On the 1st of October the new National Careers Service contract will start. Previously led by GMCP, the new contract will be overseen by Manchester based company, Economic Solutions.
The main aim of the new look National Careers Service is ‘inspiring people to make better informed career choices, lifting their aspirations and making learning and work choices which reflect these aspirations’. This shift is designed to foster a more experiential service for customers.
There are a number of changes to the delivery of the service, driven by the government’s ‘digital by default’ strategy. Contractors are expected to promote the National Careers Service digital offer, making use of existing and emerging technology to deliver the service to customers.
The current CRM system will be replaced by ‘ESyNCS’; a bespoke system that has been designed in house by Economic Solutions to best fit the core competencies of the service. All staff delivering on the National Careers Service contract will be trained on this system over the forthcoming weeks. (Please see your Line Manager for more details).
The introduction of a regional telephone service will replace the current arrangements with BSS. Calls taken by the national contact centre will be forwarded onto area between the hours of 8am and 6pm.
The Skills Action Plans remain, but they will play a different role as of 1st October. Under the current GMCP led contract, payment is given upon generation of SAPs with each customer being entitled to three action plans within a moving 12 month window. As of the 1st October customers accessing the service will still be entitled to three interactions as part of a 12 month window; measured as Customer Satisfaction Outcome, Career Management Outcome and Jobs/Learning Outcome.
The Customer Satisfaction Outcome will be claimed after an SAP is produced. The outcome will be triggered by the customer, who will need to agree that they have received a minimum of 3 out of 9 possible satisfaction criteria. This outcome will usually be as a result of the first contact with a customer, and will therefore start the 12 month window.
The Career Management Outcome can be claimed provided that the customer is demonstrably managing their career prospects as a result of interacting with an adviser.
The Jobs/Learning Outcome can be claimed as part of the customer’s journey through employment or educational course. Employment must be for a minimum of 16 hours per week and sustained for a minimum of 13 weeks. Educational courses must be for a minimum of 4 hours per week and last for a minimum period of 3 months.
A Q&A section has been set up on the Intranet – under the National Careers Service section. Here you will find answers to questions already asked and you can also post questions which will be answered promptly by the National Careers Service contract team.
