Quality Statement
The Prostart Quality Manual comprises of a Management System that has been produced to define the organisation and procedures through Policies that commit the company to standards of a high quality.
The Quality System consists of strategies, policies and processes, work instructions and working documents to ensure that all members of staff are aware of the requirements.
It is Prostart Limited's intention to become recognised as a centre of excellence as a Training Provider by implementing & maintaining this management system that is tested annually and assessed as part of the Self Assessment & Development process for the continuous improvement to the provision of service as described in the company 3 Year Business Plan.
The Management, Staff & Partners at Prostart aim to provide a high standard of service to all learners, so that they have the opportunity to develop to their full potential, supporting them in their employment, learning and everyday life.
The high standard of service is maintained by the quality and experience of the members of staff at Prostart.
Quality Procedures
To ensure continuous improvement we have a set of quality assurance and improvement procedures that concentrate on the key learning processes of our quality assurance framework.
All of our quality assurance arrangements are designed to bring about a consistent approach to quality assurance rather than just quality compliance. Our aim is to make these arrangements simplistic so as not to over burden staff whose time is best spent with the learner.
Responsibilities
The responsibility for quality and implementation of Company Policies and Quality Procedures rests with all employees with the following staff having particular responsibilities:-
Managing Director - Denise Newcomb is responsible for the strategic management of the company, the operational decisions for allocations of resources, the appointment, discipline and welfare of staff, determining the company's activities and services. Assuring quality processes through reports from managers of departments from their observations and feedback.
Financial Director - Colin Elliott is responsible for ensuring all aspects of the management of the business finances and the staff payroll.
Quality & Contractual Manager - Maria Pannullo is responsible for ensuring the company's compliance with Government funded contracts, advising staff on provision of learning contract requirements to satisfy the prerequisite of the funding body and the quality system. Assisting the Managing Director with reviewing quality procedures, through collation of Key findings and evaluation of observations, feedback from sub-contractors, staff, employers and learners, data analysis and evaluation reports. Responsible for the Management Information Officer /Centre Co-ordinator and the Equal Opportunities Officer/Quality Reviewer.
Work Based Learning Manager - Sam Beard is responsible for co-ordinating the Assessor Team to manage timely and accurate delivery of NVQ's and Frameworks. Carrying out 1-1 bi-monthly meetings with staff and organising team meetings and giving feedback to the Management team and Managing Director.
Assessor - Carry out assessment and training with a portfolio of candidates
Lead IV - for IT and Functional Skills.
Training Manager - Eve Adams is responsible to the Quality Assurance Manager to manage the timely and accurate delivery of Personal/Skills for Life Training for Foundation learners through tutor and assessment input in line with the Company Quality Procedures ensuring information advice and guidance is given to learners accordingly. To dedicate set time for counselling requirements of staff and learners and represent learners as the social exclusion officer as and when required. Carrying out 1-1 bi-monthly meetings with staff and organising team meetings and giving feedback to the Management team and Managing Director.
Business Development Manager - Claire Bates is responsible for managing the marketing plan and coordinating the Recruitment Team to ensure that information advice and guidance is given to learners accordingly, starts are recruited in line with targets and the necessary paperwork is completed. Carry out 1-1 bi-monthly meetings with staff and organising team meetings and giving feedback to the Management team about progress towards targets.
Lead IV- Tracy Brown is responsible for carrying out assessment and training with a portfolio of candidates and lead internal verifier for retail, warehousing & management.
Lead IV - Dawn Bridgett is responsible for carrying out assessment and training with portfolio of candidates and lead internal verifier for Business Administration and Customer Service.
Lead IV - Claire Loosemore is responsible for carrying out assessment and training with portfolio of candidates and lead internal verifier for Sales, Telesales and Contact Centres.
Tutors /Assessors /Training Officers - are responsible to their Lead Internal Verifier in ensuring that the development/ action plans and targets of the company are met. Responsibilities for the learning processes are carried out according to the requirements of the awarding body, funding body and quality system through the Lead Internal Verifier's guidelines. Assessment Visits and reviewing progress of learners in employment or in centre. Identifying support needs, and arranging specialist support if required, teaching and assessing/training of learners. Contributing to and maximising employment opportunities as part of the assessment process and ensuring that all records and documentation are maintained and completely satisfy the requirements of the funding body and the quality system.
Recruitment/ Induction Officers - are responsible to the Business Development Manager in ensuring that the development action plans and targets of the company are met. The recruitment of learners through interviews as well as initial assessment of learners and placement of learners into employment; Carrying out induction of the learners to the programme which includes health and safety and equal opportunity training as well as quality reviews of learners. Vetting of the host companies quality health and safety systems. To ensure that all records and documentation are maintained accurately and completed to satisfy the requirements of the funding body and quality system.
Lead Internal Verifiers - are responsible for the quality of learning carried out in the company through observations, supportive actions and timely management of verification duties. Ensure workshops are managed and a level of standards produced to give consistency and quality of learning, carry out one-to-one meetings with the team of assessors and give support as and when required. Keep up-dated with awarding body initiatives and contribute to the continual improvement of company procedures. Work with the External Verifiers in raising the quality standards of the qualification process. To ensure that all records and documents are maintained accurately and completed to satisfy the awarding body, funding body and quality systems.
Health & Safety Advisor - Steve Kitchingham reports to the Managing Director in his capacity of Health & Safety Advisor and has responsibility for vetting and advising host companies with regards to the 'safe learner concept'. Keeping up dated with new legislation and circulating information to the all staff and delivering Health & Safety training to learners.
Equal & Diversity Group - led by Paula Vaughan is responsible to the Quality & Contractual Manager for analysis of the Equality and Diversity data. To evaluate the effectiveness of company measures in reaching profiled targets. Keeping up dated with new legislation and circulating information to staff and delivering Equality and Diversity training to staff and learners.
Safeguarding Officers - Paula Vaughan and Eve Adams are responsible to the Managing Director for ensuring that safeguarding policies and procedures are embedded in the organisation. Maintaining the safeguarding systems and reporting any safeguarding issues to the safeguarding board and other relevant authorities. Keeping up dated with new legislation and circulating information to staff and delivering Safeguarding training to staff.
Division of Quality System
The Quality Policies - this is the manual of policies for the quality assurance of company systems and is kept on the shared drive on the computer network system. This is protected by a password; access on a read only basis is available to all staff. A hard copy of each document is kept in the Master file. Up-dates are made to the main copy and this is disseminated through team meetings. Anyone taking photo-copies of the main copy will be responsible for ensuring that they are in possession of the latest issue.
The Quality Manual - this manual is a combination of the processes, work instructions and working documents for the quality assurance of company systems and is kept on the shared drive on the computer network system and are write protected. Access on a read only basis is available to all staff. A hard copy of each document is kept in the Master file. Up-dates are made to the main copy and this is disseminated through team meetings. Anyone taking photo-copies of the main copy will be responsible for ensuring that they are in possession of the latest issue.
The Management Information System (PICs) - this is an electronic operating system that holds all information of learners on programme, the contract details and funding values. It has the ability to analyse information and can be manipulated to produce statistics on specific areas to give key findings for evaluation of company performance.
Related Documents
Programme Policies
These are the underpinning policies of the company and give the overall strategies and ethos that is upheld by Management and Staff.
Process Flowcharts
These are individual flowcharts that contain an overall framework of the quality assurance strategy and give an overall picture of the Learning Processes.
Quality Assurance Work Instructions
These are working instructions that give guidance to the learning processes of the company. These processes are controlled through internal audits and management review. The processes are broken down to detail the arrangements that will adequately cover the whole of the process that they are part of.
Self Assessment Annual Cycle
The company has a cycle of scheduled events throughout the year that set out activities to be performed and those responsible for the actions. The events can then be checked at each stage to ensure completion of the Self Assessment and Development Plan is on target. The Self Assessment measures the quality assurance system and is used for development strategies.
Quality Assurance Evaluation Reports
The company has a schedule of evaluative reports based on analysis of data. The findings of these reports directly inform the Self Assessment Report and Quality Improvement Plan and the 3 year Business Development Plan targets.
Quality Standardisation of observation of process
The company schedules observations of all staff to ensure the quality of work is to a quality standard and identify areas for improvement.
This policy is reviewed annually by the Quality and Contractual Manager