Ambitious workforce development works for South Somerset 14-19 Partnership

26 February

More than 700 staff from 16 training partner institutions attended 77 workshops in six locations across the South Somerset 14-19 Partnership late last year in their first fully collaborative INSET day. Probably one of the most ambitious staff development days of its kind, it featured full day workshops ranging from specific areas such as Diploma lines of learning, information, advice and guidance (IAG), teaching strategies, Foundation Learning, supporting students, equality and diversity, assessment, functional skills and work experience to the wider implications of the 14-19 reforms.

The workshops were facilitated mainly by 14-19 Workforce Support (50 workshops), with contributions from Plymouth local authority (LA), Government Office South West (GOSW), awarding organisations Connexions, Education Business Partnership (EBP), Swindon Partnership, the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) and the LSIS/National College 14-19 Leadership and Management Development Programme. The contribution of 14-19 Workforce Support was invaluable and made the scale and scope of the day possible.

Julie Young, the partnership's co-ordinator and lead organiser explained: "the purpose of the INSET day was to raise staff awareness of the 14-19 landscape and it certainly has raised many questions and been very thought-provoking for many of the attendees." Immediately after the development day, she encouraged leaders in each institution to debrief their staff – both to gain feedback and knowledge of new developments discussed on the day and to ascertain the future training needs of their teams. The Diploma workshops provided a valuable boost to the lines of learning leaders and practitioners and many of the groups have since arranged follow-on support with the 14-19 Workforce Support. Diploma line leads now better understand the level of support available to them and how to access it.

Julie also said that: "feedback from the facilitators showed that they really liked the concept and experience of such a big event and felt that there was a real excitement and buzz about the day which is often missing in the more formal conference-type delivery they usually undertake. They were impressed with the level of commitment and enthusiasm demonstrated by the majority of participants."

The evaluations highlighted the strong desire of staff to be informed of changes and reforms and to be involved in planning and decision-making whenever possible. Participants also stressed the benefit of being able to meet partnership colleagues, share good practice and experience and initiate networking links as well as understanding how their organisation fits into the overall partnership picture.

Quality assurance also featured strongly throughout the evaluations with queries raised about how quality could be assured across programmes and institutions. The interfacing of roles of support staff, domain and lead assessors was a recurrent logistical concern that participants wish to address. Participants were also keen to highlight the importance of sharing information across the Partnership.

Reflecting on the key outcomes from this first INSET Day for the entire South Somerset 14-19 Partnership, Julie is confident that it has:

• highlighted continuing professional development (CPD) needs across the partnership for the short and long term
• helped in the formation of working and support groups across the partnership
• been very beneficial for sharing good practice and building links across partnerships
• raised awareness of reforms and started dialogue in institutions to a greater extent.

Asked about advice for others organising similar cross-consortium development activities on this scale, Julie emphasises: "It is important for each institution to fully inform staff about workshops, the outcomes of the day and prepare them in terms of information about 14-19 reforms prior to the day."

The Partnership is already taking the lessons learnt from the event on board in planning its next INSET day, already scheduled for 1 November 2010.

For further information, Julie Young can be contacted at: julie.young@yeovil.ac.uk