T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L
I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T A U G U S T 1 9 9 8

I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : S I G H T & S O U N D E D U C A T I O N L T D
A U G U S T 1 9 9 8
Sight & Sound Education Ltd is one of the largest national providers of government-funded training for business administration. It is linked to other training organisations in The Corporate Services Group plc, and its management is shared with other companies. It has successfully moved from classroom teaching to workplace-based training. Quality assurance arrangements ensure high standards of NVQ assessment. Retail training offers more key skills learning opportunities than are required for the qualification. All trainees have access to extra vocational training, and the support of an integrated recruitment system helps trainees to prepare well for the workplace.
GRADES
OCCUPATIONAL AREAS
Business administration
Retailing & customer service
GRADE
2
1
GENERIC AREAS
Equal opportunities
Trainee support
Management of training
Quality assurance
GRADE
2
1
2
2

Training Standards Council
KEY STRENGTHS
♦
good range of employer placements
♦
availability of additional vocational training
♦
rigorous internal and external verification and NVQ audit arrangements
♦
extensive staff development programme
♦
open-learning packs to support staff and trainees’ development
KEY WEAKNESSES
♦
developments in quality systems not yet improving the trainees’ experience in some centres
♦
little involvement of workplace supervisors


Training Standards Council
I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : S I G H T & S O U N D E D U C A T I O N L T D
A U G U S T 1 9 9 8
1.
Sight & Sound Education Ltd was established in 1964 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Corporate Services Group plc (CSG), one of the UK’s largest suppliers of training and employment services. The training division, comprising several contract and commercial businesses, includes Sight & Sound, which provides government-funded training for young people and adults. Sight & Sound is a national training provider and currently contracts with Birmingham Training and
Enterprise Council, Western Training and Enterprise Council, Merseyside Training and Enterprise Council, Teesside Training and Enterprise Council and Sheffield
Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) in England, through training centres located in Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Sheffield. The training provision offered in 1998-99 includes adult training, work-based training for young people, national traineeships, modern apprenticeships and New Deal. The training programmes in business administration and retailing/customer service include administration, information technology, retail operations, distribution/warehousing and customer service. Sight & Sound programmes offer a recruitment service alongside the training programme.
2.
Sight & Sound was integrated with another company from CSG’s training division in four of the five sites inspected. In two of the sites, the amalgamation was very recent, and the staff were new in post. Birmingham is the only centre where
Sight & Sound is not sharing premises and local staff with another company in the division, and is the only site not undergoing organisational change. In each centre, there are local teams offering training and recruitment, managed by regional and national managers who cover all companies in the division. These, in turn, are supported by a national infrastructure from CSG for human resources, research & development and quality assurance. As well as the organisational change arising from the merger of activities and companies, the move from providing training in the centre to concentrating on workplace-based training is relatively new. In two of the sites, the managerial changes are so recent that the advantages of the new ways of working have not yet had time to have an impact on the trainees currently on the programme.
3.
Unemployment levels in the ‘travel to work’ areas covered by Sight & Sound’s training centres, compared with a national average of 4.5 per cent, are Birmingham
5.9 per cent, Bristol 3.3 per cent, Liverpool 9.2 per cent, Middlesbrough 9.2 per cent and Sheffield 6.4 per cent. The number of school leavers achieving five or more general certificates of secondary education (GCSEs) at grade C and above was
Birmingham 35 per cent, Bristol 32 per cent, Liverpool 38 per cent, Middlesbrough
27 per cent and Sheffield 40 per cent, compared with the national average of 46 per cent.

I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : S I G H T & S O U N D E D U C A T I O N L T D
A U G U S T 1 9 9 8

Training Standards Council
4.
Sight & Sound produced its self-assessment report as the result of a self-analysis involving staff in all sites. The company saw the self-assessment process as being useful in improving the quality of all its training provision. The report identified a few strengths and weaknesses which applied to all sites. Most of these were supported by the inspection. Inspectors found that weaknesses in two sites were underestimated by the report. They supported the grades for business administration, equal opportunities and management of training; they raised the grades for retailing and customer service, trainee support and quality assurance.
5.
Five inspectors spent a total of 10 days on inspection which took place over a two-week period. Inspectors visited all the sites in small teams, for two or three days at a time. In addition, the head office functions were inspected, and one inspector visited all sites to inspect the generic aspects of management of training and quality assurance. Inspectors interviewed 69 business administration trainees, 23 retail and customer service trainees, as well as employers, trainers, assessors, managers and internal verifiers at each site.
6.
The business administration occupational area includes NVQs at levels 2 and 3 in administration and information technology. Three centres operate modern apprenticeship programmes, and two of these also have national trainees. Key skills assessment is better at some sites than at others. All trainees are offered work placements or employment opportunities, unless they are already employed, and very few trainees stay in the centre for their entire qualification. The adult trainees at
Sheffield have less work experience than do trainees at other sites. All trainees have an individual training plan which is limited to an assessment and review document.
Working relationships between providers and employers varies from good to poor.
Every centre offers a well-established touch-typing programme to all business administration trainees. Because of the inspection taking place in August, several assessors were unavailable, owing to holidays. The self-assessment report identified some of the strengths, but inspectors found others. The weaknesses in the selfassessment report were less significant than those found by inspectors. The inspection supported the self-assessment grade.
STRENGTHS
♦ high standard of individual, diverse work in portfolios
♦ relevant, up-to-date open-learning resources

I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : S I G H T & S O U N D E D U C A T I O N L T D
A U G U S T 1 9 9 8
♦ well-equipped training centres
♦ good rapport between trainer/assessors and trainees
♦ articulate, well-motivated trainees
♦ well-trained trainers, qualified in training delivery
♦ innovative approaches to training delivery in the centres
♦ good integration of key skills into NVQs in centres with modern apprentices or national trainees
WEAKNESSES
♦ inadequate access to assessment at some centres
♦ slow achievement by some trainees

Training Standards Council
7.
The trainees’ portfolios reflect the different types of work placements. All portfolio evidence for administration trainees, and a high proportion for information technology trainees, is collected in the workplace, although the proportion is less for adult trainees in Sheffield. Good-quality open-learning resources are produced by the research and development department, to help trainees to learn more effectively.
The range includes training materials for information technology, exercises for developing key skills, together with assignments and log sheets for recording NVQ evidence. Trainees, who have used these resources consistently, comment that they find them easy to follow and effective in helping them to develop new skills. They are not widely understood or used by assessors, particularly those working with trainees in their workplace. Some assessors thought that they were not supposed to take them out of the centres. Workplace supervisors are supportive, although not very involved in the assessment and review process. The training centres are well equipped with up-to-date computer hardware and industry-standard software. Most assessors and recruitment managers have an excellent rapport with their trainees, even though many have been in post for only a short time. The trainees are articulate and well motivated, even in sites where previous assessment arrangements have meant that trainees’ achievement has been slow. Most assessors are qualified to deliver training, as well as assessment, and others are being trained in training delivery techniques. Many of the in-house information technology trainers are developing new approaches to training delivery, such as establishing trainee teams or enabling more experienced trainees to support colleagues who are less advanced.
Modern apprentices and national trainees are introduced to key skills early in their programmes. Key skills are well integrated into the NVQ, except in Middlesbrough, where previous poor practice in assessment and training has delayed their introduction until near completion of the level 3 NVQ. Trainees’ achievements vary from good to poor.
8.
There has been a high turnover of assessors in three of the five sites. In two sites, trainees had had as many as six or seven assessors visiting them while they were on an NVQ programme, and none of the previous assessors appeared to have been willing to take responsibility for ‘signing off’ any units of their qualification.
Information technology trainees in Liverpool had difficulty in getting their portfolios

I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : S I G H T & S O U N D E D U C A T I O N L T D
A U G U S T 1 9 9 8 assessed at all. Some employed trainees had had no assessor for over three months of their programme, while others are still waiting for an assessor to be allocated to them. The recent fundamental organisational changes, while securing improvements for new trainees, have slowed the progress of those trainees already in the system.
Many trainees were frustrated at their lack of progress, and others had voted with their feet and left the programme without achieving their qualification.
GOOD PRACTICE
The structure of delivery for key skills extends to cover the whole of the range, which is above awarding body requirements. The trainees gain valuable skills and knowledge by the development of further key skills. This type of practice is unusual, innovative and provides additional learning opportunities, thereby enhancing job prospects. One trainee had completed key skills within a retail modern apprenticeship, and had developed her skills so well she had been promoted to deputy manager of the store in which she worked. The trainee has recently been offered further promotion to the position of store manager, when a vacancy arises.
9.
Sight & Sound provides retail and customer service training to NVQ levels 2 and
3 in Bristol and Middlesbrough, as well as customer service training in Birmingham and Liverpool. The Bristol, Birmingham and Middlesbrough centres operate modern apprenticeships. Bristol also has national trainees. All trainees are employed or in work placements. All training is delivered in the workplace, apart from some information technology training. The self-assessment report clearly reflects the company’s provision across all sites. Inspectors agreed with the strengths and weaknesses in the self-assessment report and identified other significant strengths.
The inspection grade is higher than that in the self-assessment report.
STRENGTHS
♦ well-structured learning opportunities for key skills
♦ key skills provision in excess of awarding bodies’ requirements
♦ support from employers
♦ good range of employer placements
♦ frequent assessments
♦ trainees’ achievements above local averages
♦ trainer/assessors with extensive up-to-date knowledge
WEAKNESSES
♦ inadequate learning resources

Training Standards Council
10.
Assessors introduce key skills early in the trainees’ programme. Wherever possible, they are integrated into NVQs. Working together with employers, assessors offer structured and well-managed learning opportunities for the whole range of key skills. This is over and above the requirements of the awarding body, offering trainees a richer learning experience. The company has access to a large number of employer placements, offering trainees a wide variety of choice to progress in their chosen career. The types of placement ranged from HM Prison
Service to major city hotel chains. Employers are involved in the whole NVQ process, mentoring and motivating trainees, releasing them from their duties, when necessary, so that they can complete portfolios and assignments. However, they are

I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : S I G H T & S O U N D E D U C A T I O N L T D
A U G U S T 1 9 9 8
GOOD PRACTICE
Two assessors, using general review sheets and evaluation questionnaires, identified that Asian female trainees would prefer a female assessor to carry out aspects of assessment and general reviews, in line with their cultural and religious beliefs. In addition, the centre is aware that any female trainee may request a female assessor to carry out a general review, as it relates to their personal and welfare needs.
not normally involved in trainees’ reviews, although these are carried out in the workplace. Most trainees have access to frequent assessment and support from their assessors, so they develop at their own pace. The company monitors and evaluates trainees’ achievements, which are above local averages. Assessors have extensive up-to-date knowledge of both the occupational area and modern assessment methodology, sharing good practice to improve the quality of trainees’ performance.
11.
Physical resources for retail and customer service are underdeveloped. Openlearning and support packs for customer service trainees were not available to trainees at the time of inspection, and resources for retail trainees were under review. The only learning support available for retail trainees was a collection of information about current legislation.
12.
The company’s management and staff take equality of opportunity seriously across all activities, from marketing and promotion to training and assessment. The national quality and human resources departments have established a framework which reflects the diversity of the client groups and is implicit in the company’s training delivery model. Centre managers have responsibility for monitoring and implementing the policy for trainees, and regional managers monitor employers.
Regional managers then submit both sets of information to the national quality team for analysis. The self-assessment report identified strengths and weaknesses, with which inspectors agreed. The inspection supported the self-assessment grade.
GOOD PRACTICE
The equal opportunities open-learning packs provide a good overview of the main legislation covering gender, race and disability. The centre managers have to complete the packs themselves, and they then have to make sure that all new and existing staff complete the pack.
The packs are assessed and the manager provides evaluative feedback. Staff have welcomed the initiative. There are plans to offer the packs to trainees as part of their induction.
STRENGTHS
♦ equal opportunities policy reviewed annually
♦ clear and comprehensive policy and code of practice
♦ equal opportunities open-learning packs for staff
♦ new three-stage equal opportunities data-collection system
WEAKNESSES
♦ restricted, at all centres, access for wheelchair users
♦ staff at some centres do not reflect the local minority ethnic population
♦ inadequate employer assessment questionnaire
13.
The equal opportunities policy and procedures are well established and understood by a supportive staff. The policy and code of practice is reviewed annually by the quality assurance department, in order to maintain relevance. It

Training Standards Council


Training Standards Council
I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : S I G H T & S O U N D E D U C A T I O N L T D
A U G U S T 1 9 9 8 complies with legislation, meets TEC contractual requirements and demonstrates good practice. There are clear lines of responsibility for implementing the policy at both trainee and employer level. There is a well-documented complaints procedure.
The company has produced a good equal opportunities open-learning pack, approved by the Commission for Racial Equality, which is used by all staff. New staff work through the package as part of their induction training. The company has devised an improved method of capturing equal opportunities statistics. They now monitor ethnicity, gender and disability in a breakdown of those who start and leave, achievements and destinations for each occupational area every month. However, the system is still developing, as the central collection and comparative study of the equal opportunities statistics have yet to be established nationally. Underrepresented groups are targeted by advertising in specific publications and through recruitment procedures. Some marketing literature does not promote equal opportunities.
14.
Centres have the ability to access funding and adapt equipment to satisfy the needs of any trainee with a learning difficulty or disability. All centres’ access for wheelchair users is restricted to some extent, and the centres are not currently fully equipped to cater for trainees with mobility difficulties. In most cases, centres’ staff do reflect the minority ethnic population for the region, but, at two of the sites, there are currently no staff from minority ethnic groups. Each centre carries out a comprehensive health and safety audit with an indicative risk-banding and accompanying action points. In contrast, the employment assessment questionnaire is too brief as a tool for monitoring equal opportunities at the placement, as it simply indicates whether an equal opportunities policy is available.
15.
Potential trainees are invited to a one-day recruitment session, where options and opportunities are discussed. They are tested for basic numeracy and literacy skills, and their career preferences and personal aspirations are also explored and systematically assessed. Any additional support needed is identified and arranged through various external agencies. Trainees subsequently attend an induction programme which introduces them to their chosen occupational sector. Further assessments take place on the first day of training which identify, in more depth, the scope of their experience and ability. Trainees are encouraged to develop their skills in house, until they are ready for experience in the workplace. A dedicated recruitment department arranges interviews with employers, provides continuous support to trainees on placement and attempts to secure them full-time employment.
This support can continue after the trainee has left the programme. The selfassessment process successfully described some of the strengths and weaknesses identified by inspectors. Additional strengths and weaknesses were found during inspection, and a higher grade was awarded than that given in the self-assessment report.

I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : S I G H T & S O U N D E D U C A T I O N L T D
A U G U S T 1 9 9 8
GOOD PRACTICE
A 17-year-old trainee who left school with no qualifications had been placed with five work placements over a 12month period. All five had asked the provider to return him to the centre, owing to unsatisfactory behaviour. During this time, the trainee received two written warnings for disciplinary matters. One was for his attitude towards his trainer, the other for setting off a fire extinguisher in the downstairs lobby. The recruitment consultant persevered and counselled the trainee about his behavioural problems. The provider found the trainee another placement. Three months later, the trainee commenced full-time employment.
GOOD PRACTICE
Trainee support include engaging someone to communicate with a trainee with hearing and speech difficulties by using sign language; referring trainees to dyslexia centres for specialist diagnosis and training.
STRENGTHS
♦ frequent and effective progress reviews between trainees and assessors
♦ effective identification and use of prior learning and achievement
♦ additional vocational training available to all trainees
♦
♦
WEAKNESSES
♦ little involvement of the work-placement supervisors
♦ employers and adult trainees are not clear about the aims of the programme
16.
youth trainees are well prepared for the workplace good working relationships with, and support from, external agencies
In general, assessors see trainees regularly every three weeks. Development is tracked against previous action-plans which are clearly documented and shared by trainees. New evidence for portfolios is assessed during these meetings, and progression is recorded. Trainees understand what they have achieved and what they still need to do. Trainees with appropriate previous qualifications or experience are considered at an early stage to recognise their existing skills formally, for
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL). All trainees have access to additional learning which complements their chosen career path. This includes training in touch-typing and keyboard-speed development, shorthand skills, audio-typing, interview skills, CV preparation, Microsoft Office 95 and 97, personal image and telephone and interview skills. Support is available to trainees outside office hours.
Those trainees not immediately ready for the workplace are encouraged to develop these skills to boost confidence and general ability to perform well at work. The recruitment department monitors trainees’ personal development and arranges interviews with local employers when trainees are ready to progress to the workplace. The recruitment departments at each centre have developed good working relationships with both voluntary and statutory external bodies which can offer additional support to trainees. These include careers advisory services, learning-difficulty and physical-disability support units and local employment agencies. The comprehensive and flexible induction process includes a specific dyslexia assessment paper developed in house which trainees take on their first day.
17.
Few workplace supervisors are involved in any practical way with the development of trainees. Review meetings between assessors and trainees are largely ignored by supervisors, and there is little planning to ensure that they are available when visits are arranged. There are notable exceptions to this, with some enthusiastic and committed supervisors and managers taking a keen interest in individual trainees. However, many trainees confirm that supervisors take little interest in their progress towards achieving an NVQ. Adult trainees gain workplace experience for short periods only. Employers involved in the adult programme are unclear about how they can support trainees and what the programme is aiming to achieve.

Training Standards Council

I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : S I G H T & S O U N D E D U C A T I O N L T D
A U G U S T 1 9 9 8
18.
The middle and senior management of Sight and Sound has responsibilities across the five sister companies of the training division of The Corporate Services
Group plc. A recently appointed director of operations, who has three regional managers reporting to him, supports the managing director. The five centres in
Bristol, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Liverpool and Sheffield are individual cost centres managed by a general manager. Internal verifiers report directly to the general manager of their centre, with functional responsibility to the national NVQ quality assurance team. An operations manager supervises assessors and trainers, except in Sheffield, where the post does not exist. Lines of responsibility are clearly understood within the centres, although organisational charts provided with the selfassessment report did not show the actual situation. The self-assessment report provided only strengths, which inspectors confirmed, but some weaknesses were identified during inspection. Inspectors agreed with the overall self-assessment grade.
STRENGTHS
♦ strong corporate image, communication and control
♦ clear target-setting, monitoring and constructive review
♦ well-developed documents and good record-keeping
♦ extensive staff development programme, including succession and career planning
♦ regular programme of minuted meetings
♦ wide and prompt circulation of minutes
♦ new staff appointments stabilising the structure
WEAKNESSES
♦ variations in assessors’ workloads
♦ unclear recording of action points from some centres’ meetings
♦ high trainee drop-out rate from some programmes

Training Standards Council
19.
The senior management teams, which visit centres regularly, lead a positive drive towards a strong corporate model. Management actively responds to staff and trainees’ suggestions for improvements. Annual business planning involves all managers in the centres. The senior management team of the division agrees on summary proposals, through consultation, and sets clear targets which are delegated to the centres. The corporate image is encouraged throughout the staff, and there are good links with many local employers. Company policy statements and procedures are well presented in a staff handbook. Many staff have been recently appointed to their current post and benefit from mentors’ support. The group encourages internal

I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : S I G H T & S O U N D E D U C A T I O N L T D
A U G U S T 1 9 9 8 competitive promotions – some staff started as trainees of the company. There is a thoroughly documented staff recruitment and induction programme which is followed consistently. At the end of their probationary period, all staff participate in a comprehensive, quarterly, performance development review programme. Staff take full advantage of an extensive range of staff development opportunities to meet the business plan. A comprehensive management information system provides regional managers with a weekly report of trainees’ performance against contract data. This information is closely scrutinised and action instigated on any shortfalls, through regular meetings, with prompt, widely circulated minutes. Managers use a 16-week forecasting programme of trainees’ achievements. These are critically reviewed and updated weekly, to monitor assessors’ activities.
20.
The turnover of training staff has been high in some centres, and trainees have been disturbed by a lack of continuity and guidance during their training programme. Assessors’ trainee workloads are uneven across centres, ranging between nine and 50 trainees, exceeding the company’s own targets. Assessors with smaller numbers of trainees often undertake tutoring duties in the centres. New staff, particularly assessors, are being appointed in many centres to ensure that trainees are given help to complete their programmes within a reasonable time. While minutes of team meetings, held in centres, are widely shared and circulated, practice and procedure vary among centres. Some meetings are not clearly focussed, and minutes lack identified targeted action-planning. Drop-out rates on some youth programmes during the past two years have been high, with 25 per cent of modern apprentices leaving in less than six months without a qualification.
GOOD PRACTICE
All portfolios are internally verified before submission to the external verifier.
Company procedures ensure a 25-per-cent sampling of trainees’ progress each month, and all portfolios are examined during compilation. Any concerns relating to adequacy of unit coverage are shared with assessor and trainee. The
NVQ quality assurance team samples onequarter of portfolios which have been passed by the awarding body to ensure
21.
The compliance director is responsible to the main board of the group for all quality issues. A comprehensive manual of procedures and standard forms supports the quality assurance policy. Approved procedures are available centrally and are rapidly being adopted by centres. A programme of integrated meetings is in place at all levels of the organisation. Internal verification is undertaken in each centre by experienced staff dedicated to the role. To ensure that company standards are maintained, a national quality assurance audit team reviews the quality of portfolios and contractual claims. Performance data are collected using a variety of systems, but comparative analysis is difficult. The self-assessment report graded each centre separately and identified only strengths. Inspectors found many strengths and very few weaknesses and increased the overall grading of the self-assessment report.
STRENGTHS
♦ comprehensive policies and procedures in place and used
♦ company culture of quality before quantity
♦ extensive internal verification system in place
♦ rigorous audit of NVQ awards in place
♦ regular collection and evaluation of trainees and employers’ views

I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : S I G H T & S O U N D E D U C A T I O N L T D
A U G U S T 1 9 9 8
♦ monthly external verification visits
WEAKNESSES
♦ developments in quality systems not yet having full impact on trainees’ experience in some centres
GOOD PRACTICE
A trainee-tracking system allows assessors to identify progression and provides the company with current and accurate information on how the business is performing.
Assessors meet weekly with their internal verifier to discuss trainees’ development and to ensure that adequate planning has been carried out to enable them to progress. A weekly review, by the centre manager, is held with internal verifiers to discuss progress and to address issues arising.
22.
The company invests considerable resources in ensuring a high level of quality provision throughout its operations. The acquisition of different companies into one corporate model has enabled best practices to be shared. Well-documented quality assurance arrangements have been integrated progressively over the past two years, and their requirements are well understood and followed by the appropriate staff. All portfolios are verified, and monthly visits by the external verifier confirm acceptance. Any action points raised in their reports are dealt with promptly. To ensure consistency of quality, the group has a peripatetic audit team of five experienced verifiers which samples a quarter of all portfolios and provides appropriate action points to meet compliance standards. Through clear questionnaires, the views of trainees and employers are regularly sought. Careful analysis is undertaken which is used to improve trainees’ experience. Staff are committed to continuous improvement in quality and generally rate it above quantity.
23.
Compliance with performance is rigorously monitored against contracts, but the tracking of individual trainees’ achievements and destinations is less well developed.
It is too early to identify the full effect of the newer training and assessment procedures on trainees. Data from the recent past have not been reliably used in the review of continuous improvement of provision.

Training Standards Council