COMMITTEE FOR EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING

Report on the Inquiry into Education and Training for Industry (Continued)

Report 01/01R

WRITTEN SUBMISSION BY:
BRYSON HOUSE

1.         Role and Remit of Bryson House in New Deal

Bryson House is a full partner in the New Deal Consortia for South & East Belfast and Castlereagh, and North Belfast & Newtownabbey. It is currently an associate member of the West Belfast consortium, but this will be revoked at the end of September as we have been unable to access the minimum number of participants to retain associate membership.

We offer placements lasting 26 weeks to 18-24 year olds in the Voluntary Sector and Environmental Taskforce options and 13 week placements to over-25's on the Intensive Activity Period option. We have to date taken over 300 people on placement through the programme since August 1998. To a lesser degree we have also been involved in the New Deal Employment option have employed 11 people through the Subsidised Employment Option. In addition a former trainee was successful in applying for a job after his placement had finished.

Bryson House became involved in New Deal as it was aware of the demise of the ACE Programme and wanted to ensure a continuation of its training/employment opportunities to unemployed people, and also to ensure it maintained services to the wider community, that had previously been achievable through the ACE Programme. Through ACE we had a positive outcome rate between 60% and 75%. We also lead the South Belfast ACE Network since 1995.

As a member of the South & East Belfast/Castlereagh Consortium we have an additional responsibility for support and advice to five subsidiary partners in south Belfast - VSB, Southcity Community Projects, St George's YCD Ltd, Ulster Historical Foundation and HICHSA.

The short-term nature of the New Deal programme means participants cannot fully benefit from the work experience offered. Whilst it has been necessary to adjust programmes and expectation because of this, it is difficult to see how people who have been long-term unemployed (in many cases between 5 and 15 years) are going to benefit from a 13 or 26 week placement. This is demonstrated through the lower percentage of positive outcomes.

Bryson House has, from the beginning, attempted to focus on the positive aspects of the programme and the opportunities for long-term unemployed people to take a step toward working again.

2.            General Overview of Experience of Working in New Deal

Working in New Deal tends to be an uphill struggle. The idea of New Deal is good, but the implementation of the idea has fallen short of initial expectations. It is difficult to motivate and encourage individuals who will mostly admit their only reason for being there is because they will have their benefits stopped if they don't attend.

We are very often dealing with individuals who have experienced multiple barriers to employment including literacy/numeracy problems, homelessness, ex-offenders, people with alcohol/substance dependencies, mental illness, people who have previously had a bad educational or training experience which has branded them as failures. It is only very recently that these multiple barriers have been acknowledged, but most referrals are still seen as JSA Claimants alone. The other reasons for their unemployment are not taken into account and the programme does not appear to offer the flexibility to deal with these over a longer period of time.

The structures that have been put in place mean there is a high level of accountability placed on providers of placements. In addition to actual participants, we are also accountable to our consortia, to the Training & Employment Agency and also to DENI. Our accountability is not matched by support and advice from any of the above agencies.

Numbers coming through to New Deal Programme have fallen dramatically since the beginning of the year and the original T&EA forecasts have proved to be an over-estimation. At the same time as the numbers have been reducing, the Agency enforced access to consortia for former ACE sponsors to enable them to participate in New Deal. These organisations are able to access trainees, reducing the number available across consortia. At the same time, unlike voluntary sector organisations that were original members of consortia, the former ACE sponsors do not have to meet the QPMF standards set by the agency. This is unfair and means that there are two different levels of service within consortia.

Payments to providers are in arrears, which means that cashflow problems can emerge, particularly when there are delays through the various processes of payment. This has become more difficult as the numbers have reduced.

In spite of these problems Bryson House has managed to develop some innovative projects which have offered opportunities to New Deal Participants. These have included the 'No Age to Golden Age' programme which after an initial start-up in Belfast has now been replicated in Newry, Enniskillen and Coleraine. We have developed an Environmental Improvement Project, successfully completed an Innovation Fund Project, developed and completed a wall mural project and continue to look at innovative ideas for New Deal projects. This is in addition to the many placements undertaken by participants in Bryson House projects and with smaller charities in Belfast.

3.            Problems in Delivery

            First Contact

We take the view that first impressions are very important when dealing with New Deal participants whether they are on Core Gateway or a referral for placement. However, many participants have already formed their impressions before this, though the initial induction and interview with their assigned Personal Adviser. The mandatory nature of the programme and threat of benefit sanction are usually at the forefront of their thoughts. This would suggest little has been done to promote the positive side of New Deal.

Personal Advisers lack experience and training in offering educational and vocational advice. This short- changes the participant because they are not getting the full advice they deserve, and the Personal Adviser because their advice is based on a lack of experience, on not looking at the participants full personal circumstances and in many cases a participants attitude to New Deal will influence the way in which a Personal Adviser deals with them. If they lack objectivity this is going to have a long-term, adverse effect on participants. The Guidance Centre system required that all guidance workers have a minimum qualification of the Certificate in Educational/Vocational Guidance. This should also be the minimum requirement for Personal Advisers.

            NVQ Training

Another mandatory part of the programme is the requirement that participants on the ETF and Voluntary options complete three units of a NVQ at Level 2. This does not take into consideration the background of each individual, whether they have literacy/numeracy problems or whether they hold qualifications that exceed NVQ Level 2. There is a lack of flexibility in dealing with participants as the system must be adhered to. Many participants do not see any relevance in completing three units of a NVQ and would elect to completing other full qualifications if given the choice. The only thing that this appears to do is assist the T&EA in achieving one of their operational objectives. The extremely low outcomes in achievement of NVQ units would indicate that this part of the programme needs to be reviewed as a matter of urgency. In addition to this QCA now expect the generation of work-based and not simulated evidence in NVQ. This is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve through voluntary sector placements.

            Consortia Approach

The consortia approach was supposed to encourage partnership between organisations from the training and voluntary sectors. This has not happened and in each consortia it has been a case of "each to his own" in terms of maintaining a profile in New Deal. Some have done this more successfully than others. The cultures in training organisations are quite different from those in voluntary sector organisations. The approach in Glasgow of having a voluntary sector consortium seems to have been successful. It might be an option to consider this at the next contracting phase.

            New Deal versus the Black Economy

It has become evident that a number of participants referred to New Deal are already engaged (albeit at differing levels) in work in the black economy and New Deal often represents a threat to their jobs. Therefore a number of people will sign off rather than risk losing their job. Whilst it may seem distasteful that people are "doing the double" and one of the underlying purposes of New Deal has been to remove these people from the claimant register, it does present a false picture if these people are not legitimately engaged in work. This will surely impact on these individuals at a future date when it becomes obvious that they have not paid taxes or national insurance contributions. An analysis of figures of those who change benefit or sign off would help to determine whether this is a problem, but it should be done sooner rather than later.

RECOMMENDATIONS

n     Training for Personal Advisers to equip them with the skills they need to carry out their work. This will impact on the entire programme.

n     Voluntary, ETF, IAP, FTET and ETO options should be marketed more positively and not as a last resort when participants have failed to get jobs.

n     A more holistic approach to the problems of long-term unemployed people needs to be adopted.

n     The consortia approach needs to be reviewed and restructured if required.

n     The qualifications structure needs to focus on the actual needs and abilities of individuals and realistic achievement targets.

n     Considering the involvement the voluntary sector has to make in terms of New Deal placements, they might at some point be consulted regarding the types of programmes and methods that will through a joint approach assist participants in achieving better outcomes.

n     The dramatic fall in numbers available for New Deal would suggest that some work needs to be done on analysing where these people have disappeared to, instead of assuming that they have gone to employment.

Bryson House and other voluntary sector organisations can offer New Deal participants opportunities in training and gaining work experience. Above all they can offer the opportunity of regaining self-worth, self-esteem and encouraging participants to contribute to their community. The short-term nature of the programme means that any impact will also, most likely, be short-term and there is a danger that participants will become more disenfranchised when they realise they have merely been processed through a system.

TREVOR WRIGHT
Senior Manager
Employment/Training

7 September 2000

WRITTEN SUBMISSION BY:
CONFEDERATION OF BRITISH INDUSTRY (NORTHERN IRELAND)

INTRODUCTION

1.         The Confederation of British Industry is an independent, non-party political organisation funded by its members in industry and commerce. Its mission is to help create and sustain the conditions in which businesses in the UK can compete and prosper. CBI members come from all sectors of UK business and include more than 250,000 public and private companies, as well as more than 200 trade associations.

2.         CBI Northern Ireland welcomes the opportunity of submitting evidence to the HFETE Committee enquiry into Education and Training for Industry in Northern Ireland. In developing this submission we have consulted extensively with our members to ascertain current perspectives of education and training provision in Northern Ireland.

A CHANGING WORLD

3.         The success of the Northern Ireland economy is heavily dependent on the skills of the Northern Ireland workforce. Meeting the skill needs of employers helps promote high and sustainable levels of growth and employment. For individual firms, skills can help generate productivity gains, enable full use to be made of technological advances, and act as a spur to product innovation. Only with a skilled workforce will Northern Ireland be able to reap the rewards that a high value-added economy can offer.

4.         It is not just in economic terms that skills play a vital role. Skills are also an important element in ensuring an equitable society, given the strong link between skills levels and likelihood of securing high earning employment. If Northern Ireland is to be a society with opportunities for all, an equitable distribution of skills must be a priority for public policy.

5.         There is widespread recognition that Northern Ireland needs to move up the value-chain: from a low skilled and low productivity economy to a knowledge- based, high skilled and high productivity economy. The transition has clearly started.

6.         The liberalisation and growth of world trade and capital flows and the unprecedented rate of technological innovation have made markets increasingly contestable and competitive. This is leading to dramatic shifts in the Northern Ireland labour market in terms of industrial and organisational structures and working practices. Jobs in the traditional manufacturing sector have steadily declined as a percentage of employment. As in other developed economies the proportion of jobs in manual and unskilled occupations in Northern Ireland is falling (as indicated in Exhibit 1). Upskilling and multi-skilling are a reality for many. These factors and others have combined to raise the average level of skill demanded and change the demand for different types of skill. In Northern Ireland the labour market for "good people" across a range of occupations (incl professionals, engineering and management) has become very competitive partly as a result of the strong growth in the Information Communications and Technology (ICT)sectors. The skill needs of many companies are becoming increasingly difficult to satisfy. Indeed, in certain sectors, notably the IT sector it is the employer who has become the customer as experienced individuals are now in such significant demand.

7.         It is important not to oversimplify the impact of these trends on skill demand, or to draw false conclusions from them. Not all jobs are high skill. Indeed, a number of low-skill sectors such as personal and protective services are growing in size. Nor are skills the sole component of ensuring our economic and social prosperity; a stable macro-economic environment, an effective transport system and a fully realised single European market are equally important priorities for business. But without a doubt a highly skilled, adaptable and creative workforce will be a key ingredient to the future success of the Northern Ireland economy.

8.         Many of our members have commented that to ensure Northern Ireland can attract and retain the best people it is essential that we can offer a peaceful environment with political stability. Northern Ireland's divided society also creates inefficiencies and difficulties and needs to be addressed.

9.         But it is important to highlight that the demand for skills and nature of those skills will constantly change - even within job categories, as processes and organisational structures continue to respond to customer needs. Recent research by CBI Northern Ireland relating to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) indicates how the demands and expectations of employers on graduates will increase over the next 10 years (Exhibit 2).

                (UK figures from a CBI survey in brackets)

10.        What does all this mean for the education and training system? A key underlying theme is the need to move away from a supply-led system to one driven by the needs of individuals. This submission sets out what CBI Northern Ireland believes the system needs to deliver.

VISION FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING

11.        Our vision for Northern Ireland's education and training system is set out below:

'A system that creates high expectations and provides every individual with the ability to achieve the relevant knowledge, skills and values appropriate to their needs, and which enables them to make informed choices for their life-long development and employment.'

To achieve this vision two key strategic issues need to be addressed:

n     focus education and training on enhancing the employability of individuals

n     ensure that the education and training system is clearly integrated with the needs of, and opportunities in, the economy

These two strategic elements are addressed in some detail below.

KEY ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY

Focus on Enhancing the Employability of Individuals

12.        Helping as many people as possible to become and remain employable is a key challenge. It is relevant at an individual, company, regional, national, European and international level. The European Employment Guidelines specify employability as one of the pillars of improved employment, and employability is now a key goal of UK government strategy.

13.        Day-to-day employability means being able to get or keep a job - in other words, the ability of an individual to add value in work. Also important, in a broader sense, is an individual's longer-term ability to build a career and prosper in the flexible labour market. This requires a more complex definition. The CBI has defined employability as follows:

'Employability is the possession by an individual of the qualities and competences required to meet the changing needs of employers and customers and thereby help to realise his or her aspirations and potential in work'.

14.        Exhibit 3 outlines the qualities and competencies required.

15.            Employability is important because:

n     the labour market is flexible and changeable

n     the rate at which new skills and abilities are required is higher than the rate at which young people enter the labour market

n     the average time a person spends in a job is declining -fewer people expect a 'job for life'

n     it is required to address the needs of those who would otherwise be left behind by changes in society and the labour market eg the long term unemployed.

16.        It is essential that everyone involved in education and training understands the need to focus on employability - in some cases eg with teachers and lecturers this might mean clarifying precisely the characteristics which need to be developed in students. Targets need to be set to ensure that education and training establishments provide effective experiences in encouraging and developing the qualities/competencies listed in Exhibit 3.

Ensure the education and training system is clearly integrated with the needs of, and opportunities in, the economy

Agree Consensus on Strategic Direction and Set Ambitious Targets

17.        A basic requirement is to ensure that there is widespread consensus on the future strategic direction of the Northern Ireland economy - finalising the Strategy 2010 Framework and building it into Government policy is critical. Once this is achieved it will then be feasible to more closely integrate and align the education and training system with the future direction of the economy. A knowledge based economy will be critically dependent on the provision of adequate skilled people - if we fail to achieve the necessary alignment and responsiveness there is a serious danger that our capabilities and growth will be reduced - something Northern Ireland can ill afford.

18.        It is critical that the strategic direction is well communicated to all those involved in the delivery of education and training. At present there an excessive number of uncoordinated committee, groups, boards and quangos involved in FE and HE, including business representatives, but with no strategic focus. Creating a more strategic, informed, consistent and focused approach is much more likely to deliver the required outcomes.

19.        A key requirement for the Executive is to establish a set of bold targets for Northern Ireland. The targets should build on the UK's National Learning Targets and reflect the main elements of employability set out in Exhibit 3, and be consistent across the entire education and training areas. Issues covered should include small firms take-up of Investors in People, targets for Modern Apprenticeships, Vocational Qualifications and Individual Learning Accounts. In addition it may be relevant to set some supply side targets, for example, relating to the availability of effective teaching, the numbers of teachers/lecturers involved in industry placements, or the number of companies involved with education.

Establish a Coherent Qualifications Framework

20.        It is also essential that a framework of qualifications is in place which promotes, enables and enhances learning. Qualifications are a measure of performance or competence and play a vital role in stimulating and capturing greater commitment to learn. But a system is required that is readily understood by both individuals moving up through the system and by employers.

21.        There is a good deal to be gained from trying to ensure that post-16 options become a coherent system. Young people need to be able to choose the options which are best for them; whether this is further academic study, general vocational qualifications as a broad preparation for work, or specific work-based training options through modern apprenticeships or traineeships. Many may also wish to choose new combinations of these options or combine work and part-time study. Provision in all school sixth forms and in FE colleges must be sufficiently broad to meet the wide range of students' needs, both academic and vocational.

22.        Post-16 education options should be integrated with government funded training for young people, and developed as a coherent set of routes to level 3 qualifications, keeping open the option of higher education. These options need to be mapped and communicated in a way that employers and students can easily understand (Exhibit 4).

                Source: Qualified to Compete, CBI 1998

Provide High Quality Independent Careers Education and Guidance

23.            Providing choice between providers and routes is essential in helping all individuals to develop their employability. This creates scope to increase the opportunities to choose between different institutions and to combine programmes between them. Market forces could also be allowed to provide a spur to improvement - new providers should be able to enter the system if they meet the quality criteria and succeed in attracting learners on to their programmes. These might include innovative college centres, private sector training centres, employers opening up their own training facilities (this may be limited by the relatively few large employers in Northern Ireland with appropriate facilities) or new open and distance learning programmes. Learn Direct has considerable potential to promote such innovation.

24.        To complement choice there must be the right information systems. Examination and qualifications attainment have been well established as measures but these raw data are not the only information that needs to be available. As far as possible there needs to be feedback on:

n     'value added' measures which capture the extent to which young people have progressed

n     information about different programmes within institutions (as the quality of departments often varies within a provider organisation)

n     information on the destinations of those who have previously taken part in particular programmes

n     customer feedback information about the quality of service provided to individual learners and also to firms which deal with the institution.

25.            Information and advice about career opportunities and learning opportunities need to be made available to all who need them, especially adults, as well as in-depth careers education and guidance for young people.

Involve Business In Education to Address Changing Economic Needs

26.        The development of a strong knowledge- based economy will require the education and training system to be closely aligned with industry and commerce needs. Business itself has a key role to play in articulating its needs and in engaging with education and training providers to assist in ensuring these needs are met. CBI Northern Ireland supports the recommendation of Strategy 2010 regarding the establishment of a stronger Northern Ireland Business Education Partnership (NIBEP). There is a real need for a genuine partnership all the way through the system from primary to Further and Higher Education. But there must also be greater emphasise on encouraging greater quality of outcomes of links with all participants clear on objectives.

27.        But other links need to be developed and maintained and more thought given to the establishment of effective mechanisms to engage business with both strategic education and training issues and in the operational aspects. The use of sectoral bodies/trade associations have clearly a role to play here and much useful work at the Further and Higher Education levels have come out of activities facilitated by the Northern Ireland Growth Challenge - new courses have been established to meet the needs of certain sectors. Some form of high level forum bringing together the key players from all the sectors to review strategic issues may also have merit.

28.            Education and training for young people should largely be driven by their own choices and demand. The better their career management skills and the better the quality of the information and guidance available, then the more effective their choices should be in responding to the needs of employers.

29.            However there is a case for supplementary mechanisms to encourage schools, colleges, training providers and universities to develop skills which are known or expected to be in demand in the labour market. A business- led group is needed to steer labour market intelligence work and to provide a focal point for employers to report skills in demand and forthcoming opportunities. A good model for this is the Northern Ireland Skills Taskforce which was set up in 1999. This body could advise the Department or could itself perhaps use delegated mechanisms like funding grants and bonuses to encourage institutions to identify and tackle particular skills issues.

30.        There might be a case for more than one forum to look at different local areas which tend to have different skills needs and skills supply but this should not be done before the regional body has created a strategic framework in which this can operate. Indeed in S2010 there is a specific recommendation to establish "collaborative clusters of schools, businesses and colleges to deliver education and training outcomes tailored to the needs of the economy". Sectorally led activities should also be encouraged and developed using National Training Organisation frameworks.

31.        The Assembly will wish to make sure that skills to support strategic economic development are promoted, targeting specific areas. For example, the general I.T. skills of young people are progressing well but this does not mean they have the right foundation to develop e-commerce; this is an area where there could be more intervention to make sure that appropriate training is available.

32.        The same mechanism could be used to reinforce Modern Apprenticeships, and the role of workforce development initiatives like National Vocational Qualifications and Investors in People.

Enhance Training and Development in the Workplace

33.            Workplace training and development plays an important role in meeting skill demand. They allow the economy to respond more rapidly to changing skill needs than it can through the education system. The workplace is an environment where many feel comfortable learning, away from the formality of the classroom and written examinations, and it offers the opportunity to apply skill or knowledge in a practical environment. The knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired by young people in the education system are still vitally important. But they are not sufficient to meet the needs of a dynamic economy.

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