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VI: COHERENCE OF IAG SERVICES: PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISERS INTRODUCTION 601 This chapter focuses on the experiences and perceptions of service providers. As with Chapter V (the parallel discussion of client views), the material is presented in some depth as it provides the source for the briefer discussions in Chapter IV and Appendix A. Provider interviews were conducted both with managers and with frontline advisers, working in a variety of different contexts and with varying levels of involvement in the direct delivery of IAG services. 602 The purpose of the research with providers was defined as:- • to identify common patterns of signposting and referral, both within and between providers; • to identify common approaches and practices aimed at ensuring services are coherent from the client perspective; • to highlight barriers to coherence from the perspective of front-line advisers. 603 This chapter is based loosely on this framework. The principal sections are headed:- • services and priority target groups; • signposting and referral; • links between providers; • gaps and barriers. SERVICES AND PRIORITY TARGET GROUPS Services and target client groups 604 The starting point for a discussion on providers’ views should properly be a brief description of the organisations consulted, the range of services offered and their target client groups. However, this material has already been summarised in Chapter III; and a full list of participating organisations is added as Appendix C. 605 For the purposes of this brief introduction, therefore, a few headline points only are noted. • There is much overlap of services. Most providers, for example, hold basic information on local learning opportunities and offer first level advice. Fewer offer in-depth guidance, however. • Some IAG is delivered on a standalone basis (e.g. Connexions), whilst other services are delivered as part of an integrated package (e.g. training programme). • Most services are delivered on a face-to-face basis, but there are significant exceptions (e.g. by telephone and, less common, by email). • Whilst most services define client groups to be targeted (e.g. by disadvantage, residence, age or labour market status), the criteria are often interpreted flexibly. To put this another way, most clients would be eligible to use several different services (even though, as we saw in Chapter V, they are often unaware of the actual range). • The priority target groups for the majority of providers involved in the study were unemployed or otherwise disadvantaged groups. These included lone parents, people with disabilities, those with basic skills and ESOL needs, the low skilled, and residents of post-code areas designated as disadvantaged. 45
• In practice, there are often differences in the characteristics of clients accessing services targeted at the same groups. For example, within unemployed target groups, Jobcentre Plus clients tended to be low-skilled, have limited prior work experience, and were often disaffected, and with low aspirations. Unemployed clients of one-stop-shop and project based jobsearch, however, were often much more proactive, as well as having higher aspirations and often higher levels of skills and experience. 606 There were two providers within the sample whose services had little or no overlap with the majority of IAG services to individuals. One of these offers a range of services to businesses, and business start-up advice and training for individuals. The second of these providers delivers IAG directly to staff within a work environment; IAG is delivered in a variety of forms, including training needs analysis, examination of team roles and strengths of individuals, and training sessions such as ‘making the most of the appraisal system’. Use of local labour market information to underpin services 607 Within the overall context of services delivered, we were asked to comment specifically on the extent to which local labour market information (LLMI) underpins the coherence of IAG services. 608 For many service providers (particularly Jobcentre Plus and centres targeted at the unemployed), LLMI is clearly crucial. Nevertheless, in practice, most advisers rely on indicators such as the frequency of local job advertisements and general awareness (developed through experience in the job) of local labour markets. One adviser commented that “the best way to maintain up-to-date LLMI is to read a newspaper every day”. 609 Providers from two different areas stated that a newsletter produced by the IAGP and circulated to all network members was a useful source of information on local labour market issues. These newsletters bring together newspaper cuttings, press releases and other information about local labour market developments. 610 Published information on LLMI (e.g. statistics on trends) was not used regularly with clients: the sense was that it was more relevant for managers (e.g. for planning purposes). Two providers noted that LLMI was particularly valuable when preparing bids for external finance. 611 Advisers commented that the content of most LLMI available to them was ‘macro’ in nature and of debatable usefulness in day-to-day service delivery. Indeed, clients were said not to be receptive to data on labour market trends. For example, middle aged men who had been made redundant from heavy industry might be shown statistics demonstrating the paucity of craft vacancies and the plethora of, say, call centre vacancies, but that did not lead in practice to a change in direction on their part, other than in very rare instances. SIGNPOSTING AND REFERRAL Terminology 612 Few providers drew a clear distinction between signposting and referral. It appears that, in general, signposting is used to make a client aware of the services of another adviser or provider at an early stage (similar, in practice, to information giving); while referral is used to facilitate further progress by the client with a different 46
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 and 28: 420 In terms of patterns of referra
Page 29 and 30: RECOMMENDATIONS 434 We were not for
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: exacerbated by media pressure to ge
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

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