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General - May 2008 ACE Monthly Report – Operations

1st May 2008

Regional Activities

Again concerns this month regarding low registrations across all regions due mainly to the reluctance from companies to pay the employer contribution. Registrations in May are predominantly in the midlands with Doosan Babcock and North East with ARC Training, in addition there have been a small number of registrations in Wales, Yorkshire & Humberside, Scotland and North West.

Feedback from all regions:

  • Huge demand for ACE from both Clients/Companies.
  • Clients/Companies not prepared to pay employer contribution.
  • Train to Gain funding available is far too complex to activate and all regions working with different guidelines/rules
  • Possible shortage of assessors however we currently have assessment centres ready to deliver ACE but are either unable to get direct Train to Gain contracts or can’t identify candidates with no prior qualifications so no employer contribution is required.
  • Slight concerns regarding low registrations/completions in Wales, currently targets not being met. A meeting has been arranged to discuss the issues in Wale and a plan will be put in place to resolve these issues.
  • Following a meeting with Training Provider TMS from the Midlands we have been informed they can deliver ACE assessments with no employer contribution. TMS are now working in Y&H and a vast increase in registrations will be reported next month.

Regional Account Managers are currently planning Regional ACE meetings during Regional Forums or directly after the forum.Yorkshire and Humberside held meeting on 15th May to discuss future regional ACE meetings. A new structure has been agreed and a regional meeting will be arranged shortly.North West regional ACE meeting will take place in the next 2/3 weeks.

ACE registrations in May = 53      Total registrations 456  

Train to Gain

New LSC funding guidelines have now been issued to training providers to tender for new contacts and will commence from the 1st August 2008.Training Providers have informed me the wording in the guidelines has changed, in the past were it has stated a mandatory employer contribution that will be audited has now been changed to an ‘’assumed’’ employer contribution. Training providers confident that from August they will not require any employer contribution. I am still trying to get written confirmation regarding these changes as the feedback from National LSC stated employers should be expected to pay a contribution to the cost of training/assessment in line with National LSC policy.

For latest information check www.traintogain.gov.uk

ACE Changes

New ACE charges being implemented as from 13th April 2008.

Approximately 80 registrations from the 13th April which have included the new assessment centre charges. Income generated will help pay for:

  • Website Update
  • New posters and fliers
  • Management and Administration of ACE Scheme
  • Future initiatives including Regional Competence Assurance Events

No major issues regarding charging structure, just one assessment centre not to happy, this is mainly down to the fact they can only activate the lower level of funding at this present time.

Website

Work on-going as there are a few changes required, a list of changes has been collated and the small number of changes will be completed shortly.Latest monthly reports available on website.

Marketing/Promotional Materials

Currently working on new promotional materials, A3 posters and A5 fliers are being designed to raise the profile of ACE within our industry. Various designs/quotes/text are on-going, mock ups and samples will be available for comment by ACE ISG members at the next meeting in June.

ACE/CSCS Affiliation (1st June 2008)

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) and the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) announced that the ECITB ACE card has become the latest affiliated scheme.

In a new agreement between the ECITB and CSCS, a joint Assuring Competence in Engineering Construction (ACE) and CSCS Card will be available to individuals who meet the competence and health & safety awareness requirement of both sectors/ schemes.

For a number of years now, skilled and competent craftsmen from the engineering construction industry have had difficulty in working on civil construction sites without being in possession of a CSCS card. This new affiliation will solve this problem and will allow personnel access to sites they would otherwise not be allowed to enter.

For more information visit:www.ace.uk.net/

Additional Information

  • Meeting planned in Y&H with 15 companies requiring ACE and TMS training provider from the Midlands who can deliver ACE assessments with no employer contributions.
  • Many Approved Centres report difficulty in recruiting assessors.
  • All major projects stating in Y&H, funding issues need to be resolved quickly in order to capture large numbers of registrations including many of the transient workforce.
  • Issues surrounding 17 ACE candidates from BNG and training provider NETA, Mark Bullock currently investigating the situation and will feedback accordingly.
  • On-going work with CITB to identify geographical location of potential ACE candidates.