ACT Employer Guide

Employer Guide 2019/20

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Employer Guide

Welcome to the ACT Employer Guide With an ever-changing business landscape, it’s more important than ever to fill skills gaps, motivate your workforce and retain productive, qualified employees. Work-based learning programmes are an excellent way of doing this, providing businesses like yours with a competitive advantage, delivering significant benefits for engaging your staff and helping your business grow.

We’d like to say a big thank you for getting on board and enrolling your staff onto our Apprenticeship programmes.

This handy guide is full of essential information, including what to expect, key contacts, and your responsibilities as an employer.

Let’s get started!

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Employer Guide

Contents Welcome to the ACT Employer Guide................ 2 A Quick Introduction to ACT................................. 4 Your Role................................................................... 6 What to Expect......................................................... 9 Essential Skills Wales.............................................. 13 Care, Support and Guidance................................ 15 Celebration Toolkit.................................................. 17 Key Contacts............................................................. 18

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Employer Guide

A Quick Introduction to ACT Established in 1988, ACT is Wales’ largest and leading training provider, and has been making a positive difference to businesses across Wales by providing outstanding training opportunities for over 30 years.

Our dynamic training packages are designed to meet the needs of Welsh employers and their employees to equip the Welsh workforce with vital sector-specific skills.

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Employer Guide

Our Mission To make a positive difference to people’s lives by providing excellent learning programmes.

Our Core Values > Helping raise and realise people’s aspirations > B eing positive and having a ‘can-do’ attitude

> Having fun in providing a professional, safe and friendly service > Showing deep respect for individuals

> T aking pride and responsibility in exceeding people’s expectations To find out more about ACT, visit: acttraining.org.uk

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Employer Guide

Your Role As an employer, it is vital that you are involved in your employee’s learner journey. This section outlines what your role is throughout the process and how you can best support your employee to make good progress and achieve their qualification.

By following these steps, you will ensure that your employee is on the path to Apprenticeship success.

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Employer Guide

Help with Progress •

Ensure an ongoing dialogue of open communication with the assessor before and after each monthly visit

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Check in with your employee’s progress on OneFile (our e-portfolio system) and attend review meetings with the assessor to review and agree any required support

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Get involved in setting short and long-term targets and goals for your employee

Health and Safety •

As all our Apprenticeships are Welsh Government funded, ACT are required to ensure all employers provide appropriate provision for the health, safety and welfare of all learners, complying with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and all other relevant legislation

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You will be required to complete a mandatory health and safety vetting process prior to your employee starting their qualification. This involves a workplace visit from a member of our Health and Safety team (who will explain this process to you fully), as well as ongoing checks and monitoring through your employee’s qualification.

Help with Evidence •

Keep a record of any training they have completed and encourage your employee to do this too

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Support your employee in gathering key evidence by providing witness statements for their work when required

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Support learners with disabilities and additional learning needs

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Support your employee to disclose and discuss any support needs they may have with their assessor as early as possible.

There is a range of support available at ACT and this can be tailored to suit the individual needs of learners in order to help them reach their full potential.

Equality and Diversity ACT are committed to celebrating and promoting diversity and equality for all. All employers must comply with their duties under the Equality Act 2010. For more information, please visit www.equalityhumanrights.com.

ACT’s Equality & Diversity policy can be found here: https://bit.ly/2ydNW5D Things you can do: •

Ensure Equality & Diversity (E&D) within the workplace is discussed with your employee during induction

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Ensure your employee knows who to contact with any E&D questions or concerns in the workplace

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Sensitively challenge inappropriate behaviours within the workplace

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Celebrate diversity within your workforce and within your industry

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Make reasonable adjustments to remove or minimise disadvantages for people due to their protected characteristics

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Participate in discussions about E&D during reviews of progress

Safeguarding and Prevent As an employer you have a responsibility to safeguard your employees and protect young Apprentices and learners against all forms of harm, including being drawn into terrorism.

All employers with Apprentices should have an awareness of Safeguarding and Prevent. It is important that you understand the Prevent duty and your Prevent related responsibilities.

If you have any concerns and require support, please contact the Lead Safeguarding Officers at ACT. Find out more about Prevent on our website here: https://www.acttraining.org.uk/uploads/ Prevent.pdf

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Employer Guide

RESPECT RESPECT seeks to give learners, at all stages of education, an understanding of the impact of their choices on other people, the local wider economy and the environment. The Apprenticeship programme will aim to raise your employees’ understanding of RESPECT via their learning programme, discussions with assessment/training staff and during ongoing reviews.

What you can do: •

Encourage sustainability/sustainable practice in the workplace

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Consider the use of Fairtrade products in the workplace

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Consider how you dispose of waste responsibly

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Encourage volunteering and promote participation within local and wider reaching community groups

“As an employer, it is vital that you are involved in your employee’s learner journey”

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Employer Guide

What to Expect 1

Sign Up The first step on your employee’s learner journey is to sign up. Firstly, your account manager will conduct a skill scan with your employee over the phone to ensure the qualification is right for them. They will also go through the qualification course outline and ensure everyone is happy with what the Apprenticeship entails and answer any questions you or your employee may have.

Next, an Apprenticeship Advisor will visit your employee’s place of work to complete the sign up process. This is where you and your employee complete all the necessary paperwork, including the Apprenticeship agreement and Welsh Government SME4 form.

If required, your employee will also complete literacy and numeracy assessments (WEST assessments) during this meeting, which can take up to two hours (you will not be required to stay for the duration of these assessments). The outcome of these assessments determine how we can best support your employee throughout their qualification.

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The Qualification By signing up to an Apprenticeship, your employee will be working towards a Level 2 – Level 5 nationally recognised qualification which enables them to develop sector-specific skills and immediately integrate them into their role. Here’s what each level means:

LEVEL

EQUIVALENT

2

Foundation Apprenticeship equivalent to GCSE

3

Apprenticeship equivalent to A Level

4, 5

Higher Apprenticeship equivalent to a Foundation Degree

To achieve their Apprenticeship qualification, your employee must complete a combination of mandatory and optional units. These units will vary depending on the specific route and level undertaken; examples of these units can be found in the course outline. Choices of the optional units will be discussed and agreed between your employee and their assessor during their first visit, and will be chosen to best fit your employee’s job role as well as your business requirements.

Please note that assessors will create activity/assessment plans for each learner which will explain what is required to meet the qualification criteria, as well as their essential skills development (literacy, numeracy, digital literacy and Welsh language as an employability skill), and personal skills development (confidence, timekeeping and professional skills).

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Monthly Assessor Visits/Progress Review Visits Reviews are an extremely important part of the learning process and will be carried out by your employee’s assessor once a month in your workplace to measure progress, set goals and assign tasks to be completed before their next meeting.

As well as tracking progress, these reviews provide an opportunity for you or your employee to discuss any areas where they need more support, or voice any concerns or queries. We would encourage you to attend as many of these monthly meetings as possible, but if you cannot attend, our assessor will contact you separately to update you on your employee’s progress and ensure you are aware of their key objectives before their next review.

To maximise the effectiveness of these reviews, we advise that they last for at least two hours to allow for assessment, teaching activities and detailed progression discussions.

“Your employee and their assessor will work together to gather evidence showing they meet the standards required to complete their Apprenticeship.”

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Employer Guide

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Assessments, Evidence and OneFile (E-portfolio) Your employee and their assessor will work together to gather evidence showing they meet the standards required to complete their Apprenticeships.

This evidence will be logged using our online e-portfolio system, OneFile, which tracks your employee’s progression through their qualification and enables them to upload evidence of their progress.

OneFile logins will be automatically generated and sent to you and your employee after their sign up is complete, along with a user guide to help you get started.

Your OneFile account will enable you to:

Competence evidence:

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Monitor your employee’s progress at every step

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Your employee’s assessor observing them do their job

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Comment on and sign progress reviews

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Communicate with your employee’s assessor, and quality assurance team

Your employee’s assessor checking something they have made or done

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Sign the Initial Learning Plan agreed between your employee and their assessment team

An inspection or record of work showing what your employee has done

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Company records showing that your employee has done different types of work, or used different techniques*

Your employee’s OneFile account will enable them to:

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Reports your employee has written

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Log books your employee has kept

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Log evidence

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Submit evidence for assessment

Photographs (e.g. of work completed on site)

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View their progress

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Communicate with their assessor and learner representative

A statement or note from their supervisor or mentor*

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An up-to-date certificate relevant to their work*

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Witness testimonies from line managers and colleagues*

If you experience any issues with OneFile, please contact: systemsupport@acttraining.org.uk Evidence will be collected to show: •

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Competence: the way your employee does something, or the result of what they have done Knowledge: what your employee needs to know in order to do their job correctly and well

Some examples of evidence are provided below. All evidence must be relevant, upto-date, and be about your employee or created by them.

Knowledge evidence: •

Personal reports about the learning process

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Reflective reports which include how a theory or principle was applied

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Descriptions or an evaluation of why a particular approach was used

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Assessment interviews

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Assessment tests

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Responses to questioning

Examples marked with a * may require your assistance.

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Employer Guide

Assessment planning ConďŹ rm competence/ discuss development needs

Discussion

Feedback

Assessment

Check knowledge & understanding

Evidence

Questioning

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Employer Guide

Essential Skills Whilst undertaking an Apprenticeship programme with ACT, all Apprenticeship learners are assigned an Essential Skills Tutor to further develop their literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skills.

Examples of the skills our tutors will support with can be seen below:

SKILL

SKILLS WE CAN SUPPORT WITH

Literacy

Reading and understanding words Punctuation Spelling Use of grammar Writing relevant and appropriate text (e.g. presenting information in a report)

Numeracy

Fractions, decimals and percentages Measures, money and time Ratio and scale Shape, space and position Statistics and probability Using data (e.g. how to present data)

Digital literacy

Digital creativity (e.g. creating a resource) Digital collaboration (e.g. how to collaborate with others) Digital productivity (e.g. basic hardware, creating and saving files) Digital responsibility (e.g. opening of files, responding appropriately, and how to stay safe online)

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Employer Guide

As part of the enrolment process, your employee will undertake WEST (the Wales Essential Skills Toolkit); a set of online skills assessments that calculate their level of ability and understanding in literacy, numeracy and digital literacy. The WEST assessments are not exams and have no pass or fail criteria.

There are no set time limits for any of the assessments, but they are taken under supervised conditions.

The WEST results inform the Essential Skills Tutor and help them plan your employee’s learning programme to meet their specific needs, including any additional ongoing learning support required.

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As a result, your employee may be required to undertake Essential Skills qualifications alongside their Apprenticeship framework in Communication (literacy), Application of Number (numeracy) and Digital Literacy.

However, they may be exempt if they hold suitable prior qualifications, as outlined in the table below, and can produce the original certificates as evidence. Please note this list is not exhaustive. If you or your employee have any queries about what qualifies as a proxy, please contact your Account Manager.

The Essential Skills Wales qualifications can be undertaken in English or Welsh, and will be assessed by a combination of workshops and controlled tasks which will take place in ACT’s Head Office in Cardiff.

ESSENTIAL SKILL

PROXY

Communication Level 1

GCSE G or above, Key Skills or Essential Skills Wales

Communication Level 2

GCSE C or above, Key Skills or Essential Skills Wales

Communication Level 3

AS/A Level E or above or Essential Skills Wales

Application of Number Level 1

GCSE G or above, Key Skills or Essential Skills Wales

Application of Number Level 2

GCSE C or above, Key Skills or Essential Skills Wales

Application of Number Level 3

AS/A Level E or above or Essential Skills Wales

Digital Literacy

ICT Essential Skills Wales

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Employer Guide

Care, Support and Guidance We have a highly skilled team with extensive industry experience to ensure your employee receives all the support and guidance they need to progress through their qualification. This includes extra support services to help all our Apprentices make the most of their ACT experience.

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Employer Guide

All individuals on ACT programmes will be able to take full advantage of the following services: In-house Counsellor Whatever your employee may be experiencing, whether it’s an issue relating to their learner journey, or problems outside their qualification, our support team are on hand to assist with their welfare. Our experienced in-house counsellor will always provide the time and space needed for your employee to talk privately about their troubles and help resolve any issues.

Sessions are confidential, maximum an hour in length, and only the individual and the counsellor will be present during the sessions.

To make an appointment with our counsellor, your employee should email Debra Jones debrajones@acttraining.org.uk

Learner Rep We have a full-time Learner Rep who is there to represent your employee and make their voice heard. If they have any feedback, concerns, or thoughts on their training then they can book in for a coffee and catch up with our Learner Rep via OneFile.

ALN Support Your employee can access a range of additional support to enable them to complete their learning programme. This may include a post enrolment assessment, specialist software, personal support and reasonable adjustments during assessments, such as additional time, reading and/or scribe support. Please encourage your employees to share their learning needs with us as early as possible so that we can provide the best level of support possible.

Safeguarding Officers Similar to our in-house counsellor, our team of safeguarding officers are there for your employees’ welfare and will support them with any problems.

If your employee has any concerns around this, they can contact their Assessor who will be able to put them in touch with an ACT Safeguarding Officer.

“Your employee can access a range of additional support to enable them to complete their learning programme”

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Employer Guide

Celebration Toolkit Hosting your own celebration to recognise and reward the achievements of your Apprentices is a fantastic way to support and congratulate them. It’s also an opportunity to showcase their success within your organisation and to the wider community.

Our toolkit offers suggestions on how to plan a graduation celebration or ceremony, produce certificates for your Apprentices and promote your activities online. It’s split into two sections which will help you with the following: How to plan your event:

How to promote your event:

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Timings

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Venue

Let us know! Contact your Account Manager

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Refreshments

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Guest List

Social Media tips for before, during and after your event

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Invites

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Press Release

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Running Order

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Speakers

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Certificates

We’ve also created templates and examples to get your celebration underway, including: •

Certificate Template

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Invite Template

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Running Order Template

Head to acttraining.org.uk/act-apprenticeship-celebration-toolkit to download our guide, templates and examples.

Don’t forget to let us know about your celebrations and tag us in your social media posts. #ACTapprentices

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Employer Guide

Key Contacts We understand that embarking on a new qualification can be a challenge, and we have a team of highly-qualified professionals here to guide and support you and your staff throughout their Apprenticeship. Please find below the key contacts you and your employee may come into contact with during their qualification.

Account Manager Your Account Manager should be your first point of contact if you have any queries, issues or concerns about your employee, or if you feel they need any additional support with their learner journey.

Assessor Your employee’s Assessor is their key contact if they need to access any support or guidance.

Similar to a sports coach, our Assessors are there to give your employee’s more direction and support to help them achieve their goals, and ultimately complete their qualification.

Your Assessor’s contact details can be found on OneFile.

Essential Skills Tutor All learners are assigned an Essential Skills tutor to help them further develop their literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skills throughout their qualification.

Route Manager The Route Manager oversees the day to day running of their respective Apprenticeship route(s) and ensures that our assessors and tutors are supporting your employee as effectively as possible.

Quality Manager The Quality Manager ensures that the assessments are consistent and reliable. If you have any feedback about the qualification itself, the Quality Manager will be able to assist you.

Your Key Contacts Account Manager:

Essential Skills Tutor:

Assessor:

Route Manager:

Quality Manager:

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Employer Guide

If you have any questions or feedback please get in touch: acttraining.org,uk 029 2046 4727 info@acttraining.org.uk

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