Public and Commercial Services Union

The step by step guide

This guide has been produced from the experiences of the Sheffield PCS union learning reps who have now delivered the skills for life programme to over 140 staff in Sheffield.

This guide is by no means definitive and is not meant to instruct you on how to deliver the programme but may help you if you are just setting out with the programme or thinking about delivering it in the future.
The steps that have been written in this guide have been tried and tested over several months of delivering both screenings and tests to our staff in Sheffield. This is the end product after many changes that we have made from the beginning when we were first started the skills for life programme. As the programme evolves and we get more experienced with it, it may change slightly but at the moment this is where we stand.

We hope that you will find it helpful and give you an insight to the skills for life programme. As mentioned at the end of the guide you can contact us via email if you need any help or extra guidance.

Step by Step Guide

1) Contact all possible skills for life providers and see who can offer you the best deal.

2) Contact the chosen provider and arrange a meeting so that you can discuss the programme with them.

3) At the meeting draw up a service level agreement (SLA) between you and the provider so both parties know what is expected from each other, you might like to outline the following: 

• Which days of the week suit both parties to deliver the programme;
• What weeks are not available i.e. does the college close down for half term etc;
• How long the screenings and the national tests will take. Then you can work out how many sessions you can deliver in one day;
• Draw up an agreement of arrival times and leaving times for the provider. This is to ensure that the provider arrives on time so staff are not sat there waiting for somebody to turn up, it might be advisable to explain to the provider that staff have appointments booked in to their diaries and need prompt start times and finish times;
• Agree the maximum/minimum numbers for each day/session;
• What the provider expects from you? This means do they want you to meet them in the morning to help with their laptops etc and the setting up of the equipment, do they wish you to contact them the day before so they know what numbers you have, do they need names before they arrive etc;
• What you expect from the provider? Promptness of the provider is essential, the consequences of this not happening is that staff are away from their desks longer than necessary;
• Does the provider give any incentives, i.e. vouchers or NUS cards;
• Make sure you swap mobile/office phone numbers and email addresses;
• What happens in the event of an emergency on the provider’s part, can they send another person?
• Is the provider ok to work on site alone or do they expect a ULR with them?
• Ask if the provider can help with promotion;
• Keep provider up-to-date of the numbers of staff booked in for the screenings and tests.

4) Back at the office write up the SLA and make sure both parties agree with what has been said.

5) Arrange a meeting with DWP management to inform them of what you are proposing and get them onside. Take a copy of the SLA and the governments skills pledge, which can be found on the intranet. If your department has the 30 hour skills for life agreement take this with you (please copies of all these at the back of this guide remember this guide has been written from a DWP point of view and is not meant to tell you what to do but this just gives you some sort of guide if you have never delivered the programme before).

6) Now that you have got the dates booked you need to book the venues. Remember if you have a large estate it is worthwhile taking the programme to all sites if possible so that staff from smaller offices does not feel left out and larger offices are not deemed to be favourites.

7) Also book rooms for to staff to practice as they may need help in achieving the required test standard.

8) Now you have the provider, date and rooms booked, the SLA has been drawn up and management are aware of what is going to happen you now need to think about how you will advertise and promote the programme. In Sheffield we designed a poster for emailing round all staff and also to be desk dropped and put onto all notice boards. Remember to desk drop all offices. We have decided for the next programme to attend weekly Staff meetings and tell the staff what Skills for Life is and tell them about the dates etc.

On the poster you will need to state, what skills for life is, the dates of the screenings, the times, the venue and who to contact and how. We used a college that has offered to supply us pop-up roller banner stands advertising skills for life in conjunction with PCS ULR’s and Sheffield Castle College, these are to be displayed in all offices in the canteen/restrooms, free of charge.

9) Collating/storing information. We drew up a excel spreadsheet with the dates and times of the screenings and the tests, with spaces for names, telephone numbers, sections and offices that people work in.
This is just something we used to log who was on what session. In the comments box we put in if they just wanted to do literacy, any special requirements, the date of the test or even results.

10) Once you have started advertising and the names are coming in with their requested date and time for the screening you need to email individually each person to inform them of what is going to happen next, this is what we sent out to staff once they had shown an interest.

"Thank you for your email about the Skills for Life Programme.

The screenings will be taking place: -

01 February 07 - Bailey Court
08 February 07 - Premiere House (CSA Building)
22 February 07 - Hartshead Square
01 March 07 - Kings Court

Times 10.30-12.00 12.30-14.00 14.30-1 6.00

We will be running 1 session in the morning and then 2 in the afternoons, we can accommodate 8 people per session. The screenings should take up to an hour but may take a little longer.

We will be arranging for screenings also to be carried out in Eastern Avenue and Hillsborough.

Please let me know which date is suitable and if you want am or early or late pm.

You will receive an invite for the screening about 1 week before you are due to go on it. Shefield College will be delivering these events for us and they do require maximum attendance for each event. If you are not able to attend your screening or if you want a diferent date please can you inform me by email so I can try and fill your place and also arrange a new date for you."

Also you might want to add to this:

• Ensure they tell their line manager;
• Explain that the skills for life programme is confidential and that only the ULR’s and provider will only know their results, management cannot access this information, and will be refused this information if ever they ask for it;
• Inform them that they can’t bring calculators or dictionaries with them or use their mobile phones to work things out/look things up;
• Mobile phones must be on silent;
• Explain that the screenings and tests will be carried out in a quiet environment and that they should respect other people around them;
• Offer a contact number for them to get hold of you on the day.

11) If the take up is slow you need to keep advertising, remember a lot of people delete emails without even reading them and often ignore things that are on their desks. This is why we think it is a good idea to get line managers on board and to encourage staff to take this up even lead by example, although we can’t make staff do this if they don’t want to. Another point is to use colour posters and colour on the emails this will grab people’s attention.

12) Two weeks before the screenings you will need to send out the invites to staff to remind them to come and refresh their minds of the date and times, here is what we sent out in Sheffield.

PCS Union Sheffield
Leigh Waler 1st Floor
Union Learning Reps
Jobcentre Plus
1 Hartshead Square
Sheffield
S1 2FD

leigh.waler@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk

Dear

PCS union learning training invitation
Skills for life screening

Date Thursday 22 February 2007
Time 9.30 am to 11.00
Venue Training 2, 3rd floor, Hartshead

This is to confirm a place has been booked for you on the skills for life screening programme as above.

Can you please arrive 10 minutes earlier to allow us to complete the paperwork with you.

If you have any special needs/requests please inform us before the event and we wil endeavour to fulfil these.

Al correspondence with regards to skills for life whether it is in writing or the screening and tests wil al be treated with strictest confidentiality. All information that we retain about you wil be kept in a secure filing system, marked private and confidential and only other union learning reps wil be allowed to view this.

Please remember that calculators and dictionaries are not allowed.

Mobile phones are to be switched off or on silent. Please remember to respect other people in room by being quiet while the screenings are in progress.

Please can you confirm your attendance via email or via post to me as above.

Many thanks
Yours sincerely
PCS union learning rep

At this stage it might also be a good idea to contact the provider and inform them of the names of the staff that you have got coming. Also remember to do this a couple of days before the screening in-case people have dropped out or you have new names to add.

13) On the day of the screening (and the test) you need to make sure you arrive at the training room at least 30 minutes before the staff arrive to meet the provider at the specified time as agreed in the SLA to help them with the laptops or whatever equipment they bring with them. You will need to set the room up and show the provider round the building, informing them of the fire escapes and gathering point and if the building is due any fire alarm tests etc so that they can pass this information on to the staff.

It might be a good idea to do a laminate to place on each seat for when the staff arrive so they know what is going to happen:

• Welcome to the skills for life Screening.
• Please be quite and respect others around you, as they will be concentrating.
• If you have any questions please ask the trainer or the ULR and they will help you if they can.
• Calculators, dictionaries or mobile phones may not be used, if you have mobile phone please ensure this is on silent or turned off.
• Please do not try and use the laptop until the trainer has told you do so.
• When you have completed your screening please notify the trainer and they will come and retrieve your scores. These will be used to determine what level you will be entered in at to do the national test.
• Please vacate your seat when you have seen the trainer and go and speak to a ULR who will tell you what happens next.

14) When the staff have finished their screenings you will need to have quick word with them to get them to complete the starter/leaver form which you need for your stats to send off to region. Also you will need to tell them about the practice sessions that they can attend and the 30 hours if they are DWP staff or any other agreements within different departments. Give them the names of the websites that they can access because they might want to practice at home or on their breaks at work. Also give them the dates of the national tests so that they can go back to their line managers and book some time out.

15) Now the screenings are over or the first day is over you will need to notify staff of the next steps via email (even though you may have already done this after the screening). I sent this out to staff mentioning in this that I had too sat the numeracy screening. You don’t have to do this but I thought it showed them that we were going through the programme too.

Dear Matthew

Sorry its took me a few days to email you but I am not on union duties full time only 2 days per week which are normally Wednesday and Thursday if you want to get hold of me about anything.

First of all I would like to say a personal thank you for attending the screening for skills for life. I have up to now only sat the numeracy screening and found it hard going but worthwhile, it makes you aware of what you need to brush up on. I am sitting the literacy tomorrow, hopefully that will be better.

Next steps

You are allowed to practice your literacy/numeracy from the date of screening to the date of your test. PCS have negotiated with DWP 30 hours for you to do this (included in the 30 hours is 1.5 hours for the test). Please see attached the agreement which you may show your line manager when booking time out to practice.

We have training rooms already booked out for you to use from 2pm to 4pm see below for rooms:

28/02
Hartshead Training Room 2 Bailey Court Greystones

07/03
Hartshead no room free Bailey Court Greystones

14/03
Hartshead Training Room 2 Bailey Court Greystones

21/03
Hartshead Training Room 2 Bailey Court Greystones

28/03
Hartshead Training Room 2 Bailey Court Greystones

A union learning rep will be present in the rooms for the duration of the practice sessions. All that is involved is you are directed to a couple of websites to use and you can go to areas that you think you may need help. I would advice that you try and make use of the 30 hours provided for you - it is your time so use it!! If you need more time or a different day please let me know and I can try and find you another room to use.

Your national test date is 29 March in Hartshead, and you can keep the same time what you had for your screening if you wish to do so if not let me know.

NUS cards!! You will all be able to go up to Castle College in a couple of weeks and collect your wonderful NUS card!!! This will entitle you to discounts off various things like eating out, clothes shops, record shops, football match tickets and public transport. I will keep you posted as to when you can collect it.

Can you please email me or ring me on 259 3229 (you may leave a message on this number) if you need anything else.

Leigh Waller
Att: Skills for life agreement

16) At the practice sessions a ULR needs to be at hand. Remember not all staff are IT literate and may struggle to access the websites, some staff we found didn’t know how to access google. I would recommend the move-on website as this allows staff to do the actual screenings that they did. There are 40 questions and they are all multiple choice. If staff want help how to work things out or to understand things the BBC skillswise website is excellent for this. Other internet sites can also assist staff in their learning. In Sheffield we were lucky to have a room at the college where staff could go and ask the tutor.

What we did in Sheffield was to book 2 rooms per week for half a day for staff to come along. These sessions proved very successful, we had a lot of people coming along to them. PCS have got a contract with DWP to allow staff up to 30 hours for any skills for life activity.

17) As with the screenings you will again 2 weeks before need email the invite out for the national tests.

PCS union learning training invitation
Skills for life - national test

Date Thursday 29 March 2007
Time
Venue Training Room 2, Hartshead, 3rd Floor

This is to confirm a place has been booked for your national test for skills for life. The tests are timed so can you please ensure you arrive on time.

Can you please arrive 10 minutes earlier to allow us to complete the paperwork with you.

Again you will need to then contact the provider to inform them who will be attending each test. This is really important this time because the examining board provides discs for each student with all of their information on so that the discs can be put into the laptops and the tests will be automatically set up for them including a password which the students will need to enter.

18) Again for the tests as you did for the screenings you will need to be present at the training room about 30 minutes before the staff arrive to meet the provider.

Remember to put out the laminates.

At the end of the tests the provider will then tell the student their results. If they have passed they do not need to do anything else. If they have failed their test you need to have a chat with them about maybe re-sitting the test or they might like to talk to the provider about extra help. This is up to you and how you want to do this.

19) In Sheffield we have been lucky to work with Sheffield Castle College, from doing this and having a strong relationship with them they offered us a room at the College and provided refreshments, for us to hold a presentation/celebration event for the students. We invited guest speakers along and other ULR’s from the region. We also had the district managers from Sheffield there to talk about the programme.

If you would like to talk to any of the Sheffield ULR’s about skills for life please contact us via email, we are:

Leigh.Waller@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk
Angela.Hadfield@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
Ian.K.Furness@thepensionservice.gsi.gov.uk
Richard.Boswell@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk
Robert.Carrack@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
Amy.Jones3@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Below are extracts taken from the intranet about skills for life and the skills pledge.

DWP commitment to its people

Government departments have joined forces to show their commitment to helping their staff to develop their skills.

Sixteen departments – including DWP – have signed a skills pledge to enable all their staff to achieve appropriate basic skills and at least a level 2 qualification (equivalent to five GCSEs A*-C or level two NVQ/SVQ). This was one of the key proposals in the recently published Leitch review of skills.

Permanent secretary, Leigh Lewis, who signed the pledge on behalf of DWP, said: “The success of DWP relies on our having the right people with the right skills to carry out our work and to meet future challenges. We have already shown our commitment to being at the forefront of the civil service by being the first department to remove any upper retirement age limit for our staff. Signing this pledge is another sign of our determination to be an exemplar employer within the civil service.”

The pledge is part of a continuous programme of work to co-ordinate skills development across government. Further work is planned over the coming months and details will be announced shortly.

Seven million people in England have problems with literacy or numeracy. In an age when information and knowledge has a profound effect on all our lives the ability to access, interpret and use information is essential to work and social life.

Skills for life, the government's strategy to improve adult literacy, numeracy skills and ICT (information communication technology) skills affects all of us in DWP. Many of our customers, and all of us employed in the public sector, count amongst priority groups for action. Skills for life are available for anyone within DWP who wants to improve existing skills or learn new ones. It is delivered through a process of work-based screening and government funded courses, and is fully supported by DWP management.