Service enables employers to benchmark training

Citation

(2003), "Service enables employers to benchmark training", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 35 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2003.03735aab.009

Service enables employers to benchmark training

Service enables employers to benchmark training

A service launched by UK awarding-body Edexcel will enable employers to benchmark their training programmes and departments against national standards, and develop training schemes that lead to nationally recognized qualifications.

"Employers want a single source of expertise on training and development. We believe we can help companies to find a solution to most training requirements," said Jim Coyle, Edexcel business-development manager.

"While Investors in People goes some way towards recognizing the importance of developing the skills and knowledge of people in an organization, because it is a 'whole-organization' review it does not specifically emphasize the importance of training activities," he continued.

The new benchmark means that employers can be confident about their programmes meeting national standards – whether the training is delivered in-house or by an external training provider.

Programmes are assessed against criteria that have been established by training experts. Successful endorsement shows that a programme meets the specific needs of the organization and is adequately resourced. It also confirms that the programme is made available to the right people in the organization and is monitored and evaluated appropriately. A BTEC certificate of endorsement is awarded for each programme that meets the criteria and to each trainee who subsequently completes it.

This process can also be applied to an organization's training department. The department must show that its training and development strategy is consistent with the organization's corporate strategy and that its work is subject to appropriate monitoring and evaluation. Departments that meet the standards gain a BTEC certificate.

Making sure that the right staff get the right training is rarely straightforward. A skills audit can identify which skills are required where, so that resources can be targeted where they are most needed.

"We can audit the whole organization or just specific departments," Jim Coyle explained. "The employer receives a report recommending the training needed to fill the gaps."

Another strand of the package helps employers to develop training programmes that lead to nationally recognized qualifications. Existing courses can be upgraded to meet the required standards or entirely new programmes developed to meet specific needs.

The Eden Project is one example of an organization that wanted its training programme to lead to a nationally recognized qualification.

"We wanted our trainees to receive a certificate that has currency outside the organization. They feel the programme is worthwhile because they know the skills they have developed are at a nationally recognized level," commented Kary Lescure, the Eden Project's organizational-development director.