Employer engagement. Engagement Methods

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1 Employer engagement There are three central themes that underpin the BAF Diploma which are Business Enterprise, Business Administration and Finance. These themes will appear with varying depth across all units at all levels. This therefore is means that the overall objective of the Principal Learning is to give a sound, holistic, purposeful overview at the relevant level of the skills, knowledge and disciplines required to succeed in the business world. The engagement and involvement of employers in the Diploma will be central to the success of the Diploma. There are a number of opportunities that organisations can provide in order to improve the quality of Diploma provision, giving learners the most realistic Diploma experience possible as well as providing benefits for employers through adapting and developing future employees as well as meeting other objectives that they may have corporately. Engagement Methods Below is a list of definitions of the various engagement methods that can be used by employers to contribute to the delivery of the BAF Diploma. These will form the basis of your commitment to the BAF Diploma. By looking through this list it may be possible to contribute to some or all of the units. 1. Placement Providing opportunities for learners to spend time in a particular area of the business for a short space (2-3 days) or more extended (1 week+) length of time in order to experience the work in that area through practical work as well as completing research which will allow them to complete assignment work 2. Experience Providing opportunities for learners to spend a short period of time (half day or full day) to examine a specific aspect of the operation of the business. This would have a very specific focus and allow learners to gain research for their own purposes. This may be planned or arranged on an ad hoc basis between the learner and the business 3. Shadowing Providing opportunities for learners to follow a particular member of staff or team around their daily routine to learn about the work that is undertaken in this area or observing the processes that are undertaken as a natural part of that person s work 4. Visiting Speaker Providing a member of staff to talk to learners about a particular aspect of business practice within their organisation from which the learners can use the material provided within their assignment work and in their own business organisations 5. Site Visit Developing for learners a planned tour of a facility in order to see it in operation. This would be for a shorter length of time than a work placement and would provide a snapshot of that aspect of the organisation allowing students to use this information in their own situations or assignment work 1 Employer engagement

2 6. Employer Case Study Writing case study material which may describe aspects of the operation of the business generally or of specific functional areas. These could be in paper form or accessed electronically and be a perpetual resource to aid again in business operation or as part of completing an assignment. This would involve no workplace visits though direct contact information may aid learners to clarify any points raised 7. Problem Solving Activities These can be written to address the requirement of an assignment and focus on creating a potential solution (which could be presented to the providing organisation). Additional information may be provided to clarify issues arising and solutions generated may prove of use to organisations in developing their own strategies 8. Involvement with Unit Delivery Being directly involved with the delivery of the unit through leading sessions in institutions or a central venue in terms of working alongside members of teaching staff to deliver sections of the Principal Learning, running activities or involvement in the assessment of assignments 9. Simulation Running or developing an in-tray real time activity which can develop a learner s understanding of the Principal Learning, contribute evidence to an assignment and giving the learner a feel for what goes on in the real business world 10. Running In-House Courses Running a course which has been previously developed by the organisation with the objective of helping to deliver the Principal Learning for a unit or to help contribute to the assignment evidence required for by the learner This list is not exhaustive as new methods of engagement may be developed over time to meet the needs of all partners within the BAF Diploma. The list above is to give you a flavour of the possible ways in which your organisation can become involved in the BAF Diploma. There now follows a summary of each of the units at Levels 1, 2 and 3 and the learning outcomes that learners are required to achieve. Having read through these, there is a form at the back which can be used to identify which areas you would be interested or willing to become involved in, as well as any wider involvement that could be used. This information will then further inform the development process over the coming three months so that schemes of work can be written and then session plans developed to create a common delivery framework across the Partnership. This will also allow partner employers to identify when they have made commitments in advance making the planning easier for their relevant sections. Employer engagement 2 2

3 Employer Engagement Summary Form Level 1 Use this as a means of planning your employer engagement provision for the Diploma. This can be used to identify what you have planned as well as seeing whether you are using a wide range of employer engagement methods that could be available to you. Level 1 BAF Diploma Placement Experience Shadowing Visiting Speaker Site Visit Case Study Problem Solving Involved In Delivery Simulation Running Courses F261 (Getting into business enterprise) F262 (Administration skills for F263 (Learning to manage your personal finances) F264 (Exploring teamwork and communication skills for F265 (Exploring effective customer service skills for F266 (Developing your personal selling skills for F267 (Preparing for work in a business environment) 3 Employer engagement

4 Employer Engagement Summary Form Level 2 Use this as a means of planning your employer engagement provision for the Diploma. This can be used to identify what you have planned as well as seeing whether you are using a wide range of employer engagement methods that could be available to you. Level 2 BAF Diploma Placement Experience Shadowing Visiting Speaker Site Visit Case Study Problem Solving Involved In Delivery Simulation Running Courses F268 (Business enterprise in action) F269 (Developing your business communication skills) F270 (Developing your business administration skills) F271 (Managing your finances) F272 (Introducing business finance and accounts) F273 (Marketing and selling in F274 (Developing effective team-working for F275 (Developing effective customerhandling skills for F276 (Responsible business practices) F277 (Change in the business environment) F278 (Planning for employment in the business environment) Employer engagement 4 4

5 Employer Engagement Summary Form Level 3 Use this as a means of planning your employer engagement provision for the Diploma. This can be used to identify what you have planned as well as seeing whether you are using a wide range of employer engagement methods that could be available to you. Level 3 BAF Diploma Placement Experience Shadowing Visiting Speaker Site Visit Case Study Problem Solving Involved In Delivery Simulation Running Courses F279 (Setting up and running a business enterprise in today s world) F280 (Effective communication in the business world) F281 (Effective business administration) F282 (Managing personal finance) F283 (Finance and accounting in F284 (Marketing and selling in today s business world) F285 (The effective business team) F286 (Effective customerhandling skills for F287 (Responsible business practices in today s global market) F288 (The ever-changing business world) F289 (Career progression in a business environment) 5 Employer engagement

6 Benefits to Employers of Engaging with the BAF Diploma The involvement of employers within the organisation and delivery of the Diploma at all levels is an important feature of the qualification. The main issue consortia are likely to come up against will be how to get employers involved within their Diploma program. One strategy that could be followed when discussing engagement with employers is to identify the advantages to them of becoming involved. Below are some factors which could be put to employers to highlight such advantages for them. Helps recruitment and preparing their workforce for the future Gives access to wider range of resources Benefits to Employers of Diploma Involvement Develop and motivate existing staff Enhances business reputation locally and nationally Fulfils Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) agendas Employer engagement 6 6

7 These are some of the general reasons that could be put to employers to become involved in a Diploma consortium. This would apply to small locally based businesses as well as the more nationally recognised ones. It is likely though that the majority of the involvement will come from local businesses and therefore being able to highlight benefits and long lasting involvement with a consortium will be of benefit to all parties. Given these general headings, more specific benefits can be highlighted as outlined below. It is important though that both the business and the consortium gain appropriate benefits from this engagement in order to make the involvement a long lasting relationship. Specific Benefits for the Employer Arising from Employer Engagement Improves Recruitment and Future force Develops skills in the areas being involved in Helps to improve knowledge in given areas Contributes to area education targets Improves employability skills Improves company image in eyes of recruits Increases breadth of choice for recruitment Promotes positive attitudes to employment. Fulfils Community and Social Responsible (CSR) Agendas Provides opportunities to support local community as well as educational institutions Creates greater influence within the local community. Develops and Motivates Existing Staff Develops mentoring and coaching skills for employees Provides job enrichment activities Improves organisational communications Encourages employee support for the business Provides training and leadership opportunities Creates employee ambassadors for the company Ability to learn from and be involved in education. Enhances the Reputation of the Company Can lead directly or indirectly to increased sales Creates a positive image for the employer in the local community Directly links employer with good work within the community. Access to Resources Can be used to access a wide range of resources and expertise used by other partner businesses within a consortium Involvement within work experience can add to the employee numbers as appropriate Fresh perspectives can be provided on business problems through ideas of students as well as becoming involved in problem setting through the Project Qualification Arrangements can be made to use school facilities and expertise to support projects as means of a two-way relationship within the consortium 7 Employer engagement

8 Where to Start When Organising Employer Involvement? Trying to arrange a number of employers to become involved in the principal learning for the Diploma as well as other elements such as the Project qualification or work experience will find it difficult to make a start. The easiest way of creating effective employer engagement is to look at the current contacts that you may have within your consortium. This will mean looking at all employers that you have had involvement with and identifying the different ways in which you have engaged with them previously. Using this information you should be able to make a start on approaching these organisations again with a view to extending your engagement. Below is a simple framework for you to record these experiences and a completed example to illustrate the sort of involvement that is likely to go on within most educational institutions. Current Use of Employer Engagement Using the template below, identify forms of engagement that has taken place within your institution currently which can be used to develop employer engagement within the consortium. Based within the school Short One-Off Activities Long Term Activities Based with the employer off-site Short One-Off Activities Long Term Activities Employer engagement 8 8

9 Current Use of Employer Engagement An Example: Using the template below, identify forms of engagement that has taken place within your institution currently which can be used to develop employer engagement within the consortium. Based within the school Short One-Off Activities Mock Interviews with Year 10 Talks with GCSE Business Studies groups on business aspects such as marketing Provision of information in the form of a case study used with A Level Business Studies Acting as a judge for a Year 9 Enterprise Competition Sets problems for Year 10 to solve to develop decision making. Based with the employer off-site Short One-Off Activities Site visit with a particular focus in terms of a certain curriculum area Teacher visit to the workplace in order to develop case study material shadow an employee in order to gain knowledge of an area of work. Long Term Activities Acts as an Enterprise Adviser for the Young Enterprise programme Local entrepreneur acts as a course mentor for GCSE students Involvement in curriculum development and advice Provision of opportunities to develop skills of staff Curriculum planning created with continual access to employer involvement at all stages. Long Term Activities Planned and focused work experience for Years 10 and 12 Extended work placements which have a continuous focus rather than a oneoff 1 or 2 week block Ongoing training for staff with access as and when required Company mentors to support learning throughout the year Employers provide problems for real activities within the business Training for apprenticeship or NVQ qualifications within the school. The outcomes from this document can then be summarised on the tracking form in order to allow a Diploma Line Lead to collate this information in an effective manner to allow an effective way of cataloguing contacts as well as developing the employer engagement strategy for a consortium. 9 Employer engagement