Education and training services

Tender description

Local authorities have a statutory duty to encourage, enable and assist young people to participate in education and training, with a particular focus on young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) and vulnerable young people. Halton Borough Council, on behalf of Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Liverpool City Council and Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council seeks to commission a supplier, or suppliers to deliver the following Schedules in all of the council areas, these Schedules form part of the range of support services that will enable the Authorities to carry out their statutory duties with regard to young people. Schedule 1: Engagement Work. Schedule 2: Careers Information Advice and Guidance. Schedule 3: Careers Coaches. The Supplier will support the Authorities’ duties and address the specialist requirements at an authority level for young people who are NEET and whose activity is not known. The Supplier’s staff will, as a minimum: — deliver a service across the participating authorities from a range of locations including evening and weekend working, — use telephone calls or home visits to track young people and identify their participation activity, — build a relationship with young people in order to identify needs and make appropriate referrals, — inform young people about the range of opportunities available to them and where to obtain guidance, — help individuals to implement agreed plans and provide extra support when young people need this, — work with a range of council services, including careers advisers and other services, to promote participation, — update information on the interventions that they have made only on to the relevant Authority Client Caseload Information System (CCIS) database. This will include, for example, sufficient information to provide a clear picture of the support needs of the young person, full details of the interventions with that young person and details of any progression plans, plus summary information such as occupational aspirations, type of contact made, success of contact and referrals to other services, learning and employment. All data will remain the property of the Authorities. The Supplier will offer appropriate in depth careers information, advice and guidance (IAG) which supports the Authorities’ duties and addresses the specialist requirements at an authority level for young people from vulnerable groups. The Supplier’s staff will, as a minimum: — deliver comprehensive, accurate and unbiased, face-to-face careers IAG, reflecting national and local labour market intelligence, from premises across the Authorities as required by each participating authority, this may include working from a young person’s home, — deliver a careers IAG service that uses a diagnostics tool that supports the development of actions/targets for young people and can demonstrate distance travelled because of the IAG intervention, — refer primarily 16 and 17 year olds (but also 18 and 19 year olds and those up to age 25 with LDD) to options with providers of all learning programmes available to young people. This will include: —— opportunities in schools, further education, higher education, apprenticeships, local learning providers (including study programmes), —— voluntary opportunities and self-employment opportunities, —— coaching and support services, —— engagement with processes in authorities that identify and target support to particular cohorts of NEET young people, — support young people through application processes (letters, internet, cold calling, phone calls), including filling in applications, CV completion and interview techniques, — help young people to understand the financial support available in post-16 provision, — contribute to multi-agency processes as directed by the local authority lead, — update information on the interventions that they have made only on to the relevant Authority Client Caseload Information System (CCIS) database. This will include, for example, sufficient information to provide a clear picture of the support needs of the young person, full details of the interventions with that young person and details of any progression plans, plus summary information such as occupational aspirations, type of contact made, success of contact and referrals to other services, learning and employment. All data will remain the property of the Authorities. The Authorities may require the Careers IAG workers to work with schools/colleges/training providers where they have identified young people already in post-compulsory education/training who are seeking to move or who are at risk of disengagement. The supplier will support the Authorities’ Raising the Participation Age duties and address the specialist requirements at an authority level for young people aged 16 to 25 who are NEET and whose activity is not known. The supplier’s staff will, as a minimum: — deliver a service across the participating authorities from a range of locations based within Authority teams as directed, including some evening and weekend working; this may include working from a young person’s home, — to help equip vulnerable NEET young people with the necessary skills to successfully engage, sustain and be successful in education, employment or training through a coaching and mentoring approach. This could include assisting their emotional health and wellbeing so they become self-empowering and self-sufficient to ensure that they are better equipped to manage turbulent episodes in their lives, — to be responsible for a caseload of young people who are primarily NEET or “at risk” of disengaging from education or training. Careers Coaches will be expected to work with vulnerable NEET young people on a 1:1 basis or with a small group, — to work with a range of support agencies, for example, Foster Carers, Designated Teachers, Accommodation Projects, etc.… to offer support, increasing employability and skills awareness and facilitate progression, — to identify and understand the relevant progression opportunities for vulnerable NEET young people. Develop an in depth knowledge and understanding of local post 16 education and training opportunities, — to develop partnerships with FE and HE institutions and arrange activity which raises aspirations, improves access and increases post 16 progression, — to ensure on-going support following successful transition/re-engagement including coaching and monitoring arrangements, — to regularly formally report on achievements and outcomes for vulnerable young people, — to regularly update information on young people using relevant council systems.