Ofsted launches Employer View
New online tool enables employers to rate further education and skills providers, enhancing role of employers in education and training.
Employer View forms part of Ofsted’s goal to increase the involvement of employers in the training of their current and prospective employees. The tool allows employers to lodge their views on specific providers, inspected by Ofsted, which train their employees, including apprentices and those that are working for them through work experience or work placements.
Whilst the information collected will be a vital asset to Ofsted inspectors, employers will be able to use the tool to find out the views of other employers on providers to help them make informed choices about which providers will best suit their needs. Providers will also benefit from being given a clear view of what their employers think of the services they provide.
National Director for Further Education and Skills, Lorna Fitzjohn, commenting on the launch, said:
Employers in the past have often not been sufficiently included in the education and training of learners, including apprentices, and we recognised that this needed to change.
Engagement with employers was highlighted as a major theme for improvement in Ofsted’s Annual Report and we hope Employer View will facilitate a dialogue between employers and providers that will improve the provision of further education and training. The tool will inform inspectors’ understanding of the effectiveness of provision, increase employers’ engagement in education and training, and help them and employees to choose the provider that is right for them.
Employer View underpins Ofsted’s aim to raise standards in education and training. I therefore urge all employers using a provider inspected by Ofsted to visit the Employer View page on our website and contribute to improving the standard of training across the further education sector.
Employer View uses the same model as Learner View, launched in September 2012, which allows learners to register their views on the provision of their further education and skills provider. Employer View will compliment this existing tool, enabling employers to register their views independently of the provider they use. It will enable anyone who accesses the site to see what employers think of any provider in England inspected by Ofsted.
When they visit the site, employers will be prompted to fill in a concise questionnaire which asks them to rate providers on the quality of their communication, monitoring of employee progress, training provision, and feedback and support. Finally, an employer can say whether they would recommend the provider to other employers.Each response registered on Employer View will be completely confidential. Ofsted will not reveal any details of those who register their views to providers. Safeguards are also in place to guard against abuse of the site.
To register your views and to see information on providers, please visit: www.employerview.ofsted.gov.uk.
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