Accreditations
Learning and Skills Beacon
Learning and Skills Beacon status provides public recognition of the excellence and innovation which exists within the Learning and Skills sector. This prestigious award celebrates learning providers that deliver outstanding teaching and learning and are well led and managed. It is for providers funded by the Learning and Skills Council and inspected by the Office for Standards (OFSTED) or the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI). The status is held for three years.
The thinking at the heart of this status led initiative is to drive up standards of provision in a fresh and innovative way. It was launched by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in partnership with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in 2002,
Beacons are drawn from general, tertiary colleges, sixth forms, work based learning providers and adult community learning providers.
University of Plymouth Colleges
The University of Plymouth Colleges (UPC) network is a partnership between the University of Plymouth and local colleges to deliver a range of higher education courses in your area.
CoVEs
CoVEs are specialist areas of vocational provision characterised by close links between colleges, other providers, business partners, other employment interests and communities. They aim to produce appropriately qualified and skilled workers with excellent employment and career prospects which meet the needs of the economy.
CoVEs will focus on enhancing the skills and careers of those already in work, enhancing the employability of new entrants to the labour market, and the employment prospects of those seeking work (including self-employment). They will enable providers to develop, maintain and deliver high quality, specialist provision across a range of new and traditional occupations. They will be innovative in delivering learning that develops both specialist and related general skills.
CoVEs will work closely with business and industry to deliver industry-relevant, economically important provision of a high standard.
Centres of Vocational Excellence
European Social Fund
The European Social Fund (ESF) was set up to im,prove employment opportunities in the European Union and so help raise standards of living. It aims to help people fulfil their potential by giving them better skills and better job prospects. The new programme will invest £4 billion in 2007-2013 of which £2 billion will com from the ESF and £2 billion will be national funding.
Objectives
The 2007 to 2013 ESF programme has two primary objectives:
- The Convergence Objective aims to develop areas where the economy is lagging behind the rest of the European Union. In England, only Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly benefits from ESF funding under the Convergence Objective.
- The Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective covers all areas outside of the 'Convergence' objective. The whole of England is covered by this objective, except Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Within this objective, Merseyside and South Yorkshire benefit from transitional funding as former Objective One regions in 2000-2006.
Priorities
The priorities in the 2007 to 2013 ESF programme are designed to focus ESF spending on specific activities and to ensure that it reaches people in most need of support. There are two main priorities in England:
- Priority 1 is 'Extending employment opportunities'. It supports projects to tackle the barriers to work faced by unemployed and disadvantaged people. About £1.2 billion of ESF money is available for this priority in 2007-2013.
- Priority 2 is 'Developing a skilled and adaptable workforce'. It supports projects to train people who do not have basic skills and qualifications needed in the workplace. About £670 million of ESF money is available for this priority in 2007-2013.
Investors in People
The Investors in People Standard is a business improvement tool designed to advance an organisation's performance through its people.
Developed in 1990 by a partnership of leading businesses and national organisations, the Standard helps organisations to improve performance and realise objectives through the management and development of their people. Since it was developed the Standard has been reviewed every three years to ensure that it remains relevant, accessible and attractive to all. The most recent review was completed in November 2004.
A proven framework for business improvement
Investors in People provides a flexible framework, which any organisation can adapt for its own requirements. It mirrors the business planning cycle (plan, do, review) making it clear for organisations to follow and implement in their own planning cycle.
The framework involves:
- Plan - developing strategies to improve the performance of the organisation
- Do - taking action to improve the performance of the organisation
- Review - evaluating the impact on the performance of the organisation.
Positive about Disabled People - What is the Disability Symbol?
Its a recognition given by Jobcentre Plus to employers who have agreed to take action to meet five commitments regarding the employment, retention, training and career development of disabled employees.
Page updated: 23rd September 2009
