INFORMATION, ADVICE AND GUIDANCE (IAG) POLICY 

This Policy should be read in conjunction with other ELC policies and procedures including: the Equality and Diversity Policy, Data Protection Policy and Safeguarding Children and Adults Policy. ELC Vision and Values for IAG The ELC aims to provide high quality, impartial, information, advice and guidance services which promote the value of learning to learners of the training centre, prospective learners of the centre and employers or other organisations representing current or prospective learners. The IAG services support the ELC values in that its staff are passionate about education & enabling our learners to reach their potential. The staff involved in IAG seek especially to develop the self-esteem and self-confidence of students. We share with the rest of the ELC our belief that every individual should be treated with courtesy and fairness and we respect the rights and beliefs of each other, regardless of gender, marital status, age, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or position within the organisation. We value new ideas and approaches and seek new opportunities and solutions to meeting the IAG needs and demands of our learners, employers and the local community whilst supporting national and regional education and economic strategies. We seek to encourage and celebrate creativity and to be supportive of innovation, learning from all that we do. We believe that our staff and learners should work in an environment of friendliness, with a clear sense of purpose to achieve our mission and realise our vision. Learner Entitlement The ELC is committed to create an IAG experience for the learners that is: 

▪Outstanding and delivered in an excellent environment

▪Aspirational, designed to inspire and motivate

▪Personalised to suit the student

▪Planned to guide students on to the right courses and to support and stretchthem

▪Developing self-confidence

▪Coaching them to be successful and progress on to their next steps

All clients that use the IAG at the ELC, i.e. learners, prospective learners and other stakeholders, are entitled to a service that is: 1. Accessible and VisibleAccess to IAG should be free from direct or indirect discrimination. Services should be recognised and trusted by clients, have convenient range of entry points from 

which clients may be signposted or referred to the services they need, and be open at times and in places which suit clients’ needs. So, IAG is provided on the the ELC website, in the ELC’s prospectuses and marketing material and is available free of charge to any individual on request. 2. Professional and KnowledgeableIAG frontline staff should have the skills and knowledge to identify the client’s needs quickly and effectively. They should have the skills and knowledge either to address the client’s needs or to signpost or to refer them to suitable alternative provision. The learning and development needs of each of the IAG services is identified during the business planning and staff appraisal processes, alongside national priorities. The identified needs include professional and subject updating via long and short external courses and conferences, leadership and management, employability skills and other developmental activities. 3. ImpartialClients have the right to information, advice and guidance that is impartial, unbiased and realistic. Where appropriate, referrals will be made to external agencies. 4. IntegratedLinks between IAG services should be clear from the clients’ perspective, regardless of the programme or location of their study. Where necessary, clients will be supported in their transition between services. 5. Aware of, and responsive to DiversityThe range of IAG services should reflect the diversity of clients’ needs and reflect both clients’ present and future needs. 6. EnablingEnquirers, learners, parents, employers, staff and partners should be able to make informed choices about ways in which the ELC can meet their individual training and development needs. IAG services should encourage and support clients to become lifelong learners by enabling them to access and use information to plan their careers, supporting clients to explore the implications of both learning and work in their future career plans. 7. Patient, Friendly and WelcomingIAG services should encourage clients to engage successfully with the service. Clients are made aware of this entitlement through the ELC website, prospectus and online course platforms. IAG Delivery This policy applies to all enquiring, enrolled and past learners at the ELC. For the purposes of this policy the term Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) is used as an umbrella term to denote a range of guidance activities and processes. 

The following definitions have been used: 

Information – Information is data on opportunities conveyed through different media, both mediated and unmediated including face-to-face contact, written/printed matter, telephone help lines, ICT software, and websites. 

Advice – this involves: 

helping a learner understand and interpret information 

providing information and answers to questions and clarifying misunderstandings 

understanding their circumstances, abilities and targets 

advising on options or how to follow a given course of action 

identifying needs – signposting and referring learners who may need more in-depth guidance and support. 

Advisory work is usually provided on a one-to-one basis but may also be in groups. 

Guidance – aims to support learners to: 

better understand themselves and their needs 

confront barriers to understanding, learning and progression 

resolve issues and conflicts 

develop new perspectives and solutions to problems 

be able to better manage their lives and achieve their potential. 

Guidance may also involve advocacy on behalf of some learners and referral for specialist guidance and support. This involves more in-depth one-to-one work by guidance trained staff. The ELC’s curriculum includes several elements that relate to IAG including, soft skills development relating to providing Coaching and Training, preparation for interviews and safeguarding. In line with the IAG defined above, the ELC will provide assistance relating to: 

the range of support available at the training centre fees and other financial charges associated with a course of study financial assistance available to support those in education and training course entry criteria, qualifications, accreditation and modes of study, equipment, and materials which the learner must provide impartial careers advice and guidance personal goals, aspirations and motivation while on course guidance to its current learners to discuss progression 

The college works collaboratively with a range of providers within the UK and Internationally to enhance its curriculum offer to students. The ELC is committed to developing quality IAG provision in agreement with its partners, to ensure that consistency of delivery ensures all learners receive impartial, high quality IAG. 

Information on courses is provided by IAG staff. Where the ELC does not have the information, the IAG staff will seek the information on behalf of the individual, or provide the individual with the name and contact details of the organisation, who will have the information being requested. Advice provided is impartial and confidential, to enable learners and potential learners to make informed choices as to the most appropriate route for their personal and career development. Guidance is provided by fully trained competent staff and potential and current learners can see an advisor face-to-face, telephone or written format. The ELC promotes and supports equality of opportunity and wherever possible the ELC will seek to provide information in a format which suits the needs of the individual. The ELC Objectives below are as follows: 

1.Increase the numbers of queries and applications which lead to enrolments2.Increase client satisfaction with the IAG received from ELC3.Improving College Retention, Success and Achievement rates and measure the impact of the IAG services on these.4.Improve the percentage of students that positively progress to the Coaching and Trainer Awards, after receiving IAG at the ELC5.Monitor and ensure equality of access to impartial IAG for the diverse groups of learners at the ELC6.Widen the range of appropriate partners and external agencies with which the ELC IAG services work7.Continually update and improve the staff training and resources to provide up-to-date, impartial and effective IAG for clients.

Assessment Review and Evaluation To ensure a high quality of IAG service, the ELC will evaluate its provision to ensure that: 

▪the information, advice and guidance services are delivered in accordance withthe this IAG Policy.

▪the IAG standards are delivered in accordance with this IAG policy and ascontained within the Matrix Quality Standard.

•any learner or potential learner with an identified disability will be provided withappropriate support to enable access to IAG services.

The ELC continues to have the MATRIX standard kite mark for IAG and we review and evaluate our service to achieve the 3 year re-accreditation. Impact data for IAG is collected in a number of ways including data on the performance of students who receive IAG, employer and learner feedback (to check on learner satisfaction after interviews) and also a number of surveys to capture the views of learners so we can compare year on year. This information feeds into the ELC’s self-assessment process at the end of the year. 

Policy Reviewed Feb 2023