ANTERIOR Management (Anne) works with several Local Learning and Skills Council on a series of activities to assist in improving the quality of their FE, work-based learning, Adult and Community Learning and co-financing providers. The work consists of a variety of training work shops for staff, analysis of self-assessment reports and development plans for providers, participation in one-to-one feedback surgeries to providers and the facilitation of further development workshops with providers. A team of ANTERIOR Management consultants work with providers to ensure continuity and consistency of support over a period of time. The aim is for the providers to be developed to a point where they could tender for a mainstream LSC contract and can meet the criteria within the Common Inspection Framework. This work may also entail external reviews of practice which provides an immediate picture of the programme, its delivery and effectiveness against the Common Inspection Framework. This has been carried out for a number of small and large work-based learning providers and FE colleges, one of the providers was the RAF who had a local LSC contract at the time.
ANTERIOR Management has a team of four approved PQASSO mentors to support small, community and voluntary organization in improving their business management and quality assurance practices. Recently some of the team worked with around 20 co-financing providers on developing using PQASSO and/or a similar toolkit called the Adult Community Learning Toolkit to enable them to self-assess to the Common Inspection Framework in order to meet LSC contractual requirements.
Much of the consultancy work that ANTERIOR Management (Anne) is involved in is based on support for the development of providers over time. It revolves around strategic management, business planning and quality assurance. The programmes of support are generally broken down into pre-inspection support, inspection support and post inspection support with associated activities to improve practice within providers.
Anne (ANTERIOR Management) has led a team of six consultants on a 14-19 Review for a local LSC as part of their Strategic Area Review activities. ANTERIOR Management has also been asked to continue to support the LLSC and LEA on the design and implementation of the action plan. This work has extended to another LLSC where the team conducted 14-19 reviews for all LEA boroughs in the LSC area. The reviews formed the foundations of a consistent self-evaluation process for all boroughs. Anne and the lead consultant worked with the boroughs’ working-groups over time to develop the process and liaise with the LLSC. This work was aligned to preparing the LLSC and LEAs for 14-19 Area Inspections.
As the Quality Assurance Officer for an awarding body, Anne’s prime responsibilities were to lead on the design and implementation of internal verification systems for centres using their qualifications. She developed Assessment and Internal Verification Good Practice guides through to publication using the Common Accord as the main point of reference. She set up training events to disseminate this information and took the lead on developing standardisation and good practice models for various qualifications. One of her prime responsibilities was to design and deliver training for moderators towards the new National Open College Network External Moderator Award which was launched in January 2001. Anne also developed on-going training for external moderators to improve and share good practice. She particularly enjoyed participating in discussions over current issues and new developments in education and training. She also made sure that the learners were aware of the role of QCA and the national regulatory framework and their relationship to the moderators’ areas of moderation.
Anne has been involved in the co-ordination of self-assessment for quality assurance with various organisations, including training providers, a further education college, an Employment Service District and an awarding body. She participated in a Quality Assurance working group for the local New Deal unit of delivery and identified improvements to existing systems and arrangements. She designed a self-assessment timetable to allow all providers and partners to participate. This process highlighted areas for development that were co-ordinated through the working party and led to substantial improvements, eg initial assessment for all clients and clarification of responsibilities for the Strategic Partners. She also assisted providers with self-assessment and actual inspection by FEFC, TSC, ALI and Ofsted. Some of the activities she was personally involved in were illustrated as examples of ‘Good Practice’ within the TSC inspection report. Anne has organised staff involvement in the process, produced self-assessment reports, designed and monitored action plans and assisted with inspection planning involving communication with the funding and inspecting bodies.
Whilst working for a private learning provider, Anne planned and managed a variety of new projects from their inception to their successful implementation. These included the introduction of UK On-line and the new key skills standards. She also instigated and implemented a comprehensive training programme for assessors. She was responsible for the management of small teams and also had a number of staff temporarily on secondment. The organisation tested new qualification standards with a group of work-based trainees at the request of an NTO as part of their pilot of the new standards. Anne collaborated with an NTO and an awarding body on the delivery of a new modern apprenticeship framework incorporating legal qualifications.
During her time within further education she co-ordinated the franchise arrangements and programme delivery for the BTEC First Business and Finance course, involving the management of a team of 6 within the college and teams from two local schools. She lectured on a variety of courses ranging from short information technology courses and shorthand to GNVQs in Business, and GCSE Information Systems. Anne was responsible for teaching and assessing the Information Technology key skills for the GNVQ Business and Leisure and Tourism courses and was the Internal Verifier for several information technology courses. She also researched and developed a model for work-based assessment of full-time FE students undertaking NVQs in Administration up to level 3.
Anne has managed training contracts ensuring that all sub-contracted training over various departments, sites and organisations is quality assured. She designed and put into practice contractor and partnership agreements and implemented a comprehensive support and communication system between staff and the learners. She continually monitored the progress of the contracts against projected targets, actual achievement and comparisons with local and national figures.
Within the variety of roles she has had over the past fourteen years she is used to working to a self-planned timetable. Anne has substantial experience in interviewing people at all levels from young people to chief executives in a variety of contexts. She can make succinct and concise judgments within tight time constraints and always ensures to meet external targets on time.