Agenda

1. Activity Tourism ForumSkillsActiveInformation SessionSiobhan Weir Peter ThompsonKevyn Burns Ivor Neill24 March 2009

2. Agenda • Welcome & Intros (Siobhan) a) SkillsActive… …working to help employers to be more successful • SkillsActive Overviews: UK and Outdoors (Peter) • SkillsActive NI (Siobhan) b) Outdoors Induction Award (OIA) • Inductions: Your Thoughts and Views (All) • Induction Award: Background and Basics (Peter) • Skills Passport and Outdoors Census (Kevyn) • OIA Northern Ireland Project (Ivor) • Summary, Questions…. Lunch!

3. We are that egg timer… & equivalents Government & equivalents Employers/ees/vols & equivalents Training Providers /HE/FE

4. What we do…UK • UK organisation – one of 25 Sector Skills Councils • Government-licenced agency • Covering: Sport & Recreation, The Outdoors, Health & Fitness, Playwork and the Caravan Parks industry • Key aim:To support employers and sector to be more successful… mainly in the areas of skills/qualifications/training.

5. In the Outdoors… What we do… • Ensure training & qualifications are appropriate & of quality • Help people find the jobs and training they need • Help the sector attract and retain the right staff • Attract/focus funding employers/ees • Influence Governments and decision makers • Represent & promote employer and Sector needs • Support partner sector organisations • Promote the image of the Sector to the public

6. In the Outdoors… Examples… the Outdoors: • Represent employer requirements for qualifications • Develop/manage National Occupational Standards (NOS) • Accessing of funding for pilot projects • Develop HE frameworks • Development of national staff induction programmes • Central role in supporting qualifications development • Support reg/national development bodies Outdoors/Sport • Articulate industry/employer needs to government (SSA)

7. Understanding the Outdoors Sports Development Development Training Outdoor Education Outdoor Recreation/ Adventure Tourism Expeditions & Expeditions Adventure Therapy A rich and diverse entity… • Consistent growth in all outdoors sub-sectors… many positives to link with… • Still issues of fragmentation and negativity • Challenges: demographics/HR, professionalising, capability agenda at all levels… part of a bigger picture…

8. What does the Outdoor Sector & Workforce look like in NI? • Demand for outdoors activities has increased in NI. There are approximately 90 providers plus an array of voluntary and youth organisations offering outdoor activities. (Outdoor businesses increased by 70% in 4 yrs?). “Infrastructure unable to cope with new demand” • Sport and Recreationcontributes £121m to GVA output of the sector in Northern Ireland (63%). Health & Fitness + The Outdoors contribute an additional £15m (8%). • Steady growth in sector meant that roles were constantly evolving and changing, More highly skilled full & part time employees are needed to cater for varied activities. “Increase in freelance instructors” • Higher academic qualifications are often not valued or financially rewarded “I received as much pay increase for my degree as I did for a 4 day archery course” “Too much of a focus on sport-related courses in FE – only 1 college in NI offers an outdoor-related course”

9. NI Skills issues • There is a shortage of suitably skilled (qualified?) instructors and NGB coaches in Northern Ireland. • Restricted choice in terms of cost and access to courses often results in employers sending employees to the mainland for training or having to re-train sport-sector graduates. • Higher academic qualifications are often not financially rewarded. • Cost and scheduling of training remain an issue for employers. • There is a need for more flexible learning. In particular, employers would favour more work based learning courses. • Need to re-vamp Apprenticeship schemes and encourage more work-based learning. • FE sector needs to engage with employers and NGBs – ‘broker skills solutions’.

10. What are we doing NOW to address workforce issues? • Develop and promote induction Outdoor Sector standards for new industry entrants to link with emerging professional development awards. • Promote and support the delivery of affordable, accessible and appropriate training such as the Apprenticeship Scheme. • Through the Activity Tourism Forum, support local employers by providing opportunities for identifying and addressing skills needs. • Provide tools and resources to make Workforce Development Planning easier and useful for employers. • Support FE sector through establishment of Learning Hubs etc.

11. Brief look at Apprenticeships…

12. Funding Eligibility Basics • Powerful/effective progression from Outdoor Induction Award – overlap… • No restrictions on age group • Not for graduates or post Level 4 • Need to be in paid employment 14+ hours • Most of training funded via FE College funding stream • Funding for Essential Skills training included • Majority of training should take place in the work place • Financial incentive for employers • www.apprenticshipsni.info

13. Induction… Some questions… • In the outdoors, what is “induction”? • How long does it last? • What should be the key features of an induction? • Who benefits from excellent induction?

14. Outdoors Induction Award Key features 1 • Induction Standards part of respected British Activity Holiday Association (BAHA) inspection process for all members • Further developed by SkillsActive, IOL and BAHA • Fully complementary to other quals such as NGB awards – no conflict • Award will be on new qualification framework - QCF… benefits! • Accredited by QCA and operated by major national UK Awarding Body • Approx 1,000 staff per year have gone through the award, going up to 1,500 per year in the last 3 years for all staff in outdoor organisations/centres • Proved invaluable to employers, employees and the consistent quality of activity centre provision • Invaluable in difficult situations

15. Outdoors Induction Award Key features 2 • Unitised in bite-sized ‘chunks’ of learning – core and role-related options • Systematic consistent approach… - Insurers??? Quality systems??? External stakeholders??? • An assessed induction process, externally checked • On-going records of staff training and development • Consistent standard across the sector, without being prescriptive • Basis for ongoing… - monitoring, support, development & management (good practice!) • Delivered and assessed in the workplace

16. Outdoors Induction Award Key features 3 • Mapped to relevant NOS and Skills for Life • Linked to Common Core • Opportunity to benchmark, externally validate and certificate in-house induction • Provides reward/motivation for staff at an early stage • Signal a further quality approach and commitment to staff development • Foundation for future staff development and career progression • Potential for public funding… • Pilot funding in England with LSC… • Pilot in Northern Ireland…

17. Outdoors Induction Award Different levels of ‘usage’ across industry/sector: • Benchmark ‘in-house’ programmes/processes (non BAHA)… shadow Award… possible endorsement? • Use standards as ‘in-house’ induction programme: possible endorsement and/or as part of BAHA scheme • Deliver as formal accredited National Award – costs and benefits…

18. NI Project Activities and progress to date…

19. Thank You! www.skillsactive.com NI Project Consultants: • Nicky Armstrong   info@actionoutdoors.info  Mob 07843120582 • Ivor Neill                 ivorneill@hotmail.com   Mob 07929781236 SkillsActive NI Manager • Siobhan Weir siobhan.weir@skillsactive.com (office 028 437 27667) SkillsActive UK Outdoors • Peter Thompson peter.thompson@skillsactive.com • Kevyn Burns kevyn.burns@skillsactive.com (both at Sheffield Office – 0114 292 2391)