Corporate report

People strategy 2022 to 2025

Updated 22 September 2022

Applies to England

Foreword from Chief Regulator and People Lead

We are excited to introduce our people strategy for 2022 to 2025. Ofqual has, through our corporate plan, set out our priorities over the next 3 years, making clear that the interests of students and apprentices will be the compass for our decision making. To work with the kind of purpose that we can do here at Ofqual, acting in the interest of students and powered by statutory objectives, is a privilege and powerful driver that gives real meaning to every working day.

While we do have the opportunity to collaborate with Civil Service colleagues in other departments, and with some external partners, most of what we do is delivered through our bright and brilliant colleagues. Just as the qualifications that we regulate open doors for those who pursue and hold them, so we ask our teams to be continually learning. In this way, we can continue to set new standards in how to regulate effectively and efficiently on behalf of those we serve.

This strategy sets out our ambitions for making Ofqual an inclusive workplace that enables colleagues to thrive. It also sets out the investment we plan to make in both nurturing and expanding our expertise, while developing our culture, as we embrace post-pandemic ways of working together.

Dr Jo Saxton, Chief Regulator

Charlie Henning, Associate Director People and Culture

Organisational context

Regulating on behalf of students & apprentices

Ofqual currently regulates 205 awarding organisations, and over 11,600 qualifications for which 10.8 million certificates were issued in 2021. These include GCSEs, AS and A levels, apprenticeship assessments and a broad range of vocational and technical qualifications.

Headcount

In March 2022 our headcount reached 290

Staff engagement 2021

Ofqual ranked 27 out of 102 departments.

Department	% score
Ofqual	69
Civil Service	66

Staff locations

Grade profile

Grade	Number of staff per grade
SCS	18
G6	27
G7	81
SEO	68
HEO	65
EO	28
AA	3

Demographics

Table notes:

The National Census data is to be updated with 2021 census data when available.

In the ethnicity table, White includes White English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British, Irish, Gypsy or Irish Traveller, Roma and any other White background.

Gender	Ofqual	National Data 2011 Census
Female	61.4%	51%
Male	38.6%	49%

Sexual orientation	Ofqual	National Data 2011 Census
LGBO	2.8%	6.4%
Heterosexual	70%	93.7%

Ethnicity	Ofqual	National Data 2011 Census
Ethnic minority	18.6%	14%
White	78.3%	86%

Religion	Ofqual	National Data 2011 Census
Christian	32.4%	59.3%
Religious minority	8.9%	8%
No religion	39.7%	25%

Disability	Ofqual	National Data 2011 Census
Disability	10.7%	20%

Average age	Ofqual	National Data 2011 Census
Average age	43	39

Ofqual’s strategic priorities for 2022 to 2025

Our strategic priorities for 2022 to 2025 are:

1. Quality and fairness for students and apprentices.
2. Clarity, effectiveness and efficiency in the qualifications market.
3. Shaping the future of assessment and qualification.
4. Developing Ofqual as an effective, expert regulator and inclusive employer.

Throughout these 4 strategic priorities, we are:

• regulating on behalf of students and apprentices
• being expert and human
• engaged and shaping the future

Further details on our strategic priorities are published in our corporate plan for 2022 to 2025.

Ofqual’s corporate plan will be underpinned by our people strategy. Below you can see the four priority areas the people strategy will focus on.

Leadership and culture

Leadership and culture are intrinsically linked and we want to invest in both over the next 3 years. Defining and embedding our values in how we select candidates, how we measure and manage our performance, and how we treat each other will make sure we have the right culture at Ofqual for colleagues to thrive and for us to be an employer of choice.

We pride ourselves in being an expert organisation and must also remain focused on being human. This means having a culture where we listen, empathise and support our colleagues, so we can do the same on behalf of students and apprentices.

Our working culture and values are interlinked

Our people offer

Those of us who already work at Ofqual know that it is a fantastic place to work. We need to make sure that it remains a fantastic place to work and that we promote this to candidates who may be thinking of joining us.

Over the next 3 years we will update our approach to pay, benefits and work to implement greater flexibility for our staff, striking a balance between having a strong office presence in the West Midlands where teams are built and sustained, and recruiting nationally to help us find the very best individuals in the field. Our approach will offer a vibrant office culture alongside flexible practices and will support our culture and wellbeing provision to enable colleagues to thrive.

Learning at all levels

Ofqual is and must be an expert and human organisation, with a depth and breadth of knowledge to apply on behalf of students and apprentices. We cannot take this expertise for granted, and must nurture and expand it through a range of initiatives, especially during periods of organisational growth.

Over the next 3 years we plan to introduce a graduate scheme to attract and build bright new talent, while also investing in Ofqual’s colleagues through a range of programmes and development opportunities. The graduate scheme will cover a range of different professions and functions and will provide the opportunity for accelerated development.

We will expand the number and range of apprenticeships that we offer as an employer.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are incredibly important for us at Ofqual. In 2020 we launched our diversity and inclusion strategy which allowed us to put this important work front and centre. We now want to make sure that EDI is a core theme in all our work. While we have achieved some successes, we have more to do. Our work in this area will continue.

We will continue our efforts to increase the diversity of our senior leaders and introduce new initiatives so that all Ofqual staff feel included and valued. To ensure we can be data driven, evidence led and delivery focused, we will work to increase the declaration rates of employee biographical data. We will introduce new measures, such as socioeconomic background, as we look to incorporate a broader definition of diversity into our thinking.

This theme will also support the aims of the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy that aims to create a Civil Service that:

• understands and draws from the communities it serves
• is visible to everyone
• is flexible
• welcomes talent from wherever it comes
• values diversity of teams
• values and invests in its people
• tackles bullying, harassment and discrimination

The people strategy contains the following priority objectives

Leadership and culture

• we will develop and implement new corporate values that will be relevant, as well as embedded within performance management, leadership training and recruitment
• we will provide training and development opportunities to Ofqual’s leaders to support them in being confident and capable in developing others
• we will look at our approach to performance management, ensuring we pay as much interest to how colleagues are delivering as well as to what they are delivering

Our people offer

• we will provide a pay and reward system that is competitive within the wider public sector
• we will make our compelling employer story visible for candidates
• we will implement flexible working to become the ‘new normal’ for how Ofqual colleagues work together. Our approach will enable us to recruit nationally, while maintaining a strong and proud presence in the West Midlands
• we will make sure our working culture supports us in being an expert and human organisation, regulating effectively on behalf of students and apprentices

Learning at all levels

• we will enhance the learning and development offer available to colleagues, including a more structured approach to the use of sponsored qualifications
• we will design and introduce a graduate scheme, to facilitate rapid development across the breadth of Ofqual’s functions, to attract new talent to the organisation
• we will enhance our use of apprenticeships to create meaningful entry routes in to Ofqual

Equality, diversity and inclusion

• we will be data driven, evidence led and take action to increase the diversity of our senior leaders (particular focus on grade 6 and above)
• we will support the 2022 to 2025 Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy in its aim of promoting fairness and performance in the Civil Service
• we will work to make Ofqual an even more inclusive organisation where every colleague feels valued and respected

What will this look like over the next 3 years?

Leadership and culture

Year 1

• Leadership Programme part 1 (Ofqual Senior Leadership Team)
• values project start

Year 2

• Leadership Programme part 2 (all Ofqual Leaders)
• new values launched

Year 3

• values successfully integrated into recruitment, leadership development and performance management

Our people offer

Year 1

• vacancy factor resourcing in operation
• pay and reward project - working with external partners
• implement and test our flexible working model
• promote our culture, values and story through the recruitment microsite and job adverts

Year 2

• self-service management information available to directorates
• greater collaboration and outreach with local community and universities (Covid dependent)
• introduction of capability-based pay progression by the Cabinet Office

Year 3

• new ways of working fully embedded
• promotion of our graduate and apprenticeship opportunities through careers site

Learning at all levels

Year 1

• staff engagement sessions to define the skills we need and identify knowledge gaps
• annual learning and development plan produced
• recruitment of early careers manager
• introduction of more apprenticeship positions across Ofqual

Year 2

• launch Ofqual’s graduate scheme
• sponsored qualification review and relaunch
• work to align Ofqual apprenticeships

Year 3

• second iteration of graduate programme and possible expansion of scheme into other professional areas

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Year 1

• review of role design and end to end recruitment practices
• act on findings of review to remove identified bias and follow best practice examples
• introduce the ability for us to measure socioeconomic background and complete our first ethnicity pay gap report

Continue to identify and eliminate bias in systems and processes.

Year 2

• expansion of sponsorship programme to include other protected characteristics
• introduce further positive action, where required, to support internally and externally diverse candidates
• explore greater use of secondments within and outside of the Civil Service

Continue to identify and eliminate bias in systems and processes.

Year 3

• external EDI review to take stock of progress, to include review of apprenticeship and graduate programmes’ ability to attract diverse applicants and review of flexible working

Continue to identify and eliminate bias in systems and processes.

How the strategy will be monitored

We will measure our success through:

Leadership and culture

• People Survey results – aiming to enter the top 20 Civil Service departments by the 2025 People Survey
• feedback from colleagues and employee forum

Learning at all levels

• People Survey results
• performance management outcomes
• capability assessments
• graduate scheme management information

Our people offer

• capacity dashboards
• sickness absence, vacancy and unplanned turnover rates – continuing to benchmark our management information against other comparable organisations

Equality, diversity and inclusion

• People Survey results
• diversity management information (including pay gap analysis) – comparing against available England demographic information where appropriate
• recruitment management information

Assurance of progress to be provided to Ofqual’s strategic management group and our finance and resource committee.