Quality Assurance Policy

Aims

Optilearn aims to ensure that every learner that they work with enjoys a safe, enjoyable quality learning experience during their programme and achieves their full potential throughout every training experience. To support a positive learner experience, it is vital that the company is able to offer accredited qualifications that both learners and employers can trust. Learners and employers need to be assured that the recognition of individuals’ skills and knowledge can be regarded as valid, authentic, current and are based on reliable and sufficient evidence of competence: the company’s training and assessment and Quality assurance policy details how Optilearn provides such assurance.

Rationale

The company’s primary goal is to provide employers and learners with training that meets their needs. An outcome of successful training and development interventions can be the awarding of accredited PDUs and opportunities to sit an associated assessment. To be in a position to award these, the company has to work with awarding organisations (AOs) and demonstrate that it can meet their assessment and quality assurance requirements. To acquire approval with any awarding organisation, a prerequisite is that the company has a documented quality training policy.

Principles

Quality Assurance covers all aspects of the learning experience and the procedures should be an effective blend of development, support and compliance checks. Optilearn wants every learner to have a meaningful and valid learning experience and this means that the qualifications standards in terms of delivery, assessment, quality assurance must be met at all times with every learner. Quality assurance is about developing excellence in provision and improving the delivery of all personnel involved in programme delivery. Quality assurance looks to share best practice; offer recommendations for improvement and monitor performance to ensure that staff are supported to deliver a service that is attuned to the needs of their learners and employers that they work with. Quality assurance has to identify and act on performance that requires development and ensure that at all times that the integrity of any qualification delivery is maintained. Quality assurance activities protect the company’s reputation as a consistent, reliable provider of vocational training and to this end; quality assurance will evaluate the company’s performance against every aspect of the learner journey/experience.

Arrangements

The Quality assurance system in place for qualification registration, delivery, assessment, testing and quality assurance includes the following;

• An appropriate induction programme, that provides members of staff with information and guidance to support them in meeting the essential requirements of their given job roles.
• In order to remain compliant it is important that we are adhering to the individual Awarding Organisations policy/procedure in regard to registering learners. – A regular review of all activities associated with the learning experience, to include a monitoring of all aspects of the programme from pre-selection of learners to completion of their programmes and further progression. Ensuring learning needs are met and supported and where applicable learning support planning and delivery is monitored, developed and enhanced
• Observation of teaching, learning and assessment, the company has a set training programme and undertakes planned observations.
• Any conflict of interest for any staff member needs to be notes, recorded and discussed with an impartial colleague. Conflict of interests can be defined as where there is a family member if close relationship that may indicate that he assessment or quality assurance processes could be bias. If for an example you are the sister of a learner assigned to you, you would be required to declare that relationship to the company and it would be their decision as to what action was deemed as necessary to guarantee parity of treatment. In some cases this will mean the re-assigning of learners.
• Malpractice is a very serious offence and where proven will result in immediate sanctions, disciplinary action and possible dismissal and notification to the relevant awarding organisation, notifying them of the malpractice and action taken. Malpractice is the term applied to any intentional and planned act to alter a quality assurance decision by changing/removing/not recording accurately or augmenting information.