SOURCING TRAINING PROVISION EMPLOYERS GUIDE TO TRAINING PROVIDERS EGTP

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SOURCING TRAINING PROVISION EMPLOYERS GUIDE
TO TRAINING PROVIDERS (EGTP)

• Presented by
• Date

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AGENDA

• Welcome
• Warmer
• Features and Benefits of the EGTP site
• Search Function
• Troubleshooting
• Search Tasks Group activity
• Closing Session

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WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES

• To provide in-depth follow up training from the
  induction workshop
• To offer the opportunity to discuss key topics in
  more detail
• To provide knowledge that will support Brokers to
  achieve elements of the Skills Broker Standard,
  including

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WORKSHOP OBJECTIVESACHIEVING THE SKILLS BROKER
STANDARD

• WHAT YOU NEED TO SHOW
• That you can
• understand the clients skills needs and identify
  appropriate solutions (a2)
• understand what training solutions are available
  (a3)
• build relationships with a range of training
  providers and identify new training providers
  (a3)
• proactively identify a range of information
  sources to help the client make informed
  decisions
• present a number of options to the client with
  comparable summaries of cost and service (a4)

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WORKSHOP OBJECTIVESACHIEVING THE SKILLS BROKER
STANDARD

• YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Development Solutions (b1) including
• all types of funded and non-funded provision,
• part time FE, HE, Foundation degrees and short
  courses (e.g. ICT, Health Safety, Project
  Management)

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WORKSHOP OUTCOMES

• Know how to source training of all levels, from
  Basic Skills to HE courses
• Know how to source non-traditional training
  provision (that isnt qualification or
  course-specific)
• Know how to make the best use of the resources
  available
• Know how to access help and support
• Understand how to coach the employer to become a
  better-informed purchaser of training
• Understand how to identify the most relevant
  provision.
• Know how to flag up gaps / omissions of
  information (e.g. course summary, course level)
  in order to improve database

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WORKSHOP FACILITATORS
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WARMER BROKERS KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF EGTP
SO FAR
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DISCUSSION

• What do you already know about EGTP?
• Do you use other databases to find provision?
• How else do you currently find training provision?

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FEATURES AND BENEFITS OF THE EMPLOYERS GUIDE TO
TRAINING PROVIDERS
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WHAT IS EGTP?

• A web-based tool that helps employers to choose
  the most suitable training provider
• Designed in association with
• employer groups (BCC, CBI, EEF, FSB, FPB, SBC,
  SSDA, SSCs)
• representatives of training providers and Brokers
  

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WHAT IS EGTP?

• Accessible via
• www.lsc.gov.uk/national/employer/goodtraining.htm
• https//traintogainbrokers.lsc.gov.uk
• Contains
• Guidance and checklists, Glossary, Useful links
• And a search facility
• Simple By keyword (and location)
• Advanced By attendance type, qualification,
  provider name, start date, and duration
• Accesses the National Learning Directory database

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A VALUABLE RESOURCE

• For Skills Brokers
• Up-to-date, independent information on training
  opportunities
• Guidance on choosing a provider to share with
  your clients
• For Employers
• Enables employers to become pro-active in
  sourcing training
• For Training Providers
• Increased visibility to business customers
  (market their provision)

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A TOOL FOR SKILLS BROKERS

• This search facility can be used by Skills
  Brokers to
• Source training of a full range of training
  provision
• Identify training providers who can offer
  suitable provision
• The text content provides you with material which
  may be useful to you and/or your client
• a glossary of skills/training terms
• useful links to other resources
• checklists for the provider and employer

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A TOOL FOR EMPLOYERS

• The Guide can help employers to
• define and express their training needs
• provide a framework for their negotiation with
  training providers
• identify possible providers (through the search
  facility)
• discuss with you which training/provider will
  best suit their needs

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A TOOL FOR EMPLOYERS

• It helps employers by
• asking them to consider what are the important
  attributes of the provider/provision
• supplying checklists to help them prepare for
  discussions with providers
• providing a choice of providers with some
  information about them
• providing a choice of courses and delivery modes
• If a provider cant or wont access the internet
  you can provide them with printouts

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A TOOL FOR PROVIDERS

• The Guide uses the National Learning Directory as
  the source for its search.
• The NLD is a free service that enables providers
  to
• Register course and organisation details
• Promote their courses and services to Brokers and
  employers
• Collect new information about the demand for
  capacity and type of courses
• The value of the information on the NLD for all
  users - is dependant on the active participation
  of providers

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WHAT IS THE NATIONAL LEARNING DIRECTORY?

• A DfES/LSC funded database
• Launched in 2001
• By January 2006, it contained 950,000 records
• Over 10,000 training providers across the UK

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PURPOSE OF THE NLD

• To achieve a directory of adult learning
  opportunities which is comprehensive, accurate
  and well classified.
• All levels (Basic Skills to HE)
• All provider types (10x as many independent as
  college providers)
• Both funded and non-funded provision
• Single source, many users

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NATIONAL LEARNING DIRECTORY DATABASE 10,000
PROVIDERS, 950,000 COURSES
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NATIONAL LEARNING DIRECTORY DATABASE 10,000
PROVIDERS, 950,000 COURSES
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NATIONAL LEARNING DIRECTORY DATABASE SINGLE
SOURCE, MANY USERS
SDS Consortium
UCAS
Hotcourses
Approx 90 portals use the National Learning
Directory
BBC Webwise, Returning to Learning
Channel 4 Bricking It, The Salon, Jamies
Kitchen
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PROVIDER DATA COLLECTION

• For providers there are 3 ways to submit data
• Send in a Prospectus
• Let Hotcourses/UCAS enter the data
• Extract from own database onto Excel Spreadsheet
• Required to use specific template for data fields
• Use on-line Course Manager to add/update
  information
• Contact details for Hotcourses are available by
  clicking on the Information for Training
  Providers button on the Guides search pages.
• Hotcourses contact www.learningdirectory.co.uk

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WHAT YOU WILL SEE
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WHAT YOU WILL SEE SEARCH RESULTS
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WHAT YOU WILL SEE SEARCH RESULTS
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FUTURE OF THE GUIDE

• Pilot to develop search facility to allow ranking
  of courses according to employer satisfaction
• Being tested in the South West
• Due to be evaluated in January 2007
• Aim to offer this employer feedback function
  nationally

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SOUTH WESTEMPLOYER FEEDBACK PILOT

• The process
• Employer goes to EGTP website and clicks on
  Feedback link
• Employer enters ratings and learner/own details
• Automatic email goes to provider to verify
  participation of learners in training
• Provider confirms/rejects validity of feedback
• Confirmed ratings are added to database
• Ratings are available for other employers to sort
  search results
• The net result for employers and Brokers
• A system for distinguishing between potential
  training solutions using the experience of
  previous employers

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KEY LEARNING POINTS

• What the Guide contains
• How it benefits Brokers
• Benefits to Brokers in getting employers and
  training providers to use it
• How the National Learning Directory is compiled
  and the implications for Brokers
• How to use the Guide to choose between providers
  offering same/similar provision
• identify the most suitable provision for a
  particular employer

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ANY QUESTIONS?
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SEARCH FUNCTION
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THE BASICS - 1

• Quick Search is the easiest to perform
• The minimum required is to input a subject or
  keyword(s). Eg. Computing
• This search will list all providers offering
  courses with either the entered keyword(s) or
  known synonyms in the title.
• In this example, courses with IT/ICT and computer
  in the title are all returned
• NOTE if more than one word is entered, the
  search will find courses whose titles include
  both/all keywords

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THE BASICS - 2

• Location - to find courses closest to your
  client
• Input the postcode (or part of) and select one of
  the distance from values e.g. 5 miles from M6 5QU
• This gives a list of providers that provide
  training within the distance entered

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THE BASICS - 3

• Advanced Search
• An advanced search involves
• using more specific keywords or
• adding more criteria, using the advanced search
  facility
• The additional criteria are
• provider name
• type of qualification
• start date
• type of attendance

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ADVANCED SEARCH FIELDS

• Provider name
• If you know the training provider you want, type
  all or part of the name.
• If you type part of a name, it will return all
  providers with the word anywhere in their name.
• Note you cannot use the wildcard () symbol. If
  you type an in this field, it will look for
  names with in.

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ADVANCED SEARCH FIELDS

• Qualification
• There is a limited list of types of
  qualifications.
• Apprenticeships
• other work-oriented/vocational quals
• academic/non-vocational quals
• Course certificate
• No qualification
• You can select as many of the options as you
  wish, or none.
• Hover over the option to see a short
  description.
• If you want a more specific qualification (e.g.
  NVQ, Diploma, BSc) include it in the keyword

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ADVANCED SEARCH FIELDS

• Start Date
• A large proportion of courses have start dates
  to be confirmed so a search on start date will
  have few results
• Providers offering bespoke training often
  indicate this by not specifying a venue or a
  start date

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ADVANCED SEARCH FIELDS

• Subject Category Suggestion
• Each course loaded in the National Learning
  Directory is assigned to one or more categories/
  subcategories.
• 17 categories
• Essential Skills (basic skills) is a category on
  its own
• Each of the rest is then broken down into 5 or
  more subcategories

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EFFECTIVE USE OF KEYWORDS

• Keywords that you input (for Quick Search or
  Advanced) are used to search the course titles on
  the database
• Course title
• starts with the subject
• generally includes level
• awarding body name at the end in brackets
• Examples
• Sports Science DipHE Air Ticketing Level 1
• Biology GCSE (AQA) Managing Safely Certificate
  (IOSH)
• Business Administration NVQ Level 4 PowerPoint
  4.0/7.0
• Business and Finance National Diploma (BTEC )

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KEYWORD SEARCHING

• Synonym builder
• No matter what keywords you use, the NLD
  recognises a set of synonyms
• For example
• Bricklaying / construction
• If you think helpful synonyms are not included,
  email an example to the data team on
  data_at_learning-directory.co.uk

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KEYWORD SEARCH TIPS

• Searching for variations of keywords - using
  asterisks ()
• If you are looking for courses where the titles
  are likely to have any of a number of similar but
  different words
• e.g. management, manager, managing, or manage
• Input manag as the keyword
• The asterisk after the text will act as a wild
  card and return all courses with a variation of
  the word entered.

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KEYWORD SEARCH TIPS

• Searching with not in the keywords
• For example, if you know that your client is
  looking for language training, but not a full
  GCSE
• Input German not GCSE
• This will give you list of all German courses,
  excluding GCSE level courses.

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KEYWORD SEARCH TIPS

• Searching with and in the keywords
• Allows you to search for courses with a similar
  content but that have variations on the course
  title
• For example
• inputting Engineering and Design identifies all
  the courses that inputting Engineering Design
  identifies
• also identifies courses with variations on the
  possible course titles such as
• Design Engineering
• Engineering Technology
• Product Design

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KEYWORD SEARCH TIPS

• Searching with or in the keywords
• If youd like to search for more than one course
  at a time,
• Use or
• For example, input Italian or German in the
  subject keyword
• The search will return both Italian and German
  courses.

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SEARCH RESULTS

• First level
• The user can choose whether to display the
  results at course or provider level (course level
  is the default)
• Second level
• If results are at course level then selecting
  more details takes you immediately to level three
  (see below)
• If results are at provider level then the user
  must navigate between providers before proceeding
  to level three by selecting a course
• Third level lists full course details
• course summary, start details, qualification
  level, prerequisites, course description,
  awarding body, study type, estimated course
  duration, price, timetable, language, course
  contact telephone, venue details, contact details
• NOTE if there is only one result for a search,
  it is displayed at level 3 automatically

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USING THE SEARCH RESULTS

• Ideally you should be able to give the employer a
  copy of the level 3 printout for each of the
  possible training options
• Can operate as a marketing tool to employers

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ANY QUESTIONS?
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TROUBLESHOOTING
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YOUR EXPERIENCES OF EGTP SO FAR

• Questions
• Issues

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HELP WITH SEARCH TECHNIQUE

• If you find that your search results are too long
• Add an extra keyword / search criterion
• If your search results are too short / no result
• Try a synonym or use the course category option
• If you suspect that synonyms that would be
  helpful are not included, email an example to the
  data team on data_at_learning-directory.co.uk
• If you still dont get the type of result youre
  looking for
• call the learndirect advice helpline 0800 100
  900

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IF YOU STILL CANT GET A RESULT

• The effectiveness of the NLD is dependent on the
  information supplied by providers.
• If a course you know exists isnt appearing
• tell the provider
• If the detail in the course summary is inadequate
• tell the provider
• If the provision doesnt exist at all
• tell the LSC

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SEARCH TASKS
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CLOSE

• Review of the session
• Key messages
• Any questions
• Evaluation form