A fair and economically prosperous society is underpinned by literacy, access to information and the transfer of knowledge.

Transcription

1 Future Skills Project Initiation Document 1. Background and context At its meeting on 11 th July 2011, Council agreed to establish Project Board to address the critical area of qualifications and future skills. This high priority work is directly linked to the outcomes of the CILIP Defining our Professional Future consultation and change programme. This is now CILIP s major Project. Terms of Reference have been prepared and this Project Initiation Document (PID) will bring together all of the tools that will be required to ensure a successful and high quality outcome. CILIP s vision and mission are: Vision: Mission: A fair and economically prosperous society is underpinned by literacy, access to information and the transfer of knowledge. CILIP exists to: Promote and support the people who work to deliver this vision. Be the leading voice for information, library and knowledge practitioners, working to advocate strongly, provide unity through shared values and develop skills and excellence. CILIP Council have agreed that Chartership and the Chartered Status of the Institute are core to our mission and to the unique offer that we have for our members and as such any review must be thorough, considered and consultative. 2. Objectives The key objectives of the Project will be: To review CILIP s Body of Professional Knowledge (BPK) and ensure its relevance to all sector workers. To review the Accreditation and Seal of Recognition process and CILIP s relationships with the providers in Further and Higher Education and other awarding bodies. To review the Chartership and Certification offer including Fellowship and revalidation, and how it meets the needs of all library, information and knowledge workers. To consider the variety of career pathways that bring people to the sector and the ways in which qualifications can be as relevant to as many people as possible. Future Skills Project Initiation Document Page 1

2 3. Approach 4. Scope To develop strategies for employer engagement and working with to maximise the value of both professional and vocational qualifications. To increase membership of CILIP through increased value and relevance to the career and professional development aspirations of all library, information and knowledge workers. The Project Board will oversee the delivery of the Project whilst the work will be undertaken by a project team at CILIP. The Director of Professional Services will take on the role of Project Manager from the CEO will be able to undertake this work with a fresh perspective as an internal consultant/contractor. The Project Board will focus on the objectives and will prioritise the tasks of the project team, monitor risks and outcomes and ensure the project delivers on time and on budget against its objectives. The scope of this project is the CILIP Framework of Qualifications. The area of continuing professional development (CPD) is very broad and encompasses many aspects of CILIP s activities but this piece of work is focused on the qualifications framework itself as the underpinning offer. The broader CPD offer will be developed as part of the planning activity of CILIP overall and will be built into the business plan. 5. Business case 5.1. Reasons for the project Defining our Professional Future (DOPF) made it clear that CPD and qualifications are still high on the list of reasons why people join CILIP. The changes in the LIS sector mean that new career pathways and entry levels are emerging and people are coming into professional roles from very different routes. Employers are asking for professional qualifications less and less and therefore the value of the product we offer needs to be articulated clearly. There are also significant overlaps with other disciplines in the broader information and knowledge professions beyond the scope of CILIP s Body of Professional Knowledge (BPK). CILIP s qualifications need to be relevant and provide the recognition that the sector needs. Many more information professionals are qualifying and working than CILIP currently attracts to membership or indeed Chartership. In addition, people work in new and different ways and want the ways that they maintain their CPD to reflect this. These issues must be addressed as CILIP looks for growth and to increase membership. Future Skills Project Initiation Document Page 2

3 5.2. Costs This Project must be delivered within CILIP s 2012 budget plan and will have funds allocated from the discretionary budget to cover travel, administration and consultation activity. We anticipate that the costs will be in the region of 27k plus staff time. The bulk of this will be expended on travel, consultation and communication. See Annexe B Benefits 6. Risks The key benefits will be: A Body of Professional Knowledge (BPK) with a broader relevance to more stakeholders Greater recognition for the qualifications of LIS professionals Increased value to CILIP members of their qualifications New partners and potential for partnership Simpler and more cost effective processes Enhanced relationships with the institutions who deliver academic and vocational programmes Greater engagement of CILIP members in CPD programmes Increased membership overall. A risk register will be prepared for the Project. Risk monitoring will be part of every meeting. The key risks are likely to be: 7. Deliverables Over running on costs and time Scope creep Retaining member confidence in a time of change Retaining and growing stakeholder interest Board cannot agree e.g. on quality criteria for new offers Consultation on new proposals has a negative outcome Operational difficulties in managing the changes cause loss of services to members The key deliverables will be: A revised Body of Professional Knowledge (BPK) A new solution to accreditation and Seal of Recognition (SOR) Future Skills Project Initiation Document Page 3

4 A new approach to Certification, Chartership, Fellowship and revalidation including online portfolio management in a virtual learning environment New partnerships for joint accreditation of individual qualifications A plan for engaging and supporting employers in the long term 7. Project planning Once the terms of reference and the objectives of the work are agreed, the following steps are proposed. Some of the work in preparing these can be done before the Board meets and therefore be up for discussion and working through at the meeting to maximise the use of the precious time of the group. Identifying gaps in the composition of the Project Board and co-opting any further members A stakeholder analysis Literature and resources review (CILIP staff are already engaged in this) A PESTLE environmental analysis and SWOT analysis (preparatory work will be done) Horizon scanning exercise (preparatory work will be done) Key tasks agreed and prioritised with timescales and budgets Stakeholder analysis and communications strategy agreed Risk analysis An outline of the key elements of the project are detailed in Annexe A. 8. Communication strategy A communications plan will need to be agreed and a web page created to keep all members informed of the Board s activities and how they can share their views. There will be a number of focus groups and consultation events to discuss the future offers and key proposals with stakeholders. Officers should be tasked with preparing a communications strategy that would potentially include regular updates on the progress of the work as well as the use of social media in a managed way for broader consultation. It would also be valuable to plan an event at the right time to promote and market the new look products but there will be significant planning time needed to get this right. The Board must feel empowered to make decisions and recommendations and to move this agenda forward in the context of the resources available to CILIP and the changing environment in which the profession operates. Future Skills Project Initiation Document Page 4

5 9. Timescales and outcomes The Board should complete its work by the end of September This is a tight timescale but the planning and implementation of changes will be the next stage and will need to be delivered as much as possible in 2012 to minimise costs and realise savings in 2013 and to attract more members as soon as possible. A detailed work plan with SMART targets and timescales will be prepared after the first meeting. December 2011 Future Skills Project Initiation Document Page 5

6 Project plan: key components Annexe A This list, if agreed or amended, will turn into a SMART plan with responsibilities, timescales and costs attached. Task Key activities Output/outcome Timescale 1. BPK review This task is already under way to some extent. Review of current BPK and other models Project Board agrees the key elements of the BPK New BPK drafted Consultees agreed and brought together for a workshop Review and redraft Setting work plan and initiating work for Phases 2 and 3 Evidence of support from consultation Final version drafted for Council approval September to December Accreditation and Seal of Recognition (SoR) This work should involve a high level of consultation with higher education and other institutions who are currently accredited but also those who do not seek accreditation at the moment. Preparation of a survey for all target HE institutions Preparation of a survey for organisations eligible for SoR Analysis of the results Comparison with other professional bodies and their methods of accreditation Looking at potential models and evaluating against agreed criteria Options appraisal with costing Creating a proposed new model for approval by Council New costed model for Accreditation or its successor Pilot HEIs identified New model for SoR Implementation plan January to March 2012 Future Skills Project Initiation Document Page 6

7 Task Key activities Output/outcome Timescale Examining the outcomes of the SWOT and PEST and scoping the review Examining comparable schemes identified in the literature review Consultation with recent and current Chartership and Evidence of certification, fellowship and revalidation candidates, support from mentors and the Qualifications board the outcomes Scoping the new look of Chartership and certification, of consultation fellowship and revalidation March to New model for A business process reengineering exercise September chartership Identifying how products can best be delivered through a 2012 Implementation virtual learning environment plan Returning to consultation with recent and current Chartership and Certification candidates, mentors and the Chartership board Refining as a result of consultation Creating and costing a proposed new model for approval by Council Implementation plan 3. Chartership and certification, fellowship and revalidation This is the biggest work area as it also encompasses all of the alternative pathways and routes to affiliation. It needs to be addressed both from the outcomes side but also from the perspective of streamlining business processes. 4. Communication and dissemination of findings Stakeholder analysis Initial messages Develop a communications plan and stakeholder engagement strategy Create a web page and social media plan Develop dissemination plan Events plan Effective communication with stakeholders ongoing Future Skills Project Initiation Document Page 7

8 Annexe B Projected costs This is an initial rough estimate of direct costs. This does not include an estimate of significant staff time. Activity Cost per item Cost Meetings of the Project Board 6 x 600 3,600 Consultation meetings 4 x Surveys and professional consultation activity 10,000 10,000 Dissemination publications, events 5,000 5,000 Contingency 5,000 5,000 Total 27,600 Future Skills Project Initiation Document Page 8