SBC Training

Employer Engagement Policy

1. Policy Statement

SBC Training Limited is an independent training provider that provides apprenticeships and vocational training predominantly within Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and the bordering geographic areas. We believe that engaging and working in partnership with the employer to facilitate business improvement via employee learning and development helps to ensure that their training programmes are fit for purpose and is an important component in facilitating businesses to grow and individuals to prosper, both educationally and economically.

2. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to set out our commitment to engage employers regarding present and future training needs, fully involve employers in their employees’ training and development and to keep them informed of their progress and development.

3. Scope

This policy covers all services offered by SBC Training Limited, including apprenticeships, vocational qualifications, functional skills and short courses; both regulated and non-regulated, and applies to all employees involved in the delivery of vocational training.

4. Roles and Responsibilities

SBC Training aims to engage employers in the need to support their employees’ learning and development journey in order to help achieve the aims and objectives of the business.

The Managing Director has overall responsibility for the vision and direction of the organisation. Contact is maintained with key strategic organisations including the LEP, employer groups and key employers. This information is used to advise the Board on emerging needs and future direction.

The Business Development Manager (BDM) has overall responsibility for managing relationships with employers and ensuring the adherence of this policy by all employees. The BDM will review the Employer Engagement Policy annually (or sooner to comply with external regulatory requirements). The BDM is responsible for ensuring that the policy is available on the SBC Training website to learners and employers.

The Sales & Marketing team are responsible for marketing the company to employers, providing them with opportunities to engage with SBC Training services and informing them of accurate cost of engagement. The marketing team, under the management of the BDM, is responsible for ensuring that appropriate up to date branding is used.

Trainer/Assessors are responsible for involving employers (or their representatives) in planning for delivery of fit for purpose training solutions, maintaining ongoing contact, arrangement of progress reviews and maintaining good working relationships with learners and workplace mentors.

Administrators are responsible for supporting the communication processes related to employer engagement activities, including efficient response to requests for services and from time to time the support for survey completion in line with contractual responsibilities.

5. Policy Implementation – Procedures

SBC Training Limited will engage and work in partnership with employers through:

  • Marketing our service offer to potential partner employers via a range of methods and media

    • Direct mail

    • Digital marketing – email and social media

    • Website

    • Newsletter

    • General press advertising

    • Attendance at apprenticeship shows

    • Open days

    • Third party events e.g. Chamber of Commerce

  • Managing and maintaining a data base of employer contacts

  • Introducing the ‘Find Apprenticeship Training’ service to employers and other connected Information Advice and Guidance (IAG) resources available in the public domain

  • Making partner employers aware of new training and development opportunities for their employees

  • Ensuring that a clear pricing policy is maintained and communicated

  • Providing information, advice and guidance to employers on the range of funding options available to them and providing updates on funding rules and requirements as they become available

  • Providing regular reports of learner progress

  • Inviting employers to take part in annual customer satisfaction meetings (or more regularly dependant on employer needs)

  • Measuring employer satisfaction through yearly employer surveys

  • Offering training packages which aim to support the needs of the business as a whole and impact positively on the business

  • Handling enquiries promptly and efficiently and reviewing standards of customer service regularly

  • Ensuring each employer has a copy of the SBC Training Employer Handbook. The Employer Handbook provides information on the SBC Training Complaints Procedure, essential contacts for Safeguarding and Health & Safety and advice and tips on how to prepare for employing an apprentice

  • At the beginning of any new employer engagement a Contract for Services is completed and signed by the employer and SBC Training. The Agreement encompasses:

    • Nature of the training intervention

    • Agreed timescale for delivery

    • Amount and source of funding to be drawn

    • Amount of employer contribution required

    • Support to be provided

    • SBC Training terms and conditions

    • Essential contact information for Safeguarding and Health & Safety concerns

    • The SBC Training Complaints Procedure

  • Ensuring each engaged employer has a nominated Business Development Officer (BDO) for ongoing contact

  • Holding regular meetings between the BDO and employer to review the effectiveness of the relationship and encourage further activity. The feedback from these meetings is reported to the Director of Training and the Quality Meeting as appropriate

7. Leadership and Management Processes

SBC Training management will assist the employer engagement strategy by:

  • Providing high quality assessors and trainers through robust recruitment and selection and training and development processes

  • Acting promptly to respond to feedback and/or complaints in order to improve services

  • Continuing to evolve and improve the training offer, offering teaching and learning strategies which motivate, stimulate and encourage the learners as well as meeting the employer’s requirements

  • Responding to requests for bespoke training courses to meet the needs of employers

  • Keeping up to date with government policy and advice, external quality assurance recommendations from awarding bodies and informing employers of changes relevant to their business e.g. Apprenticeship reforms

SBC Training will commit to the development of training delivery processes that are compliant with funding policy guidance but are also complementary and sympathetic with the needs of individual employers and their employees. This will be achieved by:

  • The development of compliant, bespoke delivery programmes that meet employer needs whilst also taking into account the range of employee needs and terms and conditions of employment

  • Working with employer mentors and completing 12 weekly progress reviews with learners and their line managers, engaging employers’ training choices to ensure the needs of the business are met

  • Setting SMART targets and performance indicators which measure and monitor success and lead to the identification of business return on investment

8. Quality Assurance Processes

SBC Training will ensure that the services provided support the achievement of employer goals by:

  • Completing robust Internal Quality Assurance processes to ensure quality of delivery
  • Agreeing processes to record all training interventions
  • Regular performance reviews and observations of the people delivering training solutions
  • Regular review and development of the resources available for training
  • Provision of and adherence to a published complaints policy
  • All aspects of the Quality Calendar including BDO/employer review meetings, complaints, compliments, observations, surveys are reported to the Quality Meeting for action and ultimately reported to the Board

 

Sam Shaw

Sam Shaw

Business Development Manager

July 2019