activity tourism forum skillsactive information session siobhan weir peter thompson kevyn burns ivor...
TRANSCRIPT
Activity Tourism Forum
SkillsActiveInformation SessionSiobhan Weir Peter ThompsonKevyn Burns Ivor Neill
24 March 2009
Agenda
• Welcome & Intros (Siobhan)
a) SkillsActive… …working to help employers to be more successful
• SkillsActive Overviews: UK and Outdoors (Peter)
• SkillsActive NI (Siobhan)
b) Outdoors Induction Award (OIA)• Inductions: Your Thoughts and Views (All)
• Induction Award: Background and Basics (Peter)
• Skills Passport and Outdoors Census (Kevyn)
• OIA Northern Ireland Project (Ivor)
• Summary, Questions…. Lunch!
We are that egg timer…
& equivalents
& equivalents
& e
quiv
ale
nts
Training Providers/HE/FE
What we do…UK
•UK organisation – one of 25 Sector Skills Councils•Government-licenced agency•Covering: Sport & Recreation, The Outdoors, Health & Fitness, Playwork and the Caravan Parks industry
Key aim: To support employers and sector to be more successful… mainly in the areas of skills/qualifications/training.
In the Outdoors…
What we do…• Ensure training & qualifications are appropriate & of quality
• Help people find the jobs and training they need
• Help the sector attract and retain the right staff
• Attract/focus funding employers/ees
• Influence Governments and decision makers
• Represent & promote employer and Sector needs
• Support partner sector organisations
• Promote the image of the Sector to the public
In the Outdoors…
Examples… the Outdoors:
• Represent employer requirements for qualifications
• Develop/manage National Occupational Standards (NOS)
• Accessing of funding for pilot projects
• Develop HE frameworks
• Development of national staff induction programmes
• Central role in supporting qualifications development
• Support reg/national development bodies Outdoors/Sport
• Articulate industry/employer needs to government (SSA)
Understanding the Outdoors
Outdoor Education
Outdoor Recreation/Adventure Tourism
Development Training
Expeditions & Expeditions
SportsDevelopment
Adventure Therapy
A rich and diverse entity…
• Consistent growth in all outdoors sub-sectors… many positives to link with…• Still issues of fragmentation and negativity• Challenges: demographics/HR, professionalising, capability
agenda at all levels… part of a bigger picture…
What does the Outdoor Sector & Workforce look like in NI?
• Demand for outdoors activities has increased in NI. There are approximately 90 providers plus an array of voluntary and youth organisations offering outdoor activities. (Outdoor businesses increased by 70% in 4 yrs?).
“Infrastructure unable to cope with new demand”
• Sport and Recreation contributes £121m to GVA output of the sector in Northern Ireland (63%). Health & Fitness + The Outdoors contribute an additional £15m (8%).
• Steady growth in sector meant that roles were constantly evolving and changing, More highly skilled full & part time employees are needed to cater for varied activities.
“Increase in freelance instructors”
• Higher academic qualifications are often not valued or financially rewarded“I received as much pay increase for my degree as I did for a 4 day archery course”“Too much of a focus on sport-related courses in FE – only 1 college in NI offers an outdoor-related course”
NI Skills issues
• There is a shortage of suitably skilled (qualified?) instructors and NGB coaches in Northern Ireland.
• Restricted choice in terms of cost and access to courses often results in employers sending employees to the mainland for training or having to re-train sport-sector graduates.
• Higher academic qualifications are often not financially rewarded.
• Cost and scheduling of training remain an issue for employers.
• There is a need for more flexible learning. In particular, employers would favour more work based learning courses.
• Need to re-vamp Apprenticeship schemes and encourage more work-based learning.
• FE sector needs to engage with employers and NGBs – ‘broker skills solutions’.
What are we doing NOW to address workforce issues?• Develop and promote induction Outdoor Sector standards
for new industry entrants to link with emerging professional development awards.
• Promote and support the delivery of affordable, accessible and appropriate training such as the Apprenticeship Scheme.
• Through the Activity Tourism Forum, support local employers by providing opportunities for identifying and addressing skills needs.
• Provide tools and resources to make Workforce Development Planning easier and useful for employers.
• Support FE sector through establishment of Learning Hubs etc.
Brief look at Apprenticeships…
3 x Technical Certificates(sample list)
NVQ L2 & L3 Essential Skills
NGB Awards from:•BCU•RYA•MLTE•BOF•BCA•GNAS
Also:•First Aid•ILM 1st Line Management•RPIOL
Essential Units:Activity sessions, facilitation, team working, environmental awareness, H&S, organising people & resources
Optional Units:Programme design, travel, disability, adventure, leadership and conservation.
Working in the Outdoors:Certificate in industry and organisational awareness
Literacy and Numeracy:To GCSE level
Funding Eligibility Basics
• Powerful/effective progression from Outdoor Induction Award – overlap…
• No restrictions on age group• Not for graduates or post Level 4• Need to be in paid employment 14+
hours• Most of training funded via FE College
funding stream• Funding for Essential Skills training
included• Majority of training should take place in
the work place• Financial incentive for employers• www.apprenticshipsni.info
Induction…
Some questions…• In the outdoors, what is “induction”?
• How long does it last?
• What should be the key features of an induction?
• Who benefits from excellent induction?
Outdoors Induction Award
Key features 1• Induction Standards part of respected British Activity Holiday
Association (BAHA) inspection process for all members
• Further developed by SkillsActive, IOL and BAHA
• Fully complementary to other quals such as NGB awards – no conflict
• Award will be on new qualification framework - QCF… benefits!
• Accredited by QCA and operated by major national UK Awarding Body
• Approx 1,000 staff per year have gone through the award, going up to 1,500 per year in the last 3 years for all staff in outdoor organisations/centres
• Proved invaluable to employers, employees and the consistent quality of activity centre provision
• Invaluable in difficult situations
Outdoors Induction Award
Key features 2• Unitised in bite-sized ‘chunks’ of learning – core and role-
related options
• Systematic consistent approach…
- Insurers??? Quality systems??? External stakeholders???
• An assessed induction process, externally checked
• On-going records of staff training and development
• Consistent standard across the sector, without being prescriptive
• Basis for ongoing…
- monitoring, support, development & management (good practice!)
• Delivered and assessed in the workplace
Outdoors Induction Award
Key features 3• Mapped to relevant NOS and Skills for Life
• Linked to Common Core
• Opportunity to benchmark, externally validate and certificate in-house induction
• Provides reward/motivation for staff at an early stage
• Signal a further quality approach and commitment to staff development
• Foundation for future staff development and career progression
• Potential for public funding…
• Pilot funding in England with LSC…
• Pilot in Northern Ireland…
Outdoors Induction Award
Different levels of ‘usage’ across industry/sector:1. Benchmark ‘in-house’ programmes/processes (non
BAHA)… shadow Award… possible endorsement?
2. Use standards as ‘in-house’ induction programme: possible endorsement and/or as part of BAHA scheme
3. Deliver as formal accredited National Award – costs and benefits…
NI Project
Activities and progress to date…
www.skillsactive.comNI Project Consultants:• Nicky Armstrong [email protected] Mob 07843120582• Ivor Neill [email protected] Mob 07929781236
SkillsActive NI Manager• Siobhan Weir [email protected]
(office 028 437 27667) SkillsActive UK Outdoors• Peter Thompson [email protected]• Kevyn Burns [email protected]
(both at Sheffield Office – 0114 292 2391)
Thank You!