Will 24+ Advanced Learning Loans become the new Safeguarding?
Recently I delivered a training event to help providers develop strategies to manage the introduction of the new 24+ Advanced Learning Loans. Providers talked about the need for adopting a whole organisation approach and for informing every employee about the new initiative. During our discussions, it struck me that this need for communicating with all staff is very similar to the actions taken by providers to successfully implement their safeguarding arrangements. The new loans will require a very similar approach if providers are going to successfully maximise the income they can generate.
Just as with safeguarding, there are a series of key messages that need to be communicated to staff (and external stakeholders) at every level across the provider’s organisation. But just like safeguarding, the content of the messages needs to be adapted depending upon how much information the staff member is going to need to know. Everyone will need to know something – even cleaners and security staff will have to be able to correctly sign-post the public if they’re approached about the new loans. However, and with scandals relating to the miss-selling of financial services still fresh in our minds, it’s important that the messages to staff related to the 24+ Advanced Learning Loans are clear, succinct and accurate.
The recent NIACE training event I delivered provided a welcome opportunity for colleagues from a range of providers including FE Colleges, Local Authority Adult Skills Services and Independent Training Providers (ITPs), to explore the most effective ways to deliver the messages to all of their staff. At the same time, the participants identified additional benefits that would flow from undertaking this form of holistic communication.
When I took part in the delivery of safeguarding training at one college in 2011, I was impressed by the way we used a staff training intervention as a mechanism for simultaneously communicating a series of complementary key messages. By seizing this opportunity, we supported all staff to be fully prepared for the adoption of a new range of wide reaching curriculum developments.
The new 24+ Advanced Learning Loans present a similar opportunity for forward-thinking providers to ‘kill two birds with one stone’ – ensuring that their staff are prepared for the introduction of this important initiative and communicating other key improvement messages at the same time. This provides a golden opportunity to communicate to all staff across a particular provider organisation the likely impacts flowing from future policy changes. For example, providers can choose to communicate regarding the Richard, McLoughlin and Heseltine reviews, Employer Ownership Pilots, the cities agenda, the introduction of Universal Credit, Community Learning Trusts, the Lingfield review, to name just a few of the important initiatives that will be impacting upon providers over the coming year.
