Common use of Stakeholder views Clause in Contracts

Stakeholder views. The stakeholders interviewed during the research unanimously agreed that workforce skills were critical to the success of the lifelong learning sector. On this basis they identified the following ‘soft’ indicators of success and good performance within the sector: • responsiveness to the needs of individuals, employers and communities • up-to-date knowledge of current industry practices (for FE and WBL practitioners) • flexibility in the delivery of services • services which meet wider economic and social development needs. In practice, these potential indicators of success are particularly difficult to quantify and it would require specific techniques to be developed to ascribe any monetary ‘value’ to them as outcomes. How do you define success and good performance? “Meeting financial forecasts for budgetary surplus, meeting nationally defined performance indicators, having satisfied students and well-motivated staff.” (LLUK employer survey response, HE, England, 2006) In addition, other indicators identified by the stakeholders interviewed included: • In relation to FE and WBL, the achievement of good inspection grades and higher levels of student satisfaction, along with the delivery of qualifications by the sector to learners. Stakeholders also viewed practitioners’ engagement with continuous professional development as important. • In relation to CLD, the generation of social capital and social cohesion, and reductions in poverty and social exclusion were identified as critical. Other measures included community engagement with democratic processes, enhancing individuals’ confidence and self-esteem and more self-reliant and cohesive societies. However, many of these present similar challenges in terms of their identification and actual ‘measurement’. • Stakeholders from the LAIS constituency identified measures of success and performance in two areas: o increasing participation in and access to learning, knowledge and information o being central to communities and contributing effectively to the wider social inclusion and citizenship agendas. • Specifically in Wales, the achievement of increased Welsh-medium learning opportunities, with sufficient numbers of Welsh-speaking practitioners and teaching and learning materials, were offered as potential measures within FE and other constituencies. With a lack of a single set of well defined and universally tested performance measures (like the GVA) for the lifelong learning sector, it is very difficult to debate the productivity and competitiveness of the sector as a whole. For this purpose, this section highlights some of the performance indicators already in use in constituencies and in nations that can be measured, to provide an idea of productivity in these specific cases.

Stakeholder views. The stakeholders interviewed during the research unanimously agreed that workforce skills were critical to the success of the lifelong learning sector. On this basis they identified the following ‘soft’ indicators of success and good performance within the sector: • responsiveness to the needs of individuals, employers and communities • up-to-date knowledge of current industry practices (for FE and WBL practitioners) • flexibility in the delivery of services • services which meet wider economic and social development needs. needs In practice, these potential indicators of success are particularly difficult to quantify and it would require specific techniques to be developed to ascribe any monetary ‘value’ to them as outcomes. How do you define success and good performance? “Meeting financial forecasts for budgetary surplus, meeting nationally defined performance indicators, having satisfied students and well-motivated staff.” (LLUK employer survey response, HE, England, 2006) In addition, other indicators identified by the stakeholders interviewed included: • In relation to FE and WBL, the achievement of good inspection grades and higher levels of student satisfaction, along with the delivery of qualifications by the sector to learners. Stakeholders also viewed practitioners’ engagement with continuous professional development as important. • In relation to CLD, the generation of social capital and social cohesion, and reductions in poverty and social exclusion were identified as critical. Other measures included community engagement with democratic processes, enhancing individuals’ confidence and self-esteem and more self-reliant and cohesive societies. However, many of these present similar challenges in terms of their identification and actual ‘measurement’. • Stakeholders from the LAIS constituency identified measures of success and performance in two areas: o increasing participation in and access to learning, knowledge and information o being central to communities and contributing effectively to the wider social inclusion and citizenship agendas. • Specifically in Wales, the achievement of increased Welsh-medium learning opportunities, with sufficient numbers of Welsh-speaking practitioners and teaching and learning materials, were offered as potential measures within FE and other constituencies. With a lack of a single set of well defined and universally tested performance measures (like the GVA) for the lifelong learning sector, it is very difficult to debate the productivity and competitiveness of the sector as a whole. For this purpose, this the following section highlights some of the performance indicators already in use in constituencies and in nations the UK and, specifically, in Northern Ireland that can be measured, to provide an idea of productivity in these specific cases.

Stakeholder views. The stakeholders interviewed during the primary research phase unanimously agreed that workforce skills were critical to the success of the lifelong learning sector. On this basis they identified the following ‘soft’ indicators of success and good performance within the sector: • responsiveness to the needs of individuals, employers and communities • up-to-date knowledge of current industry practices (for FE and WBL practitioners) • flexibility in the delivery of services • services which meet wider economic and social development needs. In practice, these potential indicators of success are particularly difficult to quantify and it would require specific techniques to be developed to ascribe any monetary ‘value’ to them as outcomes. How do you define success and good performance? “Meeting financial forecasts for budgetary surplus, meeting nationally defined performance indicators, having satisfied students and well-motivated staff.” (LLUK employer survey response, HE, England, 2006) In addition, other indicators identified by the stakeholders interviewed included: • In relation to FE and WBL, the achievement of good inspection grades and higher levels of student satisfaction, along with the delivery of qualifications by the sector to learners. Stakeholders also viewed practitioners’ engagement with continuous professional development as important. • In relation to CLD, the generation of social capital and social cohesion, and reductions in poverty and social exclusion were identified as critical. Other measures included community engagement with democratic processes, enhancing individuals’ confidence and self-esteem and more self-reliant and cohesive societies. However, many of these present similar challenges in terms of their identification and actual ‘measurement’. • Stakeholders from the LAIS constituency identified measures of success and performance in two areas: o • increasing participation in and access to learning, knowledge and information o • being central to communities and contributing effectively to the wider social inclusion and citizenship agendas. • Specifically in Wales, the achievement of increased Welsh-medium learning opportunities, with sufficient numbers of Welsh-speaking practitioners and teaching and learning materials, were offered as potential measures within FE and other constituencies. With a lack of a single set of well defined and universally tested performance measures (like the GVA) for the lifelong learning sector, it is very difficult to debate the productivity and competitiveness of the sector as a whole. For this purpose, this section highlights some of the performance indicators already in use in constituencies and in nations that can be measured, to provide an idea of productivity in these specific cases.