2.0 Embedding PEP across your whole organisation

Everyone in your organisation should be involved with PEP to some extent. As with any aspect of curriculum delivery, it is helpful for all staff to have a basic knowledge of what is being planned and delivered, and to have updates on progress. Additionally, it is useful for everyone to know how to refer potential learners.

More specifically, certain staff will have direct involvement with leadership and aspects of the planning, marketing, delivery, monitoring, recording, reporting and assessment of PEP. Most typically, colleagues involved are: teaching staff, curriculum managers, senior managers, and staff from departments such as IAG, Marketing, MIS, Exams, Train to Gain, Work-based Learning, Business Development Units.

This will vary depending on a number of factors including size of organisation, capacity, staffing structure, historical considerations and future plans and priorities.

There is usually an obvious choice for leadership of PEP based on ‘best fit’ within the organisation. For example, strategic leadership might be best placed with a senior manager who already has responsibility for 19+ or employer-focused provision. Depending on the factors listed above, this person might also take operational leadership for PEP. Alternatively, you may choose to identify/hire another member of staff to lead and co-ordinate the operational aspects of the provision.

Whoever you choose to lead PEP provision, it will be vital that they have an understanding of the various funding streams and opportunities to make clear links to all staff involved. They will need to have the autonomy and capacity to work creatively, make decisions and influence change as appropriate.

Clarity of roles is critical. You need a strategic leader to develop vision and overcome institutional barriers; an operational manager to oversee delivery and a single point of contact for referral agencies.
(Nigel Duncan, Vice Principal - Fareham College)

…at OCVC employer responsiveness is a key priority within our 3 year strategic plan. Out of the plan falls an action plan with targets, both documents are reviewed by the Governors annually. Labour market information is integrated in this process, it is detailed through all our business processes, curriculum business planning, and through Employers services. All curriculum managers have to include this information in their curriculum business planning.
(Lesley Donoghue, Vice Principal, OCVC) 

The College has recognised that in recent years, particularly this year due to the ‘Credit Crunch’, that it has received many more ‘invitations’ to tender for targeted activity – Train to Gain, Teenage Parent Learning Programmes, Additional ALR, Skills Account development funding, etc. To develop an infrastructure to support a more responsive culture within the organisation that isn’t driven top down, but can be attributable to the organisation as a whole, the College has reorganised its curriculum management structure to provide an externally focussed department which monitors and responds, on behalf of the College, to the business requirements of the Fareham and Gosport area
(Nigel Duncan, Vice Principal, Fareham College).

The introduction/development of PEP provision will result in a degree of change for your organisation. There are numerous models regarding change management and related methods for gaining buy-in from staff. Colleagues leading PEP will need to find methods which work for their organisation.
However you decide to manage the change, it will be vital to formulate and communicate clear messages and answer questions such as:

• What is PEP?
• Why should we get involved? (Explain the purpose and potential impact in the context of the audience.
• What is in it for them?) For example:
• What does this mean for our organisation?
• What does this mean for our learners?
• What does this mean for staff generally?
• What does this mean for me specifically?
• What does this mean for close colleagues?

In order to answer these questions it will be important to have a clear vision for PEP in your organisation and to know strategically and operationally how it is likely to work. As a result, you may find that it takes time and discussion before the more detailed messages are tangible. You may choose to manage the introduction of this information by consulting with key staff early in the process in order to gain their input, or to establish a steering group during the early stages of development.

Another aspect that will be important in gaining buy-in from staff is to make the change as easy as possible in terms of workload and day-to-day procedures (see 2.5). It will also be vital to include PEP within strategies, policies and plans (see 2.4) and to have strong leadership and management with clear goals (see 2.2).

Although we didn’t have a planning budget for this piece of work, and producing the flyer and brochure costs in the region of £15,000.00, this has been a real investment for the College, the local community can see we care. [ACT NOW!] raised the profile of the college and reinforced that the college is part of the community
(Mairi Smith, Marketing Manager, OCVC)  

There has been an awareness raising at whole college level, staff have been involved in the planning at curriculum level, and there has been a range of a management team meetings.  We plan to build on this activity by introducing TQS. It can be a challenge for an FE college to be recognised by a company, next for us is to establish and promote centres of excellence
(Lesley Donoghue, Vice Principal, OCVC)

The Principal is the driving force ultimately giving approval and endorsement of this new and innovative service.   But we still had to gain buy-in by reassuring academic staff that students would not be removed from education in favour of employment. One way we achieved this was through presentations to faculty heads and staff to promote the relevance of forging links in different sector skills. Employers engagement at a job brokerage level supports our TQS, develops our business curriculum planning and broadens our employer/student offer.
(Glenn Floyd, Project & Partnership Manager, Canterbury College)

As with any provision, PEP should be embedded within your cross-organisation policies, strategies and related plans, including those related to curriculum. For example, long term strategies, business plans and your Self Assessment Report (SAR). Each organisation will decide where PEP best fits within their SAR. The action plan falling out of the SAR should specify clear targets and plans for PEP, as would be expected for any developing area of the curriculum.

Depending on where PEP is led, managed and delivered, it should also appear in subject/area-specific strategies, plans and policies (inc. SAR). For example, it may be appropriate to embed PEP as part of your Skills for Life documents or those related to Work-based Learning, Business Development, Train to Gain, Adult/19+ provision or specific vocational areas.

Of course, existing cross-organisational documents which are relevant for any area of delivery should also apply to PEP, i.e. policies such as Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity, Staff Development, Quality... 

In terms of capacity building and quality it will be important to consider PEP within your staff development plan and other HR-related documents related to training, capacity, succession planning and recruitment/selection. E.g. what training /qualifications are needed to deliver the PEP programmes we select? Where is there potential to build capacity ‘in-house’? Do we need to recruit staff now/in the future to deliver PEP? If so – Do we need to alter any paperwork (i.e. job descriptions, interview questions/tasks)?