1. Policy Statement
Lifetime Training is committed to upholding the integrity of the apprenticeship and qualifications they deliver, ensuring that each learner receives a fulfilling learner journey that meets their needs. The process of Quality Assurance is integral to consistently achieving this across the business.
2. Definitions
Quality Assurance is a system that ensures there is a structured programme for planning and preparing the quality assurance of a programme, when it is monitored and the resources required to carry out the monitoring.
England
In England, there are two strands of Apprenticeship delivery: Apprenticeship Standards and Apprenticeship Frameworks.
Apprenticeship Standards are governed by the Institute for Apprenticeships (IFA) who are a subsidiary of the Department for Education. They will ensure the delivery of high quality apprenticeships through the regulation of the quality of apprenticeship proposals, standards and assessment plans. Apprenticeship Assessment Organisations (AAO) will determine the parameters for end point assessment for the standards based on the Assessment plan.
The assessment plans provide information around what a learner needs to achieve to enable them to proceed through the Gateway and into End point assessment.
Apprenticeship Frameworks consist of qualifications developed from the national occupational standards and have assessment strategies that are set out by the Sector skills councils and Awarding organisations, these set out the parameters against which each qualification should be achieved, this is monitored by Awarding organisations.
The common inspection framework, published by Ofsted, also provides the parameters around the delivery of teaching, learning and assessment which inspectors will make judgements against during inspection visits.
Scotland
In Scotland, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) set out the parameters for the delivery of apprenticeships within Scotland. The modern apprenticeship framework sets out the qualifications and enhancements required. Awarding organisations will set out the parameters by which the qualification delivery must adhere to and this is monitored through an external quality assurance process.
Wales
In Wales, the Welsh government, through ESTYN, provide the guidance through which apprenticeships are delivered. ESTYN will set out the framework which provides the parameters around the delivery of teaching, learning and assessment which inspectors will make judgements against during inspection visits. Awarding organisations will determine the assessment strategies that must be adhered to when delivering qualifications.
3. Principles
Quality Assurance is:
The basis for ensuring that every learner journey meets the needs of the learner
Essential to ensuring consistent delivery of teaching and learning across all delivery team members
Maintaining the integrity of the apprenticeships as agreed by the appropriate regulatory body
Maintaining the integrity of the qualifications as set out by the awarding organisations
Essential to ensuring consistent delivery of the qualifications across all delivery team members
Setting strategies around sampling that will ensure all learners receive quality training and are given the best opportunity to achieve.
4. Scope and limitations
Quality Assurance will encompass all learner interactions through Levy and non-Levy paying provision to our commercial courses across England, Scotland and Wales. Sub-contracting provision will have a separate Quality Assurance Policy.
5. Responsibilities
The Head of Quality is primarily responsible for the design and implementation of the Quality Assurance Policy and the subsequent strategies.
All staff members are responsible for ensuring that they understand and follow the policy and strategies that are laid out.
The Quality Director is responsible for the final validation of the policy.
6. Implementation arrangements
The initial policy will be agreed and appropriate training and guidance will be provided. There will be a manual that will provide specific guidance and indicate the documents that should be used.
Sectors will have the opportunity to define a sector strategy that will feed in to the company quality assurance strategies.
There will be set monitoring arrangements to ensure implementation is followed and consistent.
7. Monitoring and review
An annual timetable to review the policy and subsequent documents will be published each year.
The Head of Quality will oversee the effectiveness of the implementation of this policy and related documents with the support of the Central Quality Team, Area Managers, Operation Managers, Operation Directors, Quality Managers and Quality Assurers.