The Training Quality Standard represents a commitment to a journey of continuous improvement and innovation. Assessment against the Standard makes up one part of this wider journey, but one that will be valuable for any organisation looking to challenge its thinking about the way it delivers training and development.

For many organisations, the decision to seek assessment will be driven by a desire to achieve Training Quality Standard certification, as a mark they wish to benefit from. But although certification is one of the potential outcomes of assessment, it isn’t the main benefit it offers. For many organisations, certification will be an aspiration for the future, rather than something to expect immediately - for these organisations, assessment will be a check on progress, and a guide to some of the possible directions for their future improvement.

TQS Benefits and Links with other Key Policy Areas

• Informing Employer Choice in a demand led system

  In a truly demand led system employers will be free to choose where they purchase their training and development solutions. It is, therefore, important to ensure that employers recognise what TQS represents and what they can expect from a provider with TQS. The LSC is working with a range of stakeholders to ensure that providers with TQS are highlighted to employers as their preferred provider. The LSC is working on The Employer Guide to Training Providers to ensure that employers with TQS are 'flagged' as being highly responsive.

• Train to Gain

  As the Train to Gain service is enhanced for 2008/09 it is vital that the service continues to be high performing, helping employers identify and meet their skills needs. Providers with TQS will play a major role in further raising the credibility and equality of the Train to Gain service.

  Train to Gain Brokers have been made aware of providers with TQS and what this represents. These providers should be prioritised over those without the standard when referring new TTG business. The Employer Guide to Training Providers will link in with this when TQS providers will be flagged as preferred.

• National Apprenticeship Service

  As the apprenticeship programme expands TQS will play a major role in the delivery of responsive provision that meets the needs of the employer and the learner. Providers who have invested in a responsive infrastructure and excellence in vocational areas will drive the apprenticeship programme forward.

• Framework for Excellence

  The Framework for Excellence is an annual quantitative assessment of performance across all LSC funded providers. The Framework will provide an accurate, independent picture of the performance of the further education sector, validated and supported by published data.

  The evidence used to assess the employer views measure in the Framework will be based on a subset of the assessment criteria from TQS. Providers that achieve TQS for their whole organisation will automatically be rated outstanding across the whole Responsiveness to Employers KPA for the period for which TQS is awarded (three years).

  In a reciprocal arrangement, from summer 2010 any provider that is in scope for the Responsiveness to Employers KPA may need to achieve a rating of good or outstanding in this particular area before it can apply for TQS. This alignment means providers do not need to do both.

  Framework for Excellence evidence will be highly relevant to support an application for TQS, not least because the Frameworks Employer Views survey is based on elements of TQS.

  The operational relationship between TQS and Framework for Excellence was agreed by Ministers in March 2007 and published in the Framework for Excellence provider guides in July 2007 and July 2008.

  Capital skills prospectus: implementing the key priorities of building colleges for the future

  The LSC Capital Strategy published in March 2008 had confirmed the intention to help drive increased specialisation among FE providers, and ensure that capital investment supports provision to address identified skills needs. Providers with TQS will have priority access to specialist capital funding. The capital prospectus states that 'colleges applying for capital funding will need to demonstrate their commitment to employer engagement. In most cases, colleges will need to show that, at the point of application, they have at least applied for TQS, and they must have achieved the TQS before funding is released. This requirement will apply to other providers of employer responsive provision as well.

• National Skills Academies

  The LSC is working with the new and emerging National Skills Academies so that they adopt TQS as their key quality criterion in selecting and working with provider partners. This will ensure that only the highest standard providers are part of the National Skills Academies networks.

  £30m Capacity Building Funds

  Use of capacity building funds for TQS certifications for providers delivering employer responsive provision

• Procurement Process

  The LSCs procurement process will recognise and acknowledge providers who have obtained TQS. As more and more provision moves to open and competitive tendering providers' with TQS will be exempt from some of the aspects of the procurement process.