Employer and Stakeholder Engagement Policy
Policy aims and intentions
- To create a framework for regular and honest employer and stakeholder feedback and involvement
- Engaging with employers, stakeholders and potential employers and stakeholders to gather views that inform future curriculum development and an offer that meets their needs.
- Involving employers and stakeholders in the decision making of the organisation so that they can help to shape the direction of travel for ACL
- Involving employers and stakeholders to ensure that both current and future skills needs are addressed within the county
- Providing employers and stakeholders with the opportunity to co-design provision
- Ensuring that effective activity takes place to engage with employers and stakeholders to increase participation in learning and drive up the skills of the Essex workforce
- Development of productive and longstanding partnerships and collaborations that help drive up quality, participation, and positive outcomes
- Address local and regional employer needs, including the development of Accountability Statements, through the LSIP and bodies that include SELEP
Contents
METHOD OF IMPLEMENTATION
Employers who are facilitating learners and/or apprentices will be asked to regularly feedback on not only progress of the programme but also their satisfaction with the provision delivered by ACL.
New employers looking to engage with a learning or apprenticeship programme will be required to complete a training needs analysis to best identify their needs and be given opportunity to contribute to content or co-design of the programme
The Employer and Stakeholder forum will collect opinions and views of local employers to help steer ACL provision and provide insight that supports curriculum planning.
An annual survey is sent to all apprenticeship employers to glean views and opinions.
Feedback from stakeholders who use ACL services for their service users and or customers will be collected through annual surveys
Leads for commissioned and project work will glean feedback from regular progress meetings.
All feedback is recorded and collated, and when required fed back to delivery Teams
Implementation.
Account Management
All employers hosting apprentices or learners will have a dedicated account manager from the Employer Engagement Team with whom they can contact throughout the programme duration.
There is a dedicated lead for all project and commissioned workstreams. Leads are responsible for ensuring targets and expectations are met.
Engagement Activity
The Employer Engagement Team identify potential employers across Essex that may wish to engage in learning or apprenticeship opportunities. This team engage with employers in the following ways:
- Cold calling
- Direct marketing campaigns
- Social media channels e.g., Linked-In
- Employer visits
- Networking events
- Members of business groups including Essex Chamber of Commerce and Essex Wildlife Trust Corporate programme
- Attending Business Expos
- Advertising in business publications
- Live webinars and information events
ACL Managers and Leads are active participants on several Strategic and Operational workforce groups across the county. These include:
- NHS Workforce Strategic Boards
- Essex Anchor Institutions
- Talent for Care
- Digital Inclusion Steering Group
- Green Skills Summits
- SELEP
In addition, there are good links with Essex County Council colleagues in the Employability and Skills Unit, Localities Team, Adult Social Care and Sector Development Team. These relationships enable ACL to gain good insight into skills and demographic needs as defined by employers and sector bodies.
Partnerships exist with the district councils and voluntary sector which further enhance the insight for ACL curriculum.
Supported Learning teams work directly with support services and residential care facilities to ensure that provision is aligned to need.
Community and Family Learning teams are actively involved with various charities and family organisations including schools. They are guided by local need and develop provision according to demographic need.
Employers and stakeholders are invited to be active members of the ACL Strategic Advisory Board to help shape the service from a strategic level.
Signed
Lisa Jarentowski
ACL Principal
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Effectiveness of this policy will be monitored through:
- Apprenticeship Reviews
- Employer surveys and feedback
- Employer & Stakeholder forum
- Employer Engagement Officer feedback and account management
- Community Engagement Officer feedback and account management
Associated Documents
Apprenticeship Complaints, Compliments and Comments Policy
Customer Complaints, Compliments and Comments Policy
Employer Engagement Process
Learner Engagement Policy
If you require this document in any other format, please email jaimie.huckfield@essex.gov.uk stating the document name in full and the format you need.