Opportunities to Get Involved

In this week’s blog the Skills Funding Agency has asked us to let you know about a couple of opportunities coming up for you to get involved in supporting the further education (FE) sector. The Agency has provided the information below, inviting you to develop a sector survey, or contribute to the further development of the Provider Data Self-Assessment Tool. Think you might be interested in one, or both opportunities?  Then read on…

 Skills Funding Agency seeks sector engagement for Provider Access Project

 The Skills Funding Agency needs sector representatives to attend a three-hour workshop in Coventry on 26 January 2012 (11am – 2pm) to support the Provider Access Project in shaping a sector engagement survey framework.

Background to the Provider Access Project

Following a commitment made by the Skills Funding Agency to the FE sector and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Provider Access Project will enable providers to access their contract information directly.

As the Agency is seeking to deliver this collaboratively with the sector, as a tool for the sector, it recognises that it is crucial to have strong engagement with the sector throughout the duration of the project. The Agency, therefore, is planning to launch a survey aimed at the FE sector (colleges, training organisations, the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), the Association of Colleges (AoC) and the third sector, to gauge views on key topic areas such as:

• Scope of the project
• Benefits of the project to the FE sector
• Planned requirements and areas of delivery
• Suggested priorities
• Sector involvement  

Over the next few weeks, the Agency will be designing a draft framework for the survey. In order to ensure that the survey is fit for purpose it needs involvement from sector representatives to help shape its design.

For any further information, please email Anita Holcroft

Data Self-Assessment Tool – future development sessions

The Skills Funding Agency will be holding three divisional Data Self-Assessment Tool (DSAT) Technical User Group sessions. The aim of these meetings is to bring together internal and external DSAT stakeholders to contribute to and inform the future development of DSATs.

• South – 8 February 2012 at the KPMG offices in London
• Central – 16 February 2012 at the Agency’s National Office in Coventry
• North – date and venue will be confirmed in due course.

Places are limited to 25 attendees at each venue. Please email Natalie McIntyre to register your attendance by 23 January 2012, confirming the name of the provider you will be representing and the meeting you will be attending.

This week’s news round up:

• Reminder: 2010/11 SL05 returns deadline is 16 January 2011
• You can check your FE Public Information Framework (formerly Framework for Excellence) data on the Provider Gateway and have until Thursday 19 January to submit any comments about your 2010/11 scores.
• The Data Service will be releasing the Learner Information Suite (LIS) v19.02 later this month. Further details are available on the Data Service website.

All the best
Greta