BALI Academy plans gathering pace

We know from past research undertaken by the Association that many of our members continue to have issues finding relevant training courses for their businesses. As part of our response to this challenge, the Association is putting plans in place to provide support to raise industry standards, and play a stronger role in supplying and supporting specific education and training, particularly for those people already working within the industry.

BALI conducted research into the existing training and education market and mapped this against what our members have told us they need to raise the skills and standards within their own teams. This led to the decision to develop a number of technical standards that cover the much-needed skills. We are continuing to develop these standards to ensure that they are appropriate to the varying levels needed. This will help employers and employees develop the essential industry skills and knowledge to fill identified skills gaps.

Although the pandemic and changes in personnel have slowed progress, BALI remains committed to developing plans for an Academy to build on existing skills and to raise standards in the landscaping sector.

Over the summer, the development of the Academy has moved forward and there have been two significant developments; both represent a shift in how we are developing the standards and how the trainers deliver the standards to learners.

In terms of standard development, the aim is still that they should represent the highest standards in the industry, and the training be delivered over an extended period – we are aiming for five-day courses compared to the more usual two or three days. However, we are aware that training must be accessible and delivered where there is demand. So rather than focussing on an individual location for delivery, we are now looking to have the standards delivered at various locations by approved training providers.

And this has led us to our other change in focus - we are looking at ways in which we can have BALI Academy standards endorsed by an accredited awarding organisation.

There are three reasons why we feel that having standards endorsed by an independent body will be of benefit to the industry:

1. Credibility. If an independent awarding organisation reviews, then assesses the content and the outcomes of the standards, then there will be more belief in the quality of the standard to those outside of the industry.

2. Uniformity. Having the standard endorsed or accredited will mean that it will be on a par with regulated qualifications. And while they will be subject to independent oversight, the new standards will not appear on the Ofqual register.

3. Flexibility. One of the aims of the Academy initiative is to ensure the Association controls the content of the qualification, so we are able to ensure we can reflect changes in best practice within the industry more quickly than with a regulated qualification. By having standards endorsed rather than regulated, we can retain this flexibility with enhanced credibility.

We are also beginning to look at how businesses and their learners access the standard. The first standards have been created and we are also developing guidance notes on each of the outcomes. We are also looking at how we can effectively support the written descriptions and diagrams.

With the move away from a single dedicated BALI Academy site, we are also in the preliminary stages of developing guidance for trainers who want to deliver the BALI standards.

We will continue with this progress during the autumn, and we are scheduling two pilots to evaluate the delivery methods, the quality of the standards and whether they are what the industry is demanding. We will report back on our findings from them. The pilots will be a major stepping-stone in the progress of the Academy from planning into the delivery phase.

After a brief hiatus, development is now gathering pace in what we hope will be an exciting development for the Association, its members, and the wider landscaping industry.

Careers Manager