Careers information, advice and
guidance
delivered by Skills Development
Scotland
in Argyll and Bute
27 June 2014
A report by HM Inspectors
Full report
The external review process
HM Inspectors undertake an independent review of the quality of provision of Careers
information, advice and guidance delivered by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) on
behalf of the Scottish Government under a service level agreement between the
Scottish Government and Education Scotland. External review teams include HM
Inspectors and associate assessors.
During external reviews, members of the review teams observe group activities and hold
discussions with customers, staff and stakeholders. They consider information on the
quality of careers information, advice and guidance. They meet with recipients of the
service and obtain feedback from groups, partners and staff who work for SDS.
The purpose of this report is to convey the main outcomes arising from the external
review, to acknowledge service’s strengths and to provide a clear agenda for future
action to improve and enhance quality.
This external review results in judgements of grades that express the external review
team’s overall evaluation of Outcome and Impact, Service Delivery and Leadership and
quality culture and a global judgement based on the evidence of all key areas, in
particular Outcomes, Impact and Leadership.
The report also uses the following terms to describe
numbers and proportions:
almost all
most
majority
less than half
few
over 90%
75-90%
50-74%
15-49%
up to 15%
This report is Crown Copyright.
You may re-use this publication (not including agency logos) free of charge in any
format for research, private study or internal circulation within an organisation. You
must re-use it accurately and not use it in a misleading context. The material must be
acknowledged as Crown Copyright and you must give the title of the source
document/publication.
For any other use of this material please apply for a Click-Use Licence for core material
at: www.hmso.gov.uk/copyright/licences/click-use-home.htm
or by writing to: HMSO Licensing, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich,
NR3 1BQ
Fax: 01603 723000
E-mail: hmsolicensing@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk
Contents
1.
Page
Introduction
1
The external review
1
2.
The service and its context
2
3.
Background information
3
4.
Outcomes of external review
Judgement of grades
5
Section A:
Section B:
Section C:
Section D:
5.
Grades and Overarching judgement
Areas of positive practice
Areas for development
Main points for action
5
5
6
7
Outcome and Impact
How well are customers progressing and achieving relevant
high quality outcomes?
How well does the service meet the needs of stakeholders?
8
8
6.
Service Delivery
How good is delivery of key services?
How good is management of key services?
11
11
7.
Leadership and quality culture
How good is strategic leadership?
15
15
8.
Global judgement based on evidence of all key areas, in
particular Outcomes and Impact and Leadership
17
9.
What happens next?
18
10
Further information
18
11.
How can you contact us?
19
9
Appendices
20
Glossary of terms
20
1. Introduction
The external review
The external review by Education Scotland took place during the week beginning
28 April 2014. The review focused on careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG)
services delivered by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) in Argyll and Bute. SDS
regional boundaries are not completely aligned with local authority areas and CIAG
services in Helensburgh and Lomond areas are delivered by a different regional SDS
team. Education Scotland did not include these areas within the review.
We examined activities that impact on the quality of customer experience. We
evaluated these against the three key principles of Outcomes and Impact, Service
Delivery and Leadership and Quality Culture using the 19 reference quality indicators
outlined in External quality arrangements for the review of Careers Information Advice
and Guidance services delivered by Skills Development Scotland, published in March
2014.
The external review team talked with customers, staff at all levels in the organisation,
external agencies and other users of the service.
1
2.
The service area and its context
In carrying out the external review of services delivered in Argyll and Bute, Education
Scotland took the following area context fully into account.
Argyll and Bute is one of the largest and most sparsely populated local authority areas
in Scotland. It comprises 10% of Scotland’s land area and includes 25 inhabited
islands. It has a population of around 89,590 people which is less than 2% of the
national population. Approximately 17% of people live on an island and almost a third
of the population resides in settlements which have less than 1,000 inhabitants.
The area consists of many micro-economies, each with its own characteristics. Over
the past three years, unemployment in Argyll and the Islands has been higher than the
Highlands and Islands average but is generally lower than the average across Scotland.
Public administration, education and health are the largest employment sector,
accounting for over 30% of jobs. Agriculture and fishing; distribution, hotels and
restaurants account for a high proportion of employees. Forestry is a key industry with
approximately 10% of the UK coniferous timber plantations located within the area. The
majority of workers (65%) are employed by companies with 49 or fewer employees.
Around 12% of the population are self–employed which reflects the number of small
and micro businesses.
None of Argyll and Bute’s rural data zones fall into the 15% most overall deprived data
zones in Scotland. However, the report Rural Scotland in Focus (SRUC 2012) identifies
a high proportion of vulnerable communities. Dunoon and Campbeltown are ranked
jointly as the most vulnerable communities in rural Scotland.
There are nine secondary schools in the area. Four of the secondary schools are on
islands. Dunoon Grammar and Oban High School have hostel facilities to
accommodate children who live outwith reasonable commuting distance. Argyll College
UHI is the only institution offering Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE)
level provision in Argyll and Bute. The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS)
near Oban, provides specialised HE programmes. In 2012-13, 38% of school leavers
progressed to programmes delivered by West College Scotland and 22 % to Argyll
College UHI.
SDS organises the delivery of CIAG services in Argyll and Bute through four Area
Community Planning Groups: Bute and Cowal; Mid-Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands
(Gigha, Islay and Jura); Oban, Lorn and the isles (Colonsay, Coll, Mull and Tiree), and
Helensburgh and Lomond.
SDS CIAG services in Argyll and Bute are organised and managed through a staffing
structure which consists of a Head of Region (North Scotland), an Area Manager (Argyll
and Bute, Moray and Orkney) and a Team Leader who is responsible for delivery of
services within Argyll and Bute. Around 15 staff comprising Career Coaches, Work
Coaches and Personal Advisors deliver CIAG services across the area from a range of
SDS centres and outreach facilities in Oban, Dunoon, Campbeltown, Islay, Rothesay
and Lochgilphead. A Career Coach is assigned to each secondary school.
2
3
Background information
Terminologies used in this report.
The term service area is used to describe the geographical area referred to in this
report. SDS uses a variety of approaches to deliver CIAG services. This is often
referred to as a blended service. SDS promotes a Universal Offer to support all
secondary school pupils and a Targeted Service Offer aimed at pupils who are at risk of
not entering or sustaining a positive destination. SDS offers access to a range of
services for post-school customers. The different offers are shown below:
SDS School Universal Offer consists of:
o Access to My World of Work (My WoW) web service
o Group-work sessions on:

Introduction to My World of Work

Introduction to career management skills (CMS)

Introduction to labour market information (LMI)
o Drop in clinics for career management and employability
SDS School Targeted Service Offer consists of:
o
Structured one-to-one career coaching sessions
SDS Post-school 16-19 Service Offer consists of:
o Access to My World of Work (My WoW) web service
o Structured one-to-one career coaching sessions
o Telephone access to SDS contact centre
SDS All age Service Offer (adults) consists of:
o
o
o
o
Access to My World of Work (My WoW) web service
Telephone access to SDS contact centre
Partnership action for continuing employment (PACE)
Integrated employment and skills (IES)
Further information on Skills Development Scotland’s services to individuals and
employers can be found at www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk . My World of Work
website can be accessed at www.myworldofwork.co.uk
Staff roles
In Argyll and Bute, SDS use a number of titles to describe the roles of staff. These
include Career Coach, Work Coach and Personal Advisor. Throughout this report, the
term careers staff is used to refer to all staff involved in delivering CIAG services.
3
One-to-one career coaching sessions
A major strand of SDS CIAG work is the delivery of one-to-one career coaching
sessions. However, the current arrangements for external review do not include
observation of one-to-one career coaching sessions and therefore this area of work is
not evaluated within this report.
4
4.
Outcomes of External Review
Judgement of Grades
Section A:
Grades and Overarching judgement
The review team awarded grades for each of the five key themes and an overarching
judgement in relation to capacity to improve based on the following criteria:
Excellent: Outstanding and sector leading
Very Good: Major strengths
Good:
Important strengths with some areas for improvement
Satisfactory: Strengths just outweigh weaknesses
Weak:
Important weaknesses
Unsatisfactory: Major weaknesses
Key theme
Grade
Customer progression and achievement of
relevant high quality outcomes
Very Good
Meeting the needs of stakeholders
Very Good
Delivery of key services
Good
Management of service delivery
Very Good
Strategic leadership
Very Good
Overarching judgement
Grade
Capacity for improvement
Section B:



Very Good
Areas of positive practice
Over the last three years, annual School Leaver Destination Results (SLDR) show
a continuous improvement in the positive destinations of young people in Argyll
and Bute.
Careers staff have a strong presence in local secondary schools. They promote
their services well and provide a valued and significant role in planning transitions
for young people.
Careers staff are highly motivated and conscientious. They take good account of
the requirements of different customer groups and apply creative and effective
ways of delivering services to best meet customers’ needs.
5









The service area provides a well-considered range of provision which meets the
needs of communities, stakeholders and customers well.
All adult customers who receive support from careers staff are highly satisfied with
the speed and responsiveness of staff and the quality and range of services they
receive.
Almost all careers staff take good account of Curriculum for Excellence when
planning group work for school pupils.
Careers staff make good use of information from schools to provide appropriate
targeted support for pupils who are at risk of not progressing to a positive
destination.
SDS managers and staff establish positive and productive relationships with a
wide range of partners.
Across all service areas partnership working is strong and SDS staff involve
partners well in contributing to joint-planning and delivery of services.
The regional manager, area manager and team leader work well together and
provide strong and inclusive leadership.
Managers support staff well to engage with hard-to-reach customers and to
develop and deliver services which take account of different social and cultural
groups.
Across the service area, managers and staff work well together to provide a team
approach to meeting the needs of customers and key stakeholders.
Section C:








Areas for development
In a few partnership agency premises, inappropriate accommodation and lack of
reliable access to information and communications technology (ICT) is reducing
the effectiveness of group-work activities.
The present scope of the School Partnership Agreement (SPA) is too narrow and
does not provide sufficient opportunity for joint planning to support future
developments fully.
There are insufficient arrangements for careers staff to work with staff in schools to
review regularly and adjust the SPA to reflect emerging priorities.
Overall, CIAG services for adults are not promoted sufficiently across the service
area.
SDS do not provide staff with sufficient information on the uptake and use of
My WoW by area, locality or local authority level. This is preventing staff in local
areas from being able to use relevant data on My WoW to plan for improvement.
The service does not promote sufficiently to partners, the full range of SDS CIAG
services available.
Systems for staff to gain feedback from stakeholders and customers are not fully
embedded and applied by all staff.
There is a need for managers to engage staff more fully in contributing to the
achievement of targets at local level.
6
Section D:
Main points for action
SDS should:

extend the scope of the SPA to support future developments and establish
formal arrangements for careers staff to work with staff in schools to
review and adjust SPAs to reflect emerging priorities;

provide service area staff with sufficient information on the uptake and use
of My World of Work by area, locality and local authority level to assist
future planning;


take action to ensure all partners are fully aware of the range of SDS CIAG
services available, and
ensure systems for staff to gain feedback from stakeholders and customers
are fully embedded and applied by all staff.
7
5.
Outcomes and Impact
How well are customers progressing and achieving relevant, high quality
outcomes?
How effective is the area team at achieving and maintaining high levels of service
delivery?
The area team makes good use of national and locally set targets and delivery actions
to plan activities, monitor progress and benchmark performance against previous years
and other local authority areas.
Over the last three years, annual SLDR show a continuous improvement in the positive
destinations of young people in Argyll and Bute. In 2012-2013, the SLDR indicated
positive destinations for 92.5% of school leavers which is above the national
performance rate of 91%. Tarbert Academy, Tiree High School and Tobermory High
School achieved 100% positive outcomes for the school leaver destinations for
2012-13.
The unemployment rate in Argyll and Bute is below the national average. In 2012-2013
the number of 16-19 year olds claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance was 105. This level is a
reduction of around 33% in comparison to the previous year. The service area achieved
around 60% of the SDS nationally set target for delivering support to adults. However,
this target was not adjusted to reflect changes to the unemployment profile of the area
and does not reflect accurately the effectiveness of the service in supporting adults.
SDS careers staff who are linked to individual secondary schools make good use of
SPA to work with staff in schools to agree annual delivery actions. In 2012-2013, most
actions identified in SPAs were achieved. During the academic year some schools
request alternative provision to meet changing needs. Recently, this has included
introducing CMS workshops to pupils in S2. However, delivery actions in SPAs are not
adjusted accordingly to reflect changes to planned provision. This results in a few initial
actions for school delivery not being achieved.
How well does the area team adhere to statutory principles and guidance?
All careers staff make good use of centrally-produced communication and guidance to
take account of relevant legislation and Scottish Government directives. All staff receive
training on a range of legislative themes including child protection and equality and
diversity. Staff take an active role in challenging stereotypes of groups with protected
characteristics and some staff undertake additional roles to support colleagues in
meeting emerging legislative requirements.
Managers and staff take good account of Scottish Government directives to prioritise
and plan resources to meet identified needs. Careers staff work conscientiously to
deliver services to key priority groups including looked after and accommodated young
people, young carers and customers who are furthest from the job market. Career
Coaches advocate helpfully on behalf of school leavers with disabilities and coordinate
support arrangements well to ease transition to further learning. Across the service
area, careers staff work well in partnership with community organisations to establish
and provide support services for adults, including job-clubs in rural areas.
8
How well does the service meet the needs of stakeholders?
How well do customers make progress and achieve individual outcomes?
Overall, SDS careers centres are conveniently situated for customers who rely on public
transport. Centre facilities are accessible to wheelchair users and customers with
restricted mobility. Staff work flexibly to deliver services where they are most needed.
They often deliver CIAG activities in partner agency premises to enable customers in
rural and remote areas to access services within their local community. Customers are
very satisfied with the range and quality of services provided by careers staff.
Careers staff have a strong presence in local secondary schools and offer drop-in
sessions for all pupils. The range of services provided to pupils is appropriate and
meets their needs well. Most group-work sessions provide young people with a useful
introduction to career management skills and resources to make informed career
decisions. Senior pupils who have received support from SDS staff are prepared well
for further learning and have a good understanding of what to expect and what is
expected of them. Careers staff recognised that pupils would benefit from developing
CMS earlier than S3 and have been proactive in introducing My WoW to pupils from S2
across secondary schools. Careers staff are increasingly using the Scottish Credit
Qualification Framework (SCQF) to explain progression pathways to customers and
partners.
Most adult customers make very good progress in developing CMS and applying these
skills to achieve their individual goals. They value the confidentiality and impartiality of
the service. Many customers report that CMS help them to gain confidence and
prepare them well for taking further steps towards work and, or learning. Effective
partnership working by staff in the Employment Recruitment Incentive has helped to
secure full-time employment for six unemployed customers from a rural community.
Although this is a low number, it has made a very positive impact on the local
community. Inappropriate referrals by a partner agency have resulted in a few adult
customers not actively seeking work-related opportunities, nor making insufficient
progress in developing CMS.
How motivated, supported and enabled are staff?
All careers staff are highly motivated and conscientious. They have a strong awareness
of the service’s aims and objectives and strive to achieve these through their work with
customer priority groups and community partners. Staff have a clear understanding of
the range and purpose of differentiated SDS CIAG services and draw on this
appropriately to plan their work.
Staff are well-supported and empowered by managers to plan and deliver services
which meet the needs of individuals, groups and communities. In rural and island
communities, staff make effective use of the autonomy given to them to tailor services
to meet local priorities and circumstances.
Across the service area, staff make good use of regular team meetings, professional
reflection and peer-to-peer discussions to reflect on their practice and exchange ideas.
They establish good communication arrangements with partners and colleagues to
9
share information and respond to referrals. All staff use ICT effectively to overcome the
challenges presented by the scale and geography of the area.
The nationally-devised SDS CIAG Observation Framework is used well by careers staff
to support and enhance effective practice. Although implementation is still at an early
stage, staff are engaging productively in peer-observation processes. All staff make
good use of regular reflective practice sessions to reflect on their activities, share
effective practice and further develop their skills. Careers staff who deliver one-to-one
career coaching sessions hold appropriate professional qualifications. All staff engage
regularly in continuous professional development (CPD) activities to update and
enhance their skills. Four members of staff participated in the SCQF pilot of My Skills
My Future to support recognition of prior learning.
How well do services meet the needs of relevant communities and other local and
national stakeholders?
The service area provides a well-considered range of provision which meets the needs
of communities, stakeholders and customers well. Staff work well with local partners at
strategic and operational levels to coordinate support activities and promotional events
within communities. Key partners value the positive relationships and level of support
they receive from careers staff. Managers draw productively on feedback from
stakeholders, including the Head Teacher consultation, to improve services and inform
future partnership agreements.
Career Coaches promote their services well within local secondary schools and provide
a valued and significant role in planning transitions for young people. They work well
with school staff to share information, identify pupil needs and provide appropriatelytargeted support. Staff respond flexibly and positively to requests from schools for
additional support outwith the agreed SPA delivery plan. Schools value this
responsiveness and make good use of input from careers staff to assist young people to
make informed subject choices and career decisions.
Staff engage productively with partner organisations to meet the needs of individual
communities. There are many examples of careers staff customising the Universal
Offer to meet the specific needs of the local population and remote and rural
communities. This includes responding to the national Gaelic Plan through organising
events to promote careers and further study options for young people who are Gaelic
speakers. These events are attended by employers such as BBC Alba and HE
providers including Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. Effective collaborative working with the local
authority’s department of social work is resulting in looked-after and accommodated
young people, care leavers and young carers receiving useful, targeted support to
develop their CMS.
Careers staff are proactive in promoting the facilities available through My WoW to local
partners. They work well with colleagues in the SDS Partnership Development and
Integration (PDI) team to arrange training for local partners to enable them to deliver My
WoW within their individual organisations. These arrangements are increasing partners’
awareness and understanding of the content and applications of My WoW.
10
6.
Service Delivery
How good is delivery of key services?
How well do services meet the needs of all customers?
The various and blended approaches used by careers staff to deliver CIAG services is
enabling customers to access advice and support in ways which meet their individual
needs and circumstances.
Careers staff offer an appropriate range of CIAG services to school pupils including My
WoW, CMS workshops and one-to-one support. They promote these activities well
within schools and most pupils have a good understanding of the type of services
available and how to access individual support. Some schools have recognised the
value of developing CMS of school pupils earlier to help them make more informed
subject choices. In these schools, careers staff have extended delivery of CMS
workshops to include S2 and S3 pupils.
Across the service area, careers staff take an active role in providing services to assist
school pupils who have additional barriers to learning. There are effective
communication arrangements between schools and careers staff for identifying and
referring pupils who require additional support. All careers staff make good use of
information from schools to provide appropriate targeted support for pupils who are at
risk of not progressing to a positive destination.
Almost all careers staff take good account of Curriculum for Excellence when planning
group work for school pupils. Group-work plans incorporate clear references to
Curriculum for Excellence themes including health and wellbeing and literacy skills.
Group-work activities provide good opportunities for schools to capture and record pupil
achievements in relation to Curriculum for Excellence themes.
All adult customers who receive support from careers staff are highly satisfied with the
speed and responsiveness of staff and the quality and range of services they receive.
However, CIAG services for adults are not promoted sufficiently across the service area.
This includes promoting to school leavers, the continuing opportunities for accessing
CIAG services. As a result, some senior school pupils are unaware that they can
continue to access services after they have left school.
How effective are relationships with customers?
SDS careers staff establish respectful and purposeful relationships with customers.
They encourage customers to develop confidence and independence in making choices
about their career options. This helps customers to raise their aspirations and aids
progression to work or further learning. Across the service area, customer and
stakeholder feedback regarding the quality of services is positive. Careers staff are
well-regarded by customers and key partners for the quality of services and support they
provide.
11
How accessible, flexible and inclusive are services?
Staff are aware of the range of customer needs in the service area and respond well to
meeting the needs of key priority groups. They take good account of the requirements
of different customer groups and apply creative and effective ways of delivering services
to best meet their needs. This includes delivering services from partner agencies to
enable customers to access support within local communities.
Careers staff work well with schools to promote the range of services available. They
make good use of posters, resource materials, assemblies and workshops to explain
the types of support available to pupils and school staff. However, due to timetable and
accommodation constraints, some schools are not always able to provide SDS staff with
sufficient access to eligible pupils to deliver group-work sessions as part of the
Universal Offer. This reduces the ability of SDS staff to deliver services to young
people.
Across the service area, My WoW is being used increasingly by staff, community
partners and schools to promote awareness and understanding of CMS. However, the
content of My WoW does not yet meet the needs of all customers and in particular the
needs of people who have additional barriers to learning. As a result, My WoW is used
rarely by careers staff to assist pupils who have additional support needs. Careers staff
adjust group-work and one-to-one career coaching sessions to meet the needs these
young people.
Staff make good use of the SDS Risk Matrix and associated discussions with schools
staff to ensure CIAG support is targeted, planned and delivered to
appropriately-prioritised groups of pupils.
How well are services delivered?
Careers staff plan provision well. They take good account of area, local and community
requirements and respond flexibly to requests by stakeholders to adjust provision to
meet identified needs. Staff make good use of the procedures involved in formulating
annual SPAs to engage with schools staff in formal planning of services and events.
These arrangements provide a useful structure for discussion and shared planning of
activities. Although the promotion of CMS is still at an early stage, it is helping pupils to
develop independence and confidence in applying CMS. However, the service does not
yet convey the focus and purpose of CMS sufficiently to parents. Service area
managers have identified this as an issue and plans are in place to address it.
Across the service area, careers staff apply their professional knowledge effectively to
plan and deliver services. There are many examples of staff applying specialist training
and expertise to meet the needs of vulnerable customers. This includes people who
have additional barriers to learning, young carers, young offenders and looked-after
young people. Staff monitor and use local labour market information to provide
customers with useful up-to-date advice on local and area employment opportunities.
Careers staff have access to modern and appropriate SDS premises and resources,
and make good use of them to plan and deliver services. Staff use partners’ facilities
such as schools and community centres to deliver group-work sessions to pupils and
adults and training on My WoW to community partners. There are some examples of
12
participants and careers staff benefitting from access to appropriate accommodation
and resources to support group-work activities. However, in a few partnership agency
premises inappropriate accommodation and lack of reliable access to ICT is reducing
the effectiveness of group-work activities.
In group-work sessions, staff are often working with young people for the first time and
most staff work quickly and effectively to establish positive relationships with class
groups. They use engaging and interactive activities to interest and enthuse young
people and overall these approaches result in enjoyable and informative experiences.
However, some staff do not take sufficient time to introduce the aims of a group
sessions and do not engage young people sufficiently in reflecting on outcomes at the
end.
How well do staff reflect on service delivery to improve services?
All careers staff engage actively in reflecting on the quality of CIAG services in Argyll
and Bute. They make good use of arrangements to work with colleagues to reflect on
performance and share and adopt effective practice.
Across the service, staff seek and gain regular informal and formal feedback from
stakeholders on the quality of provision. This includes feedback from partners on the
achievement of outcomes identified within the Single Outcome Agreement (SOA).
Informal customer satisfaction information is used well by staff to inform strengths and
potential areas for development. However, arrangements for careers staff to gain and
use local stakeholder feedback within evaluation and planning processes are not
sufficiently systematic.
SDS nationally collates questionnaires from customers and partners on the quality of
local services. The feedback is processed centrally to enable SDS to produce national
results. However, area staff do not receive the results fast enough to be able to
incorporate them within review and improvement planning processes.
Careers staff regularly convey customer feedback in professional discussions and
reflective practice sessions to enhance and improve the quality of services provided.
All customer-facing staff engage in reflecting on their practice using the Observation
Framework. Most staff have taken further action to engage in peer-to-peer reflection,
and a few staff have taken part in team leader observation.
How well do stakeholders and customers participate in the development and
planning of services?
Overall, careers staff ensure that schools are well informed about the priorities for SDS
CIAG and the services offered. Schools recognise the value of the SPAs and careers
staff are working increasingly with schools staff to extend the scope of SPAs to reflect
local needs and priorities. However, the present scope of the SPA is too narrow and
does not provide sufficient opportunity for joint planning to support future developments
fully.
Across the service area, staff are proactive in developing and sustaining local
Opportunities for All groups and coordinate useful forums for partners to engage in
planning and development of joint projects. Although staff contribute well to local
13
Opportunities for All groups, not all partners are sufficiently aware of the role of SDS
staff in supporting these forums.
There are examples of careers staff improving services as a result of feedback from
customers. This includes increased involvement of staff at pupil transition meetings and
the delivery of group sessions to S2 pupils to familiarise them with My WoW.
How good is management of key services?
How well does the organisation work with partners to improve outcomes for
customers?
SDS managers and staff establish positive and productive relationships with a wide
range of partners. They make good use of local and area forums to work with
colleagues from partner organisations to coordinate and plan joint activities. Effective
partnership working is contributing to improved outcomes for school pupils and young
people who are unemployed. SPAs are in place for all secondary schools in the area.
These plans are reviewed annually and plans are in place to involve schools more fully
in formal review and future planning processes. However, there are insufficient
arrangements for careers staff to work with staff in schools to review regularly and
adjust SPAs to reflect emerging priorities.
Some careers and schools staff work well together to make effective use of data
gathered through the 16+ data hub to identify young people at risk and provide early
intervention and support. Although these arrangements are supporting partners in
providing Opportunities for All, they are not yet consistently effective across all local
areas.
How effective is the organisation’s knowledge and information management in
supporting service delivery?
SDS managers make effective use of management information to deploy resources
appropriately and make best use of staff time. This includes managing resources over
a large geographical area to meet the needs of rural and remote communities.
All careers staff are aware of SDS Standard Operating Procedures and take good
account of the guidance given to them to inform and tailor service delivery to meet area
and local needs. They make effective use of partnership intelligence, partner updates
and Community Planning Partnership (CPP) reports to keep up-to-date with local
developments and changing employer and community needs. All staff draw well on this
information to plan future activities.
SDS gathers management information on the uptake and use of My WoW at national
level. However, careers staff are not provided with feedback on the uptake and use of
My WoW by area, locality or local authority level. This is preventing staff in local areas
from being able to use relevant data on My WoW to plan for improvement.
14
7.
Leadership and quality culture
How good is strategic leadership?
How appropriate and influential are the organisation’s visions, values and aims?
Managers have a shared vision of the customer and service offer and work together well
to customise and implement strategies and approaches to meet local needs. Staff
understanding of, and commitment to, SDS’ vision and aims for delivering CIAG
services is clear and consistent. Service Area managers take good account of the
national strategy and Scottish Government directives including Careers Information,
Advice and Guidance in Scotland: A framework for services redesign and improvement;
Opportunities for All, and SDS national operations Workplan to direct and plan activities
which meet the needs of the geographical area. This shared understanding of SDS
CIAG strategy is underpinning effective decision-making and future planning of
activities. The regional manager, area manager and team leader work well together and
provide strong and inclusive leadership. They lead and support their staff well to
contribute to developments and initiatives which enhance the experience of people in
Argyll and Bute.
The service is well represented at all levels within the CPP. Staff contribute productively
to strategic and operational CPP committees including the CPP Board and a range of
sub-groups including Local Employability Partnerships and local Opportunities for All
groups. Service managers worked proactively with CPP partners to integrate CMS
within the SOA.
Managers support staff well to engage with hard-to-reach customers and to develop and
deliver services which take account of different social and cultural groups. These
groups include travelling communities, Gaelic speakers, looked- after and
accommodated young people and young carers.
How effective is leadership for partnership working and service delivery?
All staff share a strong commitment to working with partner agencies to extend and
enhance opportunities for people to access CIAG services. Managers empower and
support staff across mainland and island communities to develop positive relationships
with local key partners. As a result, across all areas partnership working is strong and
careers staff involve partners well in contributing to joint-planning and delivery of
services. These collaborative arrangements are valued by local partners.
Managers communicate quality processes positively and effectively and encourage staff
to use quality processes to improve service delivery. They make good use of the
Business Excellence Approach to produce useful Local Improvement Plans. Managers
engage staff at all levels productively in reviewing and analysing performance and
converting areas for development into well-considered action plans.
Across the service area, managers and staff work well together to provide a team
approach to meeting the needs of customers and key stakeholders. They work
collaboratively to utilise individual staff skills, expertise and experience for the benefit of
the wider work of the service. Staff value and make good use of the extended listening
programme to influence and inform improvements and future planning of CIAG services.
15
Staff collaborate productively with partners to share resources and coordinate input to
local area and community events. However, the service does not promote sufficiently to
partners, the full range of SDS CIAG services available. This is constraining the ability
of partners to work more effectively with careers staff to plan for improvement.
How well do leaders develop and lead people?
The management team promotes and ensures productive and supportive teamwork
across the service area. This creates a positive working environment in which staff feel
valued and included. Managers encourage and support their staff to identify, share and
apply approaches which meet different types of local needs across complex
geographical and social communities. Staff at all levels draw productively on the skills,
expertise and experience of colleagues to enhance and improve their services. A
leadership programme has recently been developed and plans are well advanced to
enable staff to participate in a range of activities to further develop their leadership
skills.
How effective is leadership for innovation and change?
Managers and staff make effective use of the Business Excellence Approach to drive
forward continuous improvement. Across the service area, there is a culture of
promoting reflection to facilitate change which leads to improvements. Managers
encourage staff to think creatively about ways of improving their services to meet the
needs of specific communities and customer groups. Staff take good account of
national priorities and where appropriate use flexible approaches to best meet the
needs of customers, stakeholders and communities.
How well do leaders secure improvement of quality and impact of services?
Over the last 18 months, the service has made increasingly good use of data to
determine performance over time and inform actions for future planning. Managers
make good use of the Observation Framework to encourage and support staff to extend
and improve their practice.
The area management team makes good use of local knowledge and information and
data to reflect on the performance of the service area. There are systems in place for
staff to gain feedback from stakeholders and customers on the quality of provision and
most staff apply these processes effectively. However, these systems are not all fully
embedded and applied by all staff.
SDS nationally has a wide range of measures for gauging performance and setting
targets in relation to delivery levels. However, there is a need to engage staff more fully
in contributing to the achievement of targets at local level.
16
8.
Global judgment based on evidence of all key areas, in particular
Outcomes, Impact and Leadership
The service area has very good capacity for improvement. Service managers take good
account of the national strategy and Scottish Government directives including Careers
Information, Advice and Guidance in Scotland: A framework for services redesign and
improvement; Opportunities for All, and SDS national operations Workplan to direct and
plan activities which meet the needs of the geographical area. Across the service area,
managers and staff work well together to provide a team approach to meeting the needs
of customers and key stakeholders. Partnership working is strong and managers lead
and support staff well to plan and deliver services. CPD arrangements take good
account of staff needs and are planned effectively to ensure staff have the skills and
expertise to be able to carry out their role effectively. Very positive relationships
between staff and local partners create a supportive and collaborative culture. Staff
draw proactively and productively on these relationships to design and deliver services
which meet the needs of individuals and communities.
17
9.
What happens next?
Following publication of this report, SDS is expected to produce an action plan to
address the main points for action and/or areas for development in the report and other
quality assurance and enhancement activities.
Karen Corbett
HM Inspector
10. Further information
The review and judgements relate to the service area as a whole. For further
information about Education Scotland, the external review methodologies, or other
information about reviews, see www.educationscotland.gov.uk
For further information about Skills Development Scotland, see
http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/
18
11. How can you contact us?
This report has been produced as a web-only publication and is available on our
website at
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/reports/othersectors/careerss
ervices/argyllandbutecs.asp
If you would like to receive this report in a different format, for example, in a translation
please contact the administration team on 01506 600381.
If you want to give us feedback or make a complaint about our work, please contact us
by telephone on 0141 282 5000, or e-mail: complaints@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk or
write to us addressing your letter to The Complaints Manager, Denholm House,
Almondvale Business Park, Livingston, EH54 6GA.
Text phone users can contact us on 01506 600236. This is a service for deaf users.
Please do not use this number for voice calls as the line will not connect you to a
member of staff.
Crown Copyright 2014
Education Scotland
19
Appendix 1
Glossary of terms
CIAG
CMS
CPD
CPP
FE
HE
ICT
LMI
My WoW
PACE
PDI
SAMS
SDS
SLDR
SOA
SPA
SRUC
UHI
Careers Information, Advice and Guidance
Career Management Skills
Continuous Professional Development
Community Planning Partnership
Further Education
Higher Education
Information and Communications Technology
Labour Market Information
My World of Work
Partnership action for continuing employment
Partnership Development and Integration
Scottish Association for Marine Science
Skills Development Scotland
School Leaver Destination Results
Single Outcome Agreement
School Partnership Agreement
Scotland’s Rural College
University of the Highland and Islands
20