Vocational learning

In November 2005 in his report ‘Realising the Potential, A review of the future role of further education colleges’ Sir Andrew Foster states that whilst the United Kingdom has a prosperous history, ‘our future depends on our skills’. In 2004 Lord Sandy Leitch’s Treasury commissioned report ‘Leitch Review Of Skills’ makes a recommendation to ‘route all vocational skills public funding in England, apart from Community Learning, through Train to Gain and Skills Accounts by 2010.’

With the development of the Employer Responsive funding model Private Training Providers  now need improved systems in place to track learner progress as system effectiveness directly affects learner progress and achievement – in other words provider performance, provider quality and contract renewals.

As the clear market leader in the Further Education Sector Capita is uniquely placed to also work in the Work Based Learning sector. Our software solutions are designed to help manage data. Data is the management of the business. Data can be used to streamline the business. Data, and it’s manipulation into knowledge to help make business decisions.

For example Retention, Achievement and Success Rates are excellent measures of how well a programme is operating but as these figures measure past performance if they are not good, it is too late to do anything about those learners. Effective learner progress tracking using a well designed Management Information System ensures that your organisation knows precisely, on a month by month basis, which:

• Learners are not where they should be, in relation to their programmes and by how much Learners are where they should be, and which ones are ahead and by how much
• Academics, Assessors or Tutors are having difficulties progressing learners at the expected rate
• Academics, Assessors or Tutors are performing very well or better.

With this type of performance information, organisations are in a position to take precise action to ensure that ‘at risk’ learners, do not become early leavers, and that any staff who need additional support and guidance are identified quickly.