Client needs for coherent information, advice and guidance services ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

428 The first group summarises comments under the general heading of ‘barriers or constraints’:- • access issues (e.g. shorter waiting times sought); • information issues (e.g. problems with interpretation of data); • marketing issues (e.g. clients unaware of services of direct relevance to them); • inflexibility in the system (e.g. fixed times before Jobcentre Plus clients can be referred to training options); • provider attitudes (e.g. lack of encouragement); • client attitudes (e.g. lack of realism); • dearth of suitable opportunities (e.g. jobs within reasonable travelling distance). 429 The second group summarises comments under the general heading of ‘gaps in the system’:- • work experience (e.g. for the long term unemployed or those completing learning programmes); • ESOL provision with a vocational slant; • IAG services for: - those in work - ex-offenders - graduates moving away from the catchment are of their HE provider; • support services in fields such as: - mental health - housing - anger management. SPECIFIC TOPICS 430 We were asked to comment specifically on three topics, namely use of local labour market information (LLMI), basic skills provision and advice on business start-up. 431 In terms of LLMI:- • both clients and advisers reported it was not used widely; • vacancy information is crucial for front-line advisers involved in job finding; • a lot of published LLMI is at too high a level of aggregation. Even data at local authority level may have a limited relevance to advisers working with clients in defined local communities; • ‘rough and ready newsletters’, which compile recent material from newspapers and other local sources, are often more useful than professionally produced bulletins showing historical trends. 432 Turning to basic skills:- • IAG providers were generally well informed on local basic skills provision; • clients were appreciative of the services provided; • training courses on awareness raising had helped front-line advisers to recognise basic skill needs. The difficulties lay in creating a climate in which clients felt comfortable with discussing their basic skills needs and/or persuading them to opt in to the available provision; • there were some difficulties with assessment procedures. They needed to be both thorough (without being off-putting to clients) and readily available (long waiting times lead to drop out). 433 We have little to report on business start-up advice. Where sought, it seemed to be readily available. However, it tended to be seen as a specialist topic – for referral to agencies outside the mainstream IAG network – rather than an option discussed as a matter of course. 27
RECOMMENDATIONS 434 We were not formally asked to provide a set of recommendations and have not therefore drafted an extended section on this. Our surmise is that the National IAG Board will wish to consider the report in its own time and prepare its own set of actions (if any). Nevertheless, in so far as a few recommendations have occurred to the research team, we thought it would be helpful to add them briefly here. 435 First we experienced some difficulties with terminology; hence our use of inelegant phrases such as ‘standalone IAG providers’, or ‘in-work IAG’, in seeking to describe different types of providers. Similarly there is a well recognised challenge in distinguishing effectively between information, advice and guidance. 8 There are also boundary issues around whether specific types of organisation are IAG providers at all, or whether they should more properly be seen as part of a broader infrastructure of support agencies. 436 There is a prima facie argument here for the National IAG Board to look again at issues of definition, perhaps with a view to segmenting providers and services in a way which recognises recent changes in the sector. 437 Second, we identified two issues with a direct relevance to coherence on which further research might shed some important light. These are around:- • the precise methods of facilitating referrals to other providers (e.g. informal patterns, firm appointments, physically accompanying clients) and the implications of each. Clearly they each have strengths and weaknesses; • the point at which follow-up and after care (‘good’) lapses into hanging on to clients (‘bad’). It would be instructive to compare and contrast different practices on this and distil some good practice. 438 Third, we note several times throughout this report that there is a groundswell of opinion, both from clients and front-line advisers, that what is needed is an impartial, accessible and free IAG service for adults. There are a number of components in place, of course (e.g. the learndirect national information and advice helpline, the jobcentre network and IAGPs), but it was clear that these were not understood as being part of a bigger, coherent picture; and, moreover, that several needs were not being met at all (especially guidance services for those currently in employment). People in the field speak imprecisely of a need for a ‘Connexions service for adults’. 439 The Steering Group for this project briefly discussed this point at the interim report stage. Their view was that adults do not yet have a sense of entitlement to IAG, and that until awareness and understanding of services for adults is improved, the real extent of demand will not be quantifiable. Taking this forward – even at the level of a national marketing campaign, let alone expansion of provision – would have major resource implications, of course. We do not, therefore, offer any simplistic recommendations but nevertheless bring the point to the attention of the National IAG Board. 440 Finally we add a point about client satisfaction surveys. Our judgement was that these were often not being used very imaginatively. They often tended to produce complimentary – but not very useful – material, perhaps reflecting the drivers for their introduction in the first place (e.g. a desire to qualify for a quality badge). 441 Area-wide feedback mechanisms could shed more light on coherence issues. Coincidentally, they might appear less threatening to individual providers. 8 Definitions used by Jobcentre Plus and the Guidance Council are added at the end of the clients checklist in Appendix B. 28
Page 1 and 2: RESEARCH Client Needs for Coherent
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Chapter Page EXECUTIVE SUM
Page 5 and 6: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION 1. T
Page 7 and 8: • many clients said they would ha
Page 9 and 10: development of directories and data
Page 11 and 12: I: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE INTRODUCT
Page 13 and 14: II: METHODOLOGY INTRODUCTION 201 Th
Page 15 and 16: 215 Several adaptations were introd
Page 17 and 18: III: CLIENTS AND PROVIDERS IN THE S
Page 19 and 20: Services Table 3.2: Breakdown of
Page 21 and 22: Services Table 3.4: Breakdown of cl
Page 23 and 24: 326 Our synthesis and analysis of c
Page 25 and 26: • a student who is part of a grou
Page 27: 420 In terms of patterns of referra
Page 31 and 32: targeted at them. This point was ma
Page 33 and 34: providers demonstrated a high level
Page 35 and 36: 536 Many clients do appear to find
Page 37 and 38: service can help them; rather it su
Page 39 and 40: esource management practice; thus s
Page 41 and 42: Transfer of client records 579 The
Page 43 and 44: who graduated several years earlier
Page 45 and 46: exacerbated by media pressure to ge
Page 47 and 48: • In practice, there are often di
Page 49 and 50: 621 Referral to learning providers
Page 51 and 52: was minimal. The main exception was
Page 53 and 54: 649 In some areas, the IAGP itself
Page 55 and 56: combine their visit with other acti
Page 57 and 58: 681 There was a lack of suitable pr
Page 59 and 60: • Some advisers working with the
Page 61 and 62: APPENDIX A KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
Page 63 and 64: other providers, including a number
Page 65 and 66: 52. Many providers’ staff express
Page 67 and 68: C. COHERENCE OF IAG SERVICES C.1 Pl
Page 69 and 70: C.4 Are there links with HE careers
Page 71: Copies of this publication can be o

Client needs for coherent information, advice and guidance services ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?