Auditing the supply of learning

In the Spring of 2004, CRG Research Ltd - in association with Miller Research UK Ltd and Dateb – was commissioned by the former National Council for Training and Education for Wales (ELWa) to undertake a project designed to support ELWa in developing its thinking about the method of assessing the supply of learning.

Particular value was expected to come from an appropriate model in an era where considerable changes were already apparent, both within ELWa and amongst its partners. In particular, ELWa’s single National Planning Framework and Funding System (NPFS), then under active development, was expected to lead to much more overt decision making and clarity in choosing the most appropriate and cost-effective learning routes. The emerging Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are also expected to be leading to much more informed and strategic questioning of previous arrangements in relation to the supply of learning. For example, the emerging Sector Skills agreement between ELWa and pathfinder SSCs include an assessment of current provision of learning for their respective sectors. Many providers of learning (in particular Further Education colleges) had rapidly increased their capacity for structured planning and analysis of issues like competitive advantage and probable future demands for learning over recent years: again, an effective audit of supply framework was expected to support this activity, leading to overall quality and cost-effectiveness gains.