LEARNER ACCESS AND ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMME

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LEARNER ACCESS AND ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMME
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INTRODUCTION

• Malachy McAleer
• Head of Curriculum and Business
• Development
• Celine McCartan
• Head of Corporate Services
• WELCOME

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BACKGROUND

• The Department for Employment and Learning has
  made available 3 million over each of the next
  three years to support a Learner Access and
  Engagement Pilot Programme
• The Learner Access and Engagement Pilot Programme
  will run for three academic years commencing in
  December 2008 and will provide opportunities for
  non-statutory organisations (mainly, but not
  necessarily voluntary and community bodies) to
  provide learner support through a contractual
  arrangement with a Further Education College.
• The programme will operate throughout Northern
  Ireland, with all six FE colleges participating

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TENDER

• The South West College will award learner support
  contracts on the basis of a competitive tender.
  Organisations tendering will be expected to
  satisfy criteria around competence and
  accountability.
• Importantly, all bidders will be required to
  demonstrate a record of successful engagement at
  community level, including working with people
  who have numeracy and literacy skills needs
• Maximum sum available - 430,000
• FE Colleges are excluded from contracting for the
  delivery of the services
• The tender is open to any non-statutory body
  /group
• A joint tender may be submitted by a number of
  groups coming together a lead partner should be
  identified

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PURPOSE

• The programme is intended to deliver increased
• adult enrolments in employment related FE
  provision
• adult enrolments in FE Essential skills
  provision
• adult participation in FE by adults in
  disadvantaged areas
• numbers of adults achieving recognised
  qualifications, or units of qualifications, as
  listed on the National Data of Accredited
  Qualifications (NDAQ) or Prescribed List of
  Approved Non-Accredited Qualifications (PLAQ) at
  Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2 through their
  participation
• in FE
• v. numbers of adults achieving Essential
  Skills, through FE
• vi. numbers of adults progressing from FE
  Entry Level/
• Level 1 to Level 2 provision or,
  employment

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CONTRACTING ARRANGEMENTS

• In accordance with Financial Memorandum (FM)
  requirements, contracts for learner support will
  be awarded on the basis of competitive tendering
• Evaluation of tenders will be in two stages.
  Details of the criteria to be met at each of
  these stages is in the tender documentation and
  will be discussed later
• To facilitate administration there will be a
  maximum of six learner access and engagement
  contracts awarded by the South West College.
  These contracts will be awarded for recruitments
  generated in essential skills courses and
  employment related FE provision for one or more
  geographical areas
• Tenderers may bid for one or more contract areas
  in line with the maximum target enrolments
• Tenderers may hold a contract for more than one
  contract area with the College

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CONTRACT GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS

• Omagh District Council Area (Omagh town, Mid
  Tyrone, West Tyrone)
• Fermanagh District Council Area (Enniskillen,
  Fermanagh East, Fermanagh West)
• Dungannon District Council Area (Blackwater,
  Clogher Valley, Dungannon town, Torrent)
• Cookstown District Council Area (Drum Manor,
  Ballinderry, Cookstown)
• Strabane District Council Area overlap with
  North West (Mourne, Derg, Glenelly)

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CONTRACTING ARRANGEMENTS

• Class Size and Viability
• The College will agree minimum class sizes with
  successful tenderers below which course may not
  be run
• Delivery Location
• Please note that the planned provision may be
  delivered on any of the existing College campuses
  or outreach facilities. Alternatively the
  successful tenderers may identify other venues
  for delivery of programmes
• Duration
• Initially 8 month contract 1/12/08 31/7/09
• Possible extension performance related
• 2 additional 1 year periods

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LEARNER SUPPORT SERVICES

• The support provided by non-statutory
  organisations, under
• standard contracting arrangements, will include
• engaging hard to reach adults who meet the
  eligibility criteria
• signposting adult learners to appropriate
  guidance services
• promoting relevant employment related FE courses
• providing on course support and assistance with
  study skills
• practical and motivational support and
  encouragement
• advice and information on College and other
  external support services and
• exit and progression information

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PROGRAMME FOCUS

• This learner support service will be targeted at
  adults, who are not in work, and who do not hold
  qualifications at Level 2 or above, and who may
  have barriers to learning
• Only those learners who meet these criteria
  should be engaged by non-statutory organisations
  or benefit from these services. Learners already
  enrolled in statutory FE provision are excluded
  from these arrangements

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ROLE OF THE LEARNER ACCESS ENGAGEMENT PROVIDER

• The provider will be responsible for
• Recruiting adult learners
• Advertising and promoting courses that the
  College will run in its main campuses and
  out-centres in order to recruit adults
• Advising adults on what may be the most
  appropriate courses to follow with input from the
  College
• Supporting learners once they are on the courses
  with advice and guidance in order to ensure that
  they do not drop out
• Following up with learners who do drop out to
  determine the reasons why
• Providing information to the College that may
  assist the College to determine an appropriate
  curriculum offer that will lead to adults
  enrolling, being retained and achieving
  qualifications
• Providing financial and other data associated
  with the above activities to the College by way
  of their claims for payment

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BARRIERS TO LEARNING

• Barriers to learning might includecaring
  responsibilitiesdisabilitypoor levels of
  literacy and numeracypoor behaviour in, or
  attitude to, education and training andother
  personal, emotional, or domestic circumstances
• Identify separate cost for specific barrier to
  learning costs

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ROLE OF THE COLLEGE

• The College will be responsible for
• Providing or renting teaching accommodation for
  the delivery of courses
• Enrolling learners
• Collecting tuition and examination fees
• Teaching
• Assessment
• Examinations
• Monitoring the activities and performance of the
  providers
• Preparing the Part-time Prospectus
• Providing staff who will liaise with the provider
• Processing claims from the provider and
  forwarding to DEL
• Paying the provider

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SERVICES

• Colleges will continue to provide support
  servicesfor students, includingaccess to
  information, advice and guidance on study skills,
  exam preparation and completion of CVsadvice
  and information on finance, welfare, College
  clubs and societies and other College facilities
  andadvice on the effective use of IT, library
  facilities and additional tuition

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PRE REQUISITES

• FINANCIAL STANDING
• All learner Support providers will be required to
  furnish information to the College as to their
  organisations financial standing, prior to
  acceptance of any tender
• AUDIT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
• All documents, accounting records and other
  information relating to claims for learner
  support must be retained for audit and monitoring
  purposes on the Learner Support providers
  premises for a period of 7 years and made
  available to the College and, if required, the
  Department during and beyond the contract period

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PRE REQUISITES

• SAFEGUARDING VULNERABLE GROUPS
• The College will be required to ensure that
  checks have been conducted, through Access NI, on
  all personnel contracted to deliver Learner
  Support under these arrangements
• ASSURANCES
• Organisations that obtain contracts for the
  delivery of Learner Support services will be
  required to provide assurance that their clients
  are not in receipt of similar support, in respect
  of education, training or employment, under any
  DEL or other publicly funded arrangements and,
  confirm that, where such breach occurs, any
  payment already made will be refunded to the
  College

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EVALUATION OF TENDERS

• EVALUATION OF TENDERS
• Two Stage Process
• Stage 1
• Legal Entity
• Financial Standing
• Relevant Experience
• Capacity to Deliver

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LEGAL ENTITY

• Name
• Contact Details
• Legal Status
• (If a consortium, all organisations in consortium
  must be provided)

FINANCIAL STANDING

• Provide copy of most recent set of audited
  accounts or
• Accounts that have been signed off by the
  organisations Accountant

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RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

• Demonstrate a recent (within last 3 years)
  successful track record of successful engagement
  with adult learners at community level or
• With adult learners who have numeracy or literacy
  skills needs

CAPACITY TO DELIVER

• Clearly demonstrate capacity to deliver all of
  the services as detailed in the specification for
  the relevant contract area(s) which must include
  details of their available resources including
  staffing levels

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EVALUATION OF TENDERS CONTD

• Stage 2
• Evaluation Criteria
• Price 40
• Engaging with Learners 12
• Promotion and signposting 9
• Providing on Course Support 12
• Follow up 21
• Liaising with College 6

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PRICE

• Price 40 of Total Marks
• Lowest price tenderer will be awarded 40
• For e.g. if the lowest price is 100 then 100
  40
• Assume one other price is 200
• Then 200 100 x 40/200 20

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EVALUATION QUALITATIVE CRITERIA

• Three point scale
• Example Engaging with Learners
• Mark Award 0 Not addressed at all
• Mark Award 1 A basic general response without any
  reference to
• local groups or specific advertising/marketing
  activities
• Mark Award 2 A more detailed response with some
  reference to
• local groups and local advertising/marketing
  activities
• but not as comprehensive as (3) below
• Mark Award 3 An excellent response that covers
  engagement with
• at least three named local community/voluntary
  groups and outlines a well-documented
  advertising/marketing schedule with a series
  of identified local engagement events

• These marks will then be factored up to 24 e.g.
  2 marks 16

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CHECKLIST OF KEY AREAS

• Closing date Wednesday 19th November 2008 at 12
  noon
• Unmarked, except for Tender for Learner Access
  and Engagement
• Compliance with tendering process (Conflict of
  interest, Signatures, Insurance, FET Order,
  Statement of Good Standing)

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PROCESS AND TIMESCALES

• Opening 21st November 2008
• Evaluation Week commencing 24th November 2008
• Notification Week commencing 1st December 2008
• Commence Immediately

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• THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
• ANY QUESTIONS?