Ofsted launches Employer View, enhancing the role of employers in the provision of education and training
28 Apr 2014 12:32 PM
Today, Ofsted launches Employer View, a new
online tool that enables employers to rate further education and skills
providers.
Employer View forms part of Ofsted’s goal to
increase the involvement of employers in the training of their current and
prospective employees. The tool allows employers to lodge their views on
specific providers, inspected by Ofsted, which train their employees, including
apprentices and those that are working for them through work experience or work
placements.
Whilst the information collected will be a vital asset
to Ofsted inspectors, employers will be able to use the tool to find out the
views of other employers on providers to help them make informed choices about
which providers will best suit their needs. Providers will also benefit from
being given a clear view of what their employers think of the services they
provide.
National Director for Further Education and Skills,
Lorna Fitzjohn, commenting on the launch, said:
'Employers in the past have often not been
sufficiently included in the education and training of learners, including
apprentices, and we recognised that this needed to change.
'Engagement with employers was highlighted as a
major theme for improvement in Ofsted’s Annual Report and we hope
Employer View will facilitate a dialogue between employers and providers that
will improve the provision of further education and training. The tool will
inform inspectors’ understanding of the effectiveness of provision,
increase employers’ engagement in education and training, and help them
and employees to choose the provider that is right for
them.
'Employer View underpins Ofsted’s aim to raise
standards in education and training. I therefore urge all employers using a
provider inspected by Ofsted to visit the Employer View page on our website and
contribute to improving the standard of training across the further education
sector.'
Employer View uses the same model as Learner View,
launched in September 2012, which allows learners to register their views on
the provision of their further education and skills provider. Employer View
will compliment this existing tool, enabling employers to register their views
independently of the provider they use. It will enable anyone who accesses the
site to see what employers think of any provider in England inspected by
Ofsted.
When they visit the site, employers will be prompted to
fill in a concise questionnaire which asks them to rate providers on the
quality of their communication, monitoring of employee progress, training
provision, and feedback and support. Finally, an employer can say whether they
would recommend the provider to other employers.
Each response registered on Employer View will be completely confidential.
Ofsted will not reveal any details of those who register their views to
providers. Safeguards are also in place to guard against abuse of the
site.
To
register your views and to see information on providers, please
visit:www.employerview.ofsted.gov.uk.