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"In achieving the matrix Standard our confidence in providing an excellent service has increased and this will assist our success in finding new opportunities for employees."
Rolls Royce plc Resource Centres
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Fitting into the bigger picture
Someone once told me, “There are three certainties – death, taxation and continual change as we go through life.” Fortunately the Grim Reaper has not appeared this month but the taxman has. And there is evidence of substantial change in the world of IAG, driven by the Leitch Report and the Government’s Implementation Plan.
So what are we likely to notice as different in the future? The cessation of the DfES and DTI on 27 July 2007 led to the creation of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and a more cohesive relationship with key Government Departments (Children, Schools and Families; Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform etc). It is within DIUS (www.dius.gov.uk) that the matrix Standard sits.
Considerable progress has been made since 1997 but the Government has set out aspirations for 2020. The overall aim is to create a single customer journey from poor skills or worklessness to sustainable employment and the skills to progress. This needs to be achieved against a current backdrop of more than one third of UK adults not having the equivalent of a basic school leaving certificate; 6.8 million having serious numeracy problems; 5 million lacking functional literacy.
A demand-led approach to focus on adult learners and employers will introduce Skills Accounts and the new Adult Careers Service (ACS). When opening a Skills Account, individuals will be able to access the full range of IAG services in the new ACS, significantly strengthening existing IAG provision and affecting the way we all operate. Equality and diversity remain at the heart of delivery, ensuring access and participation. The employers’ Skills Pledge, the roles of Skills Academies and of Trades Unions are indicative of their importance.
The ‘New Standard for Employer Responsiveness’ has specific meaning for training providers but in no way affects the standing of the matrix Standard – as with other quality marks each is designed to cover different aspects of service delivery. Framework for Excellence will bring rigour through a balanced scorecard of performance indicators.
So a lot lies ahead and the principles of the matrix Standard will assume even more importance. In the words of David Lammy MP, Skills Minister at DIUS, “It’s our Country, it’s our future, it’s in our hands.”