Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT) Worting Road Basingstoke Hampshire RG21 8TN BCoT for Business: 01256 306237 Email: business@bcot.ac.uk www.bcot.ac.uk/business Follow BCoT on and BCoTforBusiness Employer Engagement Strategy
BCoT for Business is the division of Basingstoke College of Technology established to work in partnership with employers to develop workforce skills. We are committed to providing high quality education and training that will help individuals to improve their skills, maximise on efficiency and support improvements in business profitability. We combine educational expertise with in depth knowledge of local industry to offer a cost effective, commercial approach to the delivery of training in the workplace, via distance learning or at BCoT. The college s vision and objectives is to support local economic development Our Strategy This strategy sets out the College s vision and objectives with regard to its development of work with employers to support economic development through flexible training and skills development for the current and future workforce. 02 03 01 02
Objectives of the Employer Engagement Strategy Confirm the priorities for the college in relation to workforce development and set clear targets to measure performance and progress. Create new business activities and income to develop the skills that employers need and accurately predict future activities using Labour Market Intelligence. Determine actions to be taken to further develop relationships with a wide range of small and large employers to grow our market share. Social and educational context Our strategy is shaped by the needs of the local area. Basingstoke and Deane has a competitive employment rate, which is higher than both the south east average and the national average. Equally, the Barriers to Growth Survey, undertaken by Hampshire Economic Partnership, revealed that business confidence over the next two to three years appears strong, with 64% of respondents forecasting expansion. Significant growth is expected with half the businesses surveyed expecting increases of up to 10%. One of the reasons for being optimistic about growth is that North Hampshire has high designated house building targets requiring skills in all construction trades. The confidence of the construction sector is shown by the responses of employers to the Barriers to Growth survey: 75% expect their business head count to increase between 0% and 25% 76% see shortage of skills as the most serious barrier to growth 35% indicate they would seek to address skills shortages by recruiting apprentices 75% expect headcount to increase between 0% and 25% 76% see shortage of skills as the most serious barrier to growth 35% would seek to address skills shortages by recruiting apprentices All areas of the care sector (hospitals, care homes and early years) across Hampshire continue to report difficulties in recruiting qualified and experienced staff. Our strategy is shaped by the needs of the local business community. While retail workers are being made redundant by some employers, growth is still predicted in the sales, retail and warehousing sectors. This context shapes our employer engagement strategy and shapes our future curriculum. 03 05 06
Our Vision To deliver this vision, we will: To be the provider of choice for employer engagement and workforce development training. Increase the number of businesses we work with We will work with employers in the region and the local community to: Equip businesses and employees with the skills, knowledge and qualifications that they need to remain competitive and ensure future sustainability. Provide support and guidance to help young people progress to employment. Develop those already in employment to progress their careers and meet their aspirations. Develop new services for learners and employers to increase participation on programmes. This will include consultancy services from industry experts, language support and translation services and an enhanced recruitment service for employers. Access funding, wherever possible, to help support employers training plans. Ensure training is flexible to meet employer needs including programme content, mode of delivery, timing and location. Review the existing portfolio of courses and develop a curriculum strategy to ensure a steady and consistent increase in the range of programmes and qualifications to meet and to prompt employer demand. Raise awareness of the benefits of apprentices with employers to increase the number of apprenticeships available across the sector. To raise the profile of the college with employers, particularly those we are not currently engaged with. Develop an employer e-newsletter to raise awareness of training opportunities with an emphasis on business impact. Ensure our apprenticeship offer is wide ranging and comprehensive and provides learners and employers with clear, structured progression routes. Expand the range of Higher Apprenticeship programmes. Develop niche provision targeted at specific industries to meet the ongoing development needs of employers. Design appropriate curriculum to engage employers through web based and distance learning programmes Offer relevant commercial courses at full cost to employers. Continually strive to achieve the highest levels of professionalism and customer service in our work. 07 04 Our vision is to be the provider of choice for employer engagement and workforce development training. 08
Increase the number of apprentices engaged by employers Ensure our courses are developing the skills that employers want Work in close partnership with employers Further develop employability programmes and pre-apprenticeship programmes to equip learners with the skills they need to gain employment. Strengthen links with local schools to promote apprenticeships as an alternative route to higher education. Maximise the use of grants as an incentive for employers taking on apprentices. Further develop our employment hub to help learners get jobs at the end of their courses and help employers recruit new staff. Work with employers to train their staff as assessors to build capacity for workplace delivery. and Sector Skills Councils to ensure the training provided is relevant, up to date and of industry standard. Provide appropriately qualified and experienced teaching, training and assessing staff to deliver the high level of service expected by the college and employers. To further develop links with curriculum departments to improve the offer to employers and continually improve the quality of the provision. Establish effective employer partnerships in each area to keep up to date with new developments in the sector and shape the future curriculum. We are one of the top performing providers of Apprenticeships across Hampshire, Berkshire, Surrey and Wiltshire.* Increase the range of guest speakers from industry. To develop commercial awareness and business skills of learners. Effectively use Labour Market Intelligence to identify gaps in the market and pro-actively plan courses to meet the identified needs. Develop a CPD policy for lecturers and assessors to update competencies and keep up to date with new technology. *100% of employers said BCoT s training had improved their business. *72% of BCoT s work is repeat business demonstrating that employers agree that we are adding value to their businesses. SOURCE: Recent Employer Survey 05 09
Develop Partner Provision Increase the number of partner providers to expand provision and geographical locations and be responsive to opportunities as they arise. Work in partnership with a recruitment matching company to maximise the number of applicants for apprentice vacancies. Performance Targets Performance targets are set against the following indicators: To increase the number of apprentices each year To increase the number of learners completing employability programmes each year To increase income from employers each year To increase the number of employers with apprentices each year Achieve outstanding employer satisfaction in the annual survey. Responsibility The Director of BCoT for Business has overall responsibility for this strategy including ensuring that the strategy is appropriately implemented. Work in partnership with a recruitment matching company This Strategy will be shared with key stakeholders. All relevant College staff will be made aware of this Strategy and its provision. Front line staff will be briefed on any changes on an ongoing basis. This Strategy will be disseminated to staff not directly involved with Employer Responsive provision via the College Intranet and all staff email. This strategy will be published on the College intranet site and BCoT for Business website. 011 05 06 06