Employers' Charter

Aim - To provide you as a member of our Employer Community with business training which meets your needs

South Cheshire College excels in the delivery of teaching and learning to young people and adult learners. We aim to ensure that this excellence is also delivered in our relationships with local employers, ensuring that all training is right for your business, offering real benefits in respect of business performance. The standards of service detailed below indicate what you can expect from South Cheshire College, as well as what we expect of you as an employer and from your employees.

Enquiries

South Cheshire College will respond to all enquiries in a professional and timely manner by:

• Having a dedicated Work-Related Training Team telephone line to manage incoming calls and direct enquiries;
• Responding to any telephone/web/email enquiries within three working days;
• Responding to any enquiries by post within five working days;
• Arranging a meeting and relevant analysis within ten working days;
• Offering advice on the most appropriate programmes to meet your needs. Training solutions and courses can be custom designed to suit your own requirements.

Training Proposal/Agreement

• A representative from the College's Work-Related Training Team will meet you at your convenience to discuss and identify your training needs by undertaking a needs analysis. This can be through an organisational approach and/or individual training needs;
• Once your need is identified, appropriate solutions will be offered at a time and place to suit you and your employees, including information on assessment requirements, qualifications and details of any funding opportunities which may be available e.g. Apprenticeships;
• Where customised solutions are required our specialist staff will work with you to devise programmes which fit your training need;
• We will also agree with you the impact the training is designed to have on your business and employee performance, together with the method and frequency of feedback on attendance and progress;
• A Training Proposal will be sent to you within five working days. Once agreed and signed by both parties, the Proposal will become a Training Agreement and must be returned to the College within five working days;
• We will also provide information about the College, our policies and procedures, accessing learning resources and facilities available;
• Your Representative will be your single contact with the College. They will manage all your training enquiries and provide swift communication;
• We will be pleased to provide details of the qualifications, experience and competency of our delivery staff who you can meet before training commences;
• If we are unable to provide appropriate solutions, we shall refer you to an alternative provider or a brokerage service in order to meet your needs.

Entitlements

The following entitlements set out what can be expected when purchasing a training course from the College:

• Well-researched and designed programmes to meet your agreed needs;
• Concise publications explaining the course content, arrangements and costs;
• An application form which is accessible, logical and provides you with the opportunity to identify any specific needs;
• Prompt response to enquiries and timely joining instructions which provide details of:
  • Timetable/programme
  • Timing
  • College location
  • Campus map/venue
  • Car parking/directions
  • Contact(s) (roles)/telephone numbers;
• An appropriate, welcoming, accessible and safe venue which is clean and comfortable ;
• Practical facilities and/or resources which provide the opportunity to reach specified competence;
• Library and research (if appropriate) resources;
• Catering which is appropriate for the type of course and client
• Equipment which is fit for purpose;
• A personable, welcoming, well-prepared trainer able to deliver training to meet client needs;
• The opportunity to comment on the arrangements and delivery;
• Feedback on any issues raised, within an appropriate timescale;
• High quality teaching and learning which takes into account the individual learning needs of your staff;
• Programmes which start and finish promptly;
• A comprehensive system of learning support services to respond to individual needs;
• A safe learning environment to safeguard and promote the welfare of our students and all our stakeholders.

We ask Employers to:

• Provide our staff with sufficient information to assist in identifying the most appropriate training solution to meet business needs;
• Communicate with the College and ask for advice at an early stage if you are not satisfied with its services, or the progress of your employee (s);
• Make every effort to allow employees to attend assessments, workshops and exams. (The College reserves the right to invoice any costs involved for non-attendance at assessments and/or exams, including where the assessor has visited the employer's premises and the employee(s) is/are unavailable);
• Support their employees studying on part-time courses by providing opportunities to undertake relevant coursework based on their workplace.
• Be sympathetic and supportive towards the demands on employees undertaking part-time study, allowing them to balance the time available for work, study and home commitments and deadlines;
• Ensure that employees are properly equipped for each session;
• Encourage appropriate conduct and hard work at all times;
• Inform the College promptly of absences and other problems which may affect progress;
• Co-operate with all College policies and procedures;
• Assist the College staff with the completion of a Health and Safety Risk Assessment to cover training delivered on employer premises;
• Provide a safe learning environment for learners and College staff where training is delivered on employer premises;
• Pay invoices to the agreed terms and conditions;
• Take part in surveys to improve the provision.

We ask Employees to:

• Make a positive commitment to the programme and to strive to achieve their individual learning goals;
• Be punctual and attend all sessions;
• Complete and submit work or evidence of learning on time;
• Keep the College and employer informed of any change of circumstances;
• Complete satisfaction/feedback surveys when required;
• Provide accurate information for enrolment forms.

Feedback - to foster continuous improvement

The College is committed to gathering feedback from the industries and businesses which we serve. Opportunities are available within our courses to provide feedback on arrangements and delivery. This feedback is analysed, reported, and where appropriate, action taken to improve what we do and how we do it.

As part of the Training Agreement, we will evaluate the training with you at the end of the programme and review with you the impact a programme has had on employee performance and the business objectives, as agreed at the start of the training.

We endeavour to provide a high quality service but sometimes we may not meet expectations. We welcome feedback from you. Our complaints procedure is designed to help you set out your concerns and for us to respond quickly to them.

Work Experience Placements

We welcome opportunities to work with local employers to provide work experience placements. If you would like to offer a work experience placement for one of our students, the steps below will apply.

Before the placement starts we will:

• Provide information about your responsibilities and those of the College for assessment, supervision and health and safety;
• Ensure that our students are well-prepared for their placement experience;
• Provide you with a statement of the intended learning outcomes of the placement for the student;
• Ask for confirmation that your Employer's Liability Insurance covers our students whilst on placement;
• Undertake a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check where necessary.

During the placement we will:

• Ensure that a member of the College staff monitors the student during their placement by visiting your premises at least once;
• Give an accessible contact name and telephone number.

After the placement we will:

• Give you the opportunity to comment on the student's placement within ten working days of them completing the work experience.

All statements made in this charter do not create legally enforceable rights nor do any statements affect your statutory rights.