Heinemann publish new S/NVQ Health & Social Care Assessor Handbook
October 2007

Ecordia is proud to be associated with this Heinemann publication - the only e-assessment solution to be mentioned and recommended. If you are starting out on your assessor training or if you feel you need to update your skills to fit in with contemporary best practice, this book is just for you. It puts the requirements of the assessor's award into the context of Health & Social Care and will help you and your candidates get the most out of the assessment process. To purchase a copy or view more details - click here

Comment article from QA Education Magazine
October 2007

Comment by Peter Lambourne of Ecordia on the recent Government FE White Paper

In July 2007 the government released a second FE White Paper update to the Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances.  Presented to Parliament in March 2006, the overall objective of the White Paper is to reform the FE Sector: to enable it to equip young people and adults with the skills employers want for their business and therefore succeed in a competitive global economy.

One key area for reform is the responsiveness to learners and employers. The progress report states that over 300 colleges and providers are now involved in ‘Train to Gain,’ and this is expected to expand as the FE system becomes more demand-led. Train to Gain was launched in September 2006 and by March 2007 over 36,000 employers were engaged in the programme, over 107,000 employees were actively learning and over 26,000 beneficiaries had achieved a first full level 2 qualification.  

The Leitch Review (December 2006), Prosperity for all in the global economy – world class skills,whichwas very influential as a precursor to the White Paper, recognised that qualifications delivered online tend to be more cost effective; and it also recognised Train to Gain as a major innovation, which offers employers support in designing and sourcing flexibly delivered training to meet their needs.

Another significant step the Government has made in implementing the White Paper - and in response to the Leitch Review - is the Adult Learner Accounts, which will initially be available to learners in some parts of the South East of England and East Midlands from September 2007.

Both initiatives are aimed at learners and employers, and as they engage in the programme, the number of employees requiring training will increase and naturally the geographical spread for training will widen. The demands on providers will be such that the key to success for many training centres will be how they deliver their qualifications, and their ability to deliver over wider areas whilst maintaining the quality of their provision. Online delivery may be the answer.  Lord Leitch, when identifying the costs of world class skills, recognised that online qualifications tend to be more cost effective to deliver.  So it’s only a matter of time before the National Rates Advisory Group (NRAG) of the LSC - who are gradually aligning the rates of funding for qualifications more closely with the actual costs of delivery - will expect online delivery to be the norm.

Currently funding rates are based predominantly on traditional paper-based methods, so providers who act now and deliver their qualifications online could maximise funding and be better prepared and streamlined for when funding is eventually modelled on online delivery.

Introducing the online concept into a training organisation is not for the faint hearted – it takes strong leadership and management, and is only for the proactive and commercially aware providers out there.  However, standing still is not an option either. Paper-based delivery has had its day – it’s cumbersome; environmentally and logistically expensive; extremely transient and above all out of date.  Training providers need to rise to the challenge as the students and workforce of today want innovation and are not scared of IT – at worst they just do not use a computer very often and would welcome a reason to utilise one.  Moreover, those who really want to learn will see the opportunity of completing a course online as an opportunity to improve their IT knowledge and ability, as well as the skills they will obtain during the course.
Online training and assessment also enables providers to maximise funding whilst engaging hard-to-reach employers and reducing delivery costs.  In addition, with a growing number of households now having Internet access and even cities such as Birmingham set to offer wireless access anywhere within the city itself, candidates will be able to access their training practically anywhere.

A significant advantage of using online training is its ability to provide centres with precise information on candidates' progress, providing alerts to the centre if a candidate is ahead or behind the progress expected at a given time. This is a ‘must have’ tool for providers, especially taking into consideration that Government funding is outcome-based, meeting the timely completion targets is therefore essential to attract the full funding available. Furthermore, the longer a candidate is in training the more costs are incurred by the provider, thus reducing profit margins – not an attractive thought for a commercial business that takes its bottom line seriously.

The Government White Paper, which has laid down the foundations for reform for both 14-19 years olds and the adult skills sector, should see additional investment by the state. The Leitch Review projections suggest that a total of 7.4 million basic skills attainments are required; up to 5.7 million adults need to achieve a first Level 2 qualification; 4 million adults need to achieve a first Level 3 and a total of 5.5 million adults need to achieve a first Level 4.

These ambitious targets are required for the UK to be a world leader in skills between now and 2020, but only the smartest of training organisations that are able to provide greater efficiency in delivery and economies of scale will be able to rise to the challenge.

News: 30th August 2007
ADULT LEARNER ACCOUNTS

Apply for an Adult Learner Account and you could be completing your chosen qualification online using Ecordia – a fast, efficient and enjoyable way to get the skills you want.

To apply for an Adult Learner Account visit – www.fareport.co.uk

To find out more about Adult Learner Accounts visit www.lsc.gov.uk/adultlearneraccounts

Comment Article from Ecordia
10th AUGUST 2007

Publised on the Telegraph website, Business Week.

E-Learning and E-Assessment for SMEs

Over the past few years E-learning and E-assessment has been quietly seeping into staff development programmes amongst larger organisations to the point that the percentage of people moving from paper-based or off-site training to e-learning approaches has nearly doubled over the last 3 years.  SMEs are increasingly looking at ways to successfully utilise E-Learning packages for their staff but many are either too busy with the day-to-day running of their business or not convinced of the benefits to pursue implementing such packages.

There are many online resources available to SMEs that start at the most basic packages for IT skills through to top level degrees, diplomas and NVQs for all sectors.  One of the most well known, The Open University, delivers a diverse range of qualifications that are commercial highly relevant and delivered online – with their vocational qualifications now being delivered online through Ecordia.

The benefits of E-learning and E-Assessment may not be immediately obvious to small businesses that are stretched for human resource and feel that off-site training dilutes and distracts their highly valued staff. However it is exactly these types of business that are in a position to gain significantly from just such an investment into e-learning.  By utilising such flexible technology, employees can have access to learning materials, work portfolios and guidance anywhere at anytime. 

Off-site training tends to be ‘one size fits all’ – although specific in content, it can be too rigid and does not always engage the learner.  It happens at a set time, in a set location - whereas online training is accessible anytime and can be tailored to the individual’s needs, enabling them to get the most from their learning and increasing the likelihood of achievement. 

The Internet is a crucial and powerful aspect of E-learning.  It allows support of the learner in real-time and increases staff motivation by providing an engaging medium with which to learn.   Staff are able to collaborate with others such as tutors, work colleagues and with their employer management.  They feel valued and part of a team.  Moreover, they are developing professionally and personally to the point that they may view their organisation differently, not just as a workplace but as an arena for personal development.

Knowledge management is a much over-used term by business consultants, but it is an important success factor for many small businesses.  The issue is to retain, utilise and build on a firm’s knowledge – it is this knowledge that gives many small firms their competitive advantage.  E-learning technology can help firms control learning and retain knowledge, not least through increased staff retention, but also by developing its use of e-learning technology – the mix and match of courses and learning packages can be honed overtime, increased in quality, and, with the input from your own staff, can include specific learning for your employees that directly relate to your business.  Business managers have much less control over off-site training, much of the knowledge gained is tacit and transient...it leaves when your staff do. 

So how can this learning and staff development technology improve a business’s bottom-line ?  For starters you can stop with expensive training days out of the office, where not only the actual cost is very high, but also the opportunity cost of not having your staff available for that time.  Increased staff retention means reduced recruitment costs, motivated staff means increased productivity and knowledge retained means increased business efficiency and effectiveness over the long-term. 

Vocational training (which normally includes NVQs, Key Skills and technical certificates) suffers from specific challenges as much of the work is practical, requiring involvement from many people including a third party training provider. The learner, tutor / assessor, workplace manager, internal verifier, external verifier and training provider co-ordinator all require access to the learner’s portfolio of work.  Portfolios of work can end up being the size of two lever arch files!  Logistically this is very difficult to manage as the portfolio has to go backwards and forwards between the learner and the training centre, requiring many visits from an assessor.  The learning processes is not fluid, the portfolio difficult to manage for the learner and the net result usually and long, drawn out process that is de-motivating for all involved. E-assessment systems, such as Ecordia, allow the portfolio to be accessible online and available to everyone at anytime. 

This has revolutionised the learning process and dramatically increases the chances of achievement.  All those involved with the training, including the learner and assessor find themselves much more engaged in the process, there is a sense of immediacy and team work when working online to achieve qualifications. For small businesses this has had a significant impact on staff retention, motivation and achievement.     

Small Business managers should look to harness this technology to reduce training costs and help their staff reach their potential. There are many options and packages available to small businesses and a good starting point is to discuss E-assessment with your third party training provider if you have one or to contact organisations such as The Open University and LearnDirect.  

Other highly reputable training providers include Studyflex, which delivers Chartered Management Institute qualifications, including Management and Team Leading. Entrust delivers competency-based training in the areas of Management, Health & Safety and Learning & Development.

ECORDIA CEMENTS ITS ESTABLISHED REPUTATION IN THE WORLD OF ONLINE TRAINING SYSTEMS

Ecordia, previously known as NVQ Assist, a leading supplier of online learning and assessment systems, is now extending its capabilities to include, BTECs and University Diplomas as part of its e-based training portfolio.

Following the re-launch Ecordia has also been appointed as the supplier for the Open University's Vocational Qualification Assessment Centre, cementing the company's established reputation in the online training market place.

Matthew Seldon, Business Development Manager of Ecordia, comments:  "The name highlights the company's recent expansion, Ecordia's portfolio now incorporating other areas aside from NVQs and Basic/Key Skills."

The percentage of people moving from paper-based to e-learning approaches has nearly doubled over the last 3 years*, however it is the key advantages of Ecordia which have earned the company a glowing reputation with key players in the training market.

Originally offering services within the care sector, Ecordia continues to use training professionals who have over 10 years experience in their field to develop the company's training system. This less technical approach to e-based learning sets Ecordia apart from other suppliers ensuring the system is significantly easier to use.  Being able to learn online also ensures a reduction in time and cost with one current care training provider, using Ecordia to deliver care NVQs, reducing assessor travel expenses by 90%.  These significant cost reductions would allow a typical work-based training provider to save between £5,000 to £10,000 per year (per cohort of 35 candidates): an appealing factor when combined with the positive testimonials from current Ecordia clients.

Una Lawson, Head of the Vocational Qualification Assessment Centre at The Open University, comments: "This is a logical step forward for our department and I was hugely impressed with the Ecordia system. With online delivery of vocational awards  through Ecordia, we hope  to continue to offer the highest standards of delivery."

Ecordia retains a broad base of clients and current figures support the company's success story with their average timely achievement rate of 94% contrasting sharply with a national average of 30%.  Assessors also greatly benefit from the effective e-based system - one sample of 5 assessors, new to the system, were able to process 35 candidates and evaluate 73 items in one day.

Matthew Seldon comments: "In terms of time and cost Ecordia greatly enhances the learning environment, from both a candidate and assessor perspective. Candidates can learn at a pace and a time that is convenient for them and quicker assessment ensures they are more motivated and driven to succeed."

"This makes e-assessment with Ecordia a more attractive proposition for training providers on all levels, from NVQ vocationally-based training right through to University Diplomas.”