice and another strength to be more relevant to the

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Quality assurance Grade 4

management of training. They identified one additional strength. Inspectors agreed with all the weaknesses in the self-assessment report and identified additional weaknesses. They agreed with the grade given in the self-assessment report.

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Quality assurance Grade 4

STRENGTHS ♦ full involvement of all staff in developing and improving the quality assurance process I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Quality assurance Grade 4

 Training Standards Council WEAKNESSES ♦ inadequate quality assurance arrangements ♦ insufficient understanding of government-funded training by trainees ♦ little analysis and use of data in planning improvements

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Quality assurance Grade 4

47. Different teams in HALS were working to different procedures and using different paperwork. A consultant’s report in March 2000 identified that although quality assurance processes existed, they were not co-ordinated. Groups of staff were set up to develop different sections of the quality assurance manual. The main framework and policies have now been developed and staff teams are rationalising the procedures and paperwork. There is an action plan for the development of the quality assurance manual progress in implementing it and it is reviewed at managers and co-ordinators’ meetings. Minutes show that there has been considerable discussion about development of the manual and many issues have been raised and discussed. Improvements to the quality assurance process have been made following discussion. An analysis is made of trainees and clients’ responses to questionnaires. Action is taken on feedback. For example, the

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Quality assurance Grade 4

induction period has been extended to four weeks and ESOL trainees can now receive training in information technology. Analysis has shown that feedback is insufficiently informative. A working group has been established to develop new and improved questionnaires for trainees and clients. Working groups of staff from all sites were set up to consider further improvements to the quality assurance process. One group has devised new paperwork for evaluation to be piloted across the organisation. Another group explored ways of improving the monitoring of trainees and clients’ destinations and six other groups considered other aspects of quality assurance. The findings and recommendations of the groups are recorded carefully and are discussed at the meetings of the appropriate staff teams. Some of the recommended actions are being piloted.

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Quality assurance Grade 4

48. Work on the quality assurance manual is progressing well but standardised quality assurance procedures for the organisation have not yet been established. Different teams use different procedures and paperwork. The government-funded programmes are not subject to enough quality assurance. Some staff are not aware of the contractual requirement to carry out quality assurance. There is no specific section in the quality assurance manual on TEC and New Deal contracts. There are no procedures for the monitoring of off-the-job training subcontractors.

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Quality assurance Grade 4

49. The TEC and New Deal contracts are new to HALS. Staff are not fully aware of contractual requirements. Staff are not aware that it is mandatory for New Deal clients on the full-time education and training option to have a period on a work placement. Some New Deal clients do not have a work placement. Staff are not fully aware of what it means for a trainee to have an endorsement, or of the nature of the support any endorsement entails. Some trainees who have been endorsed as requiring support to achieve an NVQ at level 1 are working towards an NVQ at level 2. Some are working towards a qualification below an NVQ at level 1. All trainees have to be endorsed to be on work-based training at HALS and some are I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : H A R I N G E Y A D U L T L E A R N I N G S E R V I C E S O C T O B E R 2 0 0 0

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Quality assurance Grade 4

 Training Standards Council working at a level that is insufficiently demanding for them. Some staff at HALS are not fully aware of the requirements of the modern apprenticeship framework. They have relied on the subcontractors providing off-the-job training to keep them informed about requisite procedures for work-based training and New Deal. Some subcontractors are not aware that the trainees are modern apprentices and have not planned to give them training in key skills.

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Quality assurance Grade 4

50. HALS collects data on trainees for the TEC. It has begun to develop procedures for following up trainees after they have left. It also has contact with ex-trainees who attend the job shop for help and support. At the time of inspection, these data were not being collated and analysed to identify trends and issues and ways of achieving the continuous improvement of training.

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