Our number 1 objective is to continue with our commitment to deliver improved standards of customer care for our local community, the plan going forward into 2030 and beyond is to ensure facilities and curriculum meet emerging local labour market needs, to deliver a curriculum that meets the current and emerging training needs of employers, employees and jobseekers.
Our aim is to equip all learners with the skills, knowledge and resilience to contribute positively in key local economic areas including Digital and Health. To achieve this we will:
- Expand progression routes across all sectors to enable wider access to Higher Education,
- Continue to expand employer engagement and encourage dialogue that lets us know what the market needs are,
- Invest in marketing activity to promote ATL’s achievements and develop a positive local image,
- Work towards attaining ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted recognition, supported by the highest QAR and client satisfaction in the South West,
- Remain flexible and agile in ability to respond to both the local economic climate and wider emerging trends (such as broadening and embedding environmental awareness).
ATL are highly experienced in providing access to education for those with barriers to learning, whether these are long-standing or newly emerging, simple or complex. Many learners choose our services based on their perception of a supportive environment that they have been unable to find elsewhere and this has become a strong USP for the company.
Our close links with schools, local businesses, the Training Provider Network, City Council and Chamber of Commerce has given ATL an established reputation for flexibility. We will build on our existing strengths by expanding our response to emerging trends and employment requirements.
Factoring in economic trends and the impact on the availability of skills in our region, focusing on ‘home-grown’ talent, ATL have committed investment in hardware and software and appropriate development of staff to deliver ‘cutting edge’ qualifications.
ATL recognises that students sometimes fail to enrol after their initial enquiries due to issues including child care, mental health and wellbeing. We provide comprehensive pastoral care, with approximately 25% of ATL’s Learner Support time spent on one-to-one guidance, dealing with external factors that impact on learning. By addressing these areas and expanding our provision of flexible, holistic support and guidance, ATL intends to eliminate key barriers to learning.
ATL is already investing in distance learning models to improve accessibility to learners who may otherwise be excluded due to health issues, caring for dependants or simply the cost of travel. Further expansion of such models will expand access to learning, improving the prospects of financial wellbeing to wider sections of the community, whilst supporting a commensurate improvement in basic level digital skills.
25+ years serving the Plymouth community has provided ATL with an established awareness of how barriers change over time. Our objective for this area is subject to a rolling cycle of research and monitoring of local, regional and national trends to determine ongoing staff development needs. ATL staff will be supported in developing their holistic care skills, mirroring our intent to support the development of a more empowered community, able to access support and be confident in their understanding of their rights and responsibilities as members of that community.
ATL have been awarded the highest marks in the South West in a Government run learner satisfaction survey. The actual score achieved is a stunning 96.8%.
“FE Choices” provides comparable information to help learners and employers make informed decisions about education and training. The data is collected nationally, published openly on GOV.UK and is a clear performance indicator that measures learner satisfaction.
This result from the FE Choices learner survey is recognition for Achievement Training as it’s the main benchmark that exists in the training industry of learner satisfaction and as to whether they would recommend their Training Provider and the services they have experienced. It’s testament to the outstanding customer service, training and teaching team who have worked incredibly hard during the year to deliver a level of service that is clearly unparalleled in the South West.
We firmly believe that when any organisation achieves a satisfaction rating of 96.8%, it’s difficult to know how to improve. However at Achievement Training we see things in a slightly different way and focus on how we can improve on the outstanding 3.2%. Our Quality team work with teaching staff to ‘drill down’ on the 3.2% to identify specific issues and action plan improvements, even if this is responding to a single comment, whilst our Teaching & Learning leads facilitate the sharing of good practice across curriculum areas and standardise the quality of our delivery. As they say, there’s always room for improvement and that is now our aim for 2020.
Taken from 2020 Ofsted inspection 8–9 January 2020:
“The products designed for adults are flexible enough to enable learners who cannot attend on a specific day to attend on a different day and to spend time with their tutor to catch up or complete work using distance learning.
Advice and careers guidance for adults before and during their courses are effective and ensure that learners are placed on the appropriate course and level. Beauty learners are offered the opportunity of a trial day to help confirm whether the course is right for them before they enrol. Tutors in animal care ensure that learners are placed on courses that match learners’ abilities and their future career aspirations. Many learners, particularly adults progress from level 2 to level 3 courses with ATL
Learners feel safe, nurtured and supported by ATL. They comment particularly on how well staff make them feel part of the ATL family. One full time designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and two part time leads maintain the extensive support available.”