Guidance

The matrix standard: guidance notes

Published 20 September 2021

Applies to England

This document updates and replaces the earlier guidance document dated May 2014.

These guidance notes are intended for any organisation which receives funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), and deliver information, advice, and guidance either directly, or as part of their provision.

Matrix Standard for information, advice and guidance (IAG) services

The matrix Standard is owned by the Department for Education and was launched in 2002. It is the international quality standard for organisations that deliver information, advice and/or guidance to clients either as their sole purpose or as part of their wider service offer.

Achieving the Standard involves an agreed assessment process where the quality and delivery of information and advice is assessed against the matrix Standard’s four main elements: leadership and management; resources; service delivery; and continuous quality improvement.

Achievement of the matrix Standard is mandatory for colleges and some sixth form colleges in receipt of adult education budget (AEB) funding from ESFA, for organisations providing traineeships and for National Careers Service contractors and subcontractors. Other organisations, including employers, universities, charities and sole traders, achieve the matrix Standard on a voluntary basis, as they find the process, and the ongoing self- assessment tools, to be a helpful quality management tool.

Matrix accreditation is not mandatory for levy paying apprenticeship providers however the accreditation process may prove to be a valuable and meaningful exercise supporting best practice and continuous improvement.

Key terms

The following are key terms used throughout the matrix Standard:

• the organisation: this refers to the body which manages, administers and delivers the service and has applied for initial accreditation or accreditation review against the matrix Standard
• the service: this is the information, advice, support and/or guidance provided by the organisation to support individuals in their choice of career, learning, work, and life goals
• clients: this refers to people who access the “service” whether they are employees of the “organisation” or external users of the “service”

The Standard follows the Plan – Do – Review cycle.

Clear outcomes/success factors need to be defined at:

• organisation level
• service level
• individual level

These factors need to be monitored and evaluated, to build upon strengths and identify areas for development. For further details please visit the matrix Standard website.

Contract for services

As part of the delivery of the services, organisation(s) delivering information, advice and/or guidance must provide high quality and easily accessible information and advice to help learners to understand the opportunities and support available to them about education, training or apprenticeship connected matters (including employment).

1.1: Where one of the main objectives of the services to be provided under this contract is to deliver information and advice, the organisation must achieve the matrix Standard accreditation within 6 months of the contract being awarded and maintain for the duration of the contract; and

1.2: If the information and advice is embedded as part of the delivery of the services, the organisation is required to work towards achieving the matrix Standard Accreditation within 6 months of the start of the contract.

1.3: Where the services are delivered by a subcontractor on behalf of the organisation, the requirements set out in clauses 1.1 and 1.2 must also be applied to the subcontractor. The requirement does not apply to the subcontractor where the organisation retains responsibility for the delivery of information and advice. However, should they choose to do so, sub-contractors can be encouraged to also achieve the accreditation.

1.4: It is the responsibility of the organisation to ensure any sub-contractor delivering the service on their behalf is matrix accredited.

1.5: Once achieved, matrix Standard accreditation is valid for 3 years. As part of their accreditation, the organisation is required to successfully demonstrate their continuous quality improvement activities to their matrix assessor via annual continuous improvement checks with the assessor.

Core principles - explanatory note

A) Requirements around the matrix Standard only apply to training, learning or work experience programmes and activities that are funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

B) Where a requirement to have or attain the matrix Standard applies, it will apply to all Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) funding streams, including virtual learning, classroom-based learning, work-based learning, and community learning.

C) If the main activity of an organisation or its subcontractor/s includes the provision of training, education and/or work experience then there will be a presumption that embedded information and advice will form part of that activity.

In this case, the organisation will need to have the matrix Standard or be working towards attaining it within 6 months of contract start date.

D) If after consulting the ESFA there remains a lack of clarity about whether an organisation is providing embedded or discrete advice the presumption will be that embedded advice is being offered.

E) If, as part of its training or learning offer, an organisation has a student services function, customer, trainee or employee advice service or helpline, then it shall be assumed that the main objective of this service is to deliver information and advice. This will be regarded as a discrete or dedicated information and advice function.

F) In this case, the organisation will need to have attained the matrix Standard within 6 months of contract award (as set out in 1.1 above): as a minimum, when an organisation retains responsibility for the delivery of information and advice but subcontracts the delivery of services, the contractor must provide the following to all subcontractors:

1. Information about the matrix Standard and links to the matrix website
2. Clear, written guidance and procedures setting out how learners can access quality assured impartial careers information and advice.
3. Guidance and procedures that will enable subcontractors to deliver appropriate embedded advice and information to their learners.
4. Information about how the lead organisation will quality assure, monitor, and support information and advice provided by subcontractors to learners.

G) Organisations (for example, local authorities) that are solely engaged in the commissioning, administration, and allocation of Education Skills Funding Agency funds to community learning organisations and do not directly deliver community learning to learners will not be required to hold the matrix Standard. Organisations that believe that they fall into this category must discuss and agree their status with the ESFA at the earliest opportunity.

Guidance notes

For further information regarding the matrix Standard

If your query is about whether you are required to achieve the matrix Standard, or the timescales in which the matrix Standard must be achieved, please speak to your existing contact from the Education Skills Funding Agency.

If you have questions about registering for an assessment or the matrix Standard process, please look at the website or contact the assessor (The Growth Company) on 01423 229665 or email matrixStandard@growthco.uk.

Assessment for FE, HE and sixth form colleges

ESFA believes that providers seeking matrix accreditation who take a whole organisation approach will usually reap greater organisational benefits from the assessment process. However, it is for the organisation to discuss and decide the scope of the assessment with their matrix assessor or adviser.

The aspects of information, advice, and guidance (IAG) that must be assessed are:

• Pre-entry IAG, this may be delivered by a range of teams, including School Liaison, Admissions, Student Services
• On-programme discrete support, for example delivered by Student Services/Careers to help students with progression decisions such as course changes, progression from one level to another
• Discrete progression support, for example provided by the careers team who provide careers guidance on ‘next step’ decisions on further learning or work options
• The support services that are assessed need to cover all students/learners, for example 16-19 provision, apprenticeships, adult education, full and part time provision.

In summary, a college will have met ESFA’s requirements for quality assuring its information, advice, and guidance arrangements regardless of whether it has attained the matrix Standard for the whole college or solely for its dedicated in-house information, advice and guidance team or service – as long as the assessment criteria are met and sustained.

Information for Independent training providers about which aspects of their delivery are covered by the matrix Standard

Training providers often deliver a range of different courses, for example, short courses, apprenticeships, traineeships, a study programme, a programme for NEET young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), adult skills training. Regardless of the type of delivery, the IAG will typically follow a ‘three-stage’ approach: Pre-entry IAG, On-programme IAG and Exit/next step IAG. The people involved in delivery of IAG at these three stages may include: recruitment teams, progression officers, assessors/tutors/trainers.

Information for employer apprenticeship providers’ requirements for accreditation

If you are an employer delivering apprenticeships programmes only to your own apprentices/staff, it is not a requirement for you to hold matrix accreditation, however you may find going through the accreditation process a valuable experience for your team and supporting best practice and continuous improvement.

Information for a non-matrix accredited contractor delivering or subcontracting training, learning and/or work experience

This refers to organisations meeting their information and advice obligations by referring students, trainees or employees to a partner organisation that holds the matrix standard or to the National Careers Service.

As the organisation continues to be responsible for the provision of good quality embedded information and advice, it is not a requirement for you to hold matrix accreditation, however you may find going through the accreditation process a valuable experience for your team.

In addition to the information above the assessor can explore alternative routes to meeting the requirement where exceptional circumstances apply.

Further information including costs of a matrix assessment can be obtained from the website, by contacting the assessor (The Growth Company) by phone on 01423 229665 or email matrixStandard@growthco.uk.

There is no additional funding from ESFA to help providers achieve the matrix Standard.

Information as to how the matrix Standard aligns with Ofsted requirements and the Quality in Careers Standards

Ofsted delivers an inspection framework, whereas the matrix Standard is a quality assurance framework that specifically reviews the IAG aspects of delivery. The matrix Standard is the unique national quality standard for the management and delivery of IAG and is owned by the Department for Education.

The Quality in Careers Standard reviews your careers education programme, whereas the matrix Standard reviews your information, advice, and guidance support. Working with the two standards can often be valuable for your organisation – see the case studies on the matrix website.

Information for providers in receipt of devolved AEB from an MCA/GLA requirements to have the matrix Standard

We understand that the Mayoral Combined Authorities/ Greater London Authority who manage their own devolved Adult Education Budget may not require their providers to have obtained the matrix Standard. Some Combined Authorities have already made a commitment to retaining the standard in recognition of the benefits it brings to their organisation.

We would advise you to seek confirmation from your MCA or GLA on this. In any case, you may find going through the matrix accreditation process a worthwhile exercise. Many organisations, including employers, universities, charities and sole traders, achieve the matrix Standard on a voluntary basis, as they find the process, and the ongoing self- assessment tools, to be a helpful quality management tool.