How have you found the transition to home working and teaching?

The transition to home working and teaching has been quite demanding but it is definitely not something we have shied away from. As our staff are spread across the UK, we have always had a good remote working set-up in place. We are lucky to have excellent IT systems, like OneFile, in place already to support additional employees working and teaching from home. We have not had to panic and learn how to work remotely as it is something we are very used to doing. To further enhance our ability to teach and to allow apprentices and coaches to continue learning, we developed the concept of TWP-TV. With daily schedules of learning in place, our network is able to join a Teams call and learn interactively. All recordings are subsequently loaded to our YouTube channel for further reference.

Did you face any challenges and how did you overcome them?

Being remote is not an unusual set-up for me as I currently live in Lanzarote but am the Lead IQA for the team based in the UK. We have now moved all of our visits online and observations and training has continued to be run remotely using systems such as Microsoft Teams and OneFile.

What do your learners think about home learning?

We have been very mindful of what we are competing with when setting out our plan of action to engage learners ( i.e. Xbox, PlayStations, Netflix distractions etc) but I think our learners have enjoyed the variety of CPD on offer and the way we have put it across to learners. We have held many webinars on MicrosoftTeams along with regular 1-to-1 checks and progress reviews. Of all learners surveyed this month, we have had received feedback of 4/5 for ‘value of content’ which we have shared through our training channel.

How have you used OneFile to support your remote working?

As part of my role as an IQA, it has been a massive help and probably one of the biggest reasons I have been able to continue my role since moving to Spain at the start of the year. The bespoke reports and forms we have created have ensured I can monitor the quality, activity levels and engagement from all parties. I have been able to complete audits on work as well as marking and providing feedback effectively to ensure the learner experience continues to be a forefront of everything we offer as a training provider.

Are there any features in particular that have helped? 

'I'm a massive advocate of OneFile and it has been unbelievable in supporting us to turn around our apprenticeship offer. I'm now getting my teeth stuck into the course feature, which will enhance our journey to outstanding even further! After the previous systems and processes fell short during our last Ofsted inspection, we have now moved everything on OneFile - including all communications to learners and employers. We have a saying with the tutors and learners now, 'if it's not evidenced on OneFile, it doesn't exist'.

Centre notifications have also been very valuable. Learners have been clear on what tasks have been set and how to complete them and being able to link to online content in the learning plans has be a big asset.

What advice would you give to other centres to help them adapt to remote working?

It is a challenging time, but we must all remain positive and ensure we focus on what we can control. There is a lot of noise out there that can be a distraction, but you must remain focused on the learners. If, as a team, you are willing to be creative and think outside the box using the wide array of tools that technology provides us, you can succeed and make a huge difference to the experience of your learners. As long you and your family stay safe, you and your business will come out of this working smarter, more efficiently and - most importantly - more learner focused than you have ever been before.

 

Nick Preston, internal quality assurance lead | Train with Premier