Resources

NEW EXCELLENCE GATEWAY LAUNCHED BY LSIS

On February 1 2012, the Excellence Gateway transformed. As a result of conversations with a whole range of people working across the FE and skills sector, the new Excellence Gateway is faster, simpler, more effective with redesigned navigation and improved search technology. These innovations, together with a sleeker look and feel, have enabled the team at LSIS to develop a site that is truly fit for the future.

If you are already registered, your membership to the new Excellence Gateway will be automatically transferred, although you may wish to take note of any bookmarks you have made.  Membership of the new Excellence Gateway will mean that you can join in the conversations on the new forums and set up your own workrooms to support projects and discussions that you're involved with.  The forums and workrooms will continue on the existing Excellence Gateway for a while before you are asked to transfer your conversations.

The team at LSIS are really excited by the new Excellence Gateway and they are very much looking forward to hearing what you think too; web.services@lsis.org.uk

The new Excellence Gateway - discover what's in it for you; www.excellencegateway.org.uk

New literacy, language and numeracy kit for third sector

LSIS has developed a new toolkit, designed to support voluntary and community organisations to respond to the literacy, language, communication and numeracy skills needs of their service users, staff and volunteers. The TSNLA and other third sector organisations were involved in road testing this toolkit.

 The toolkit is directed mainly to those voluntary and community organisations which are not currently mainstream providers of education and training, and whose specialism's are outside the formal education sector.

The features of the toolkit provide guidance and resources which will help you to:

• explore how Literacy, Language and Numeracy can help the people in your organisation achieve their goals;
• review your organisation's starting points, including recognising what contribution you already make to this agenda;
• create an action plan suited to your organisation;
• use some of the tools and ideas available to develop your practice;
• where relevant, to start formalising provision by providing accredited courses;
• see how this work links with other policies and priorities relevant to you.

Further information can be found on the Excellence Gateway. 

Supporting independent training providers in collaborative contracting

LSIS is running a series of online seminars designed to cover the issues facing partnerships and providers working in new collaborative contracting arrangements, resulting from the introduction of the Skills Funding Agency's minimum contract level. 

Sessions will feature provider case-studies and an expert panel, including the Skills Funding Agency, sector membership bodies and LSIS advisers, and will cover areas such as:

• collaborative self-assessment;
• planning and performance management; and
• communications and marketing   

Each of the sessions will last an hour and will be held online -for further information, visit the  Excellence Gateway and Register for our events.  

LSIS new Lead Provider Framework 

LSIS are creating a Lead Provider framework and are now recruiting high performing organisations from the further education and skills sector. Providers that are listed on the Framework will be given opportunities to support LSIS funded improvement activity in a number of priority areas. Applications to tender are invited from lead providers who are capable of undertaking projects as described within the invitation-to-tender specification document. 

The Learning and Skills Improvement Service:

"The Learning and Skills Improvement Service is the sector-owned body that aims to accelerate the drive for excellence in the learning and skills sector, building the sector's own capacity to design, commission and deliver improvement and strategic change." 

http://www.lsis.org.uk/Pages/default.aspx 

The Excellence Gateway

"The Excellence Gateway is the first port of call for finding advice, resources and support for the day-to-day work in the learning and skills sector. With online access to an unrivalled breadth of resources, it provides inspiration for innovation, allows the sharing of good practice with fellow practitioners and gives you access to sector support services and programmes to assist you in your role and your provision. The Excellence Gateway is for everyone working in the wider learning and skills sector in England."

http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/