Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd - Ofsted · Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd. (SSL) is part of J. Sainsbury plc, one of the ... The company has work-based assessors and internal verifiers

T R A I N I N G S T A N D A R D S C O U N C I L

I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T O C T O B E R 1 9 9 9

Sainsbury’sSupermarkets Ltd

I N S P E C T I O N R E P O R T : S A I N S B U R Y ’ S S U P E R M A R K E T S L T D .O C T O B E R 1 9 9 9

Training Standards Council

SUMMARY

Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd. offers good training to retail trainees who are highlymotivated and enjoy well-planned on- and off-the-job training. Equality ofopportunity is strongly promoted throughout the organisation. The company’sequal opportunities policy is written in clear, understandable language. Traineesreceive a satisfactory level of support throughout their training programme.Particularly good support is offered to trainees with disabilities. Communicationthroughout the organisation is good. Trainees are aware of how their trainingrelates to the company’s overall business objectives. Management informationsystems are, however, underdeveloped and there is a lack of clarity aboutindividual roles and responsibilities within the training process. Arrangements forreviewing the quality of training leading to NVQs are inadequate. Staff have,however, a strong commitment to improving the quality assurance of training.

GRADES

OCCUPATIONAL AREAS GRADE GENERIC AREAS GRADE

Retailing & customer service 2 Equal opportunities 1

Trainee support 3

Management of training 3

Quality assurance 4

KEY STRENGTHS

♦ well-planned training programmes

♦ highly motivated trainees

♦ excellent links between the on- and off-the-job training

♦ strong promotion of equality of opportunity throughout the organisation

♦ clear targets at national and local level to promote equality of opportunity

♦ high level of individual support for trainees

♦ effective internal communications

KEY WEAKNESSES

♦ some poor assessment practices

♦ ineffective initial assessment

♦ inadequate processes for reviewing trainees’ progress

♦ underdeveloped management-information systems

♦ unclear roles and responsibilities of training staff

♦ no central focus upon quality assurance of training

♦ no arrangements for reviewing the quality of training provision



INTRODUCTION

1. Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd. (SSL) is part of J. Sainsbury plc, one of thecountry’s leading retailers. J. Sainsbury operates three separate store chains and abank in the United Kingdom and a supermarket chain in the U.S.A. Through theseoperations, the company serves over 14.2 million customers each week. In March1997, Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd. was created as a separate group subsidiary. Itis the largest part of the Sainsbury’s group, serving over nine million customers aweek at 405 supermarkets throughout the United Kingdom. SSL employsapproximately 127,000 people. Of these, 70 per cent are employed on a part-timebasis. Women make up 65 per cent of the company’s employees. Currently 72 ofthe company’s stores and three central departments have gained the ‘Investors inPeople’ award. The rest of the company is seeking to achieve accreditation for thisby the end of the year 2000.

2. The company has a comprehensive range of training and developmentprogrammes available to employees. These cover both technical competency andskills training and are linked to performance management and career developmentstructures. SSL offers a range of programmes leading to national vocationalqualifications (NVQs) to its employees, including retail operations, administration,customer service and craft bakery, all at level 2. Structured training programmesinclude the retail training scheme (RTS), an NVQ programme and New Deal. Todate, over 3,000 employees have achieved an NVQ at level 2. A further 3,000 arecurrently following skills development programmes and are working to obtainvarious NVQs. Approximately 2 per cent of the employees on training programmesare funded through government training schemes, including RTS trainees, NVQtrainees aged between 18 and 24, and New Deal clients.

3. Stores are divided into five zones in order to facilitate management of the NVQprogrammes; a qualification adviser manages each zone. Store management teamscarry out assessment and internal verification. Plans are being implemented toensure that each store has three qualified assessors and one qualified internalverifier. The training and development department, based at Blackfriars, London, isresponsible for the central programme administration of all NVQ provision includingthe NVQ element of the New Deal scheme. The resourcing department, which isalso based at Blackfriars, has responsibility for the remainder of the New Dealprogramme. The RTS programme is currently being revised and there will be nofurther recruitment to the scheme in 1999. The company plans to replace thescheme with a national traineeship programme in May 2000.

4. The company works with the National Training Partnership (NTP) to obtaingovernment funding for trainees across the country. There are 25 training andenterprise councils (TECs) involved in funding trainees through this arrangement.The individual TECs are listed at the end of this report. During the inspection,SOLOTEC acted as co-ordinating TEC. There were 56 government-funded



trainees working towards NVQ level 2 in retailing at the time of inspection. Afurther four trainees were working towards an NVQ in administration at level 2 andfour trainees were working towards NVQs in bakery. There are seven New Dealclients. Sainsbury’s has a contract with the Employment Service under the largeorganisation element of New Deal.

5. There are 2.7 million people employed in the retail and customer service sectorsacross the country, of whom 50 per cent are employed as sales assistants. Thedistributive national training organisation predicts that there will be a huge growth inthe number of employment opportunities available in the sector until the year 2006.Many of these vacancies, however, will be for part-time and relatively low-paid,low-status work. There has been an increase in the number of men employed in theretail sector. This trend is predicted to continue for the next eight years. Sixteen percent of the workforce are aged between 16 and 19. Almost 13 per cent are agedbetween 20 and 24. There has been a decrease in the number of young peopleentering retail on a full-time basis at 16. In the retailing sector, there are 11,285people on government-funded training schemes. Almost 5 per cent of thoseemployed in retailing are from minority ethnic groups.



INSPECTION FINDINGS

6. The self-assessment report was originally prepared, prior to significant re-organisation within the company. New staff were appointed to the central trainingfunction and the roles and responsibilities of training staff based in the stores wereredefined. The company’s learning and education adviser prepared a new self-assessment report to reflect the revised organisational structures. She consultedwith the regional qualification advisers and colleagues based in the stores to ensurethat the report accurately identified current practice. Staff from NTP providedpractical assistance to the learning and education adviser to help her to prepare thereport and to collate the required statistical information for inspectors.

7. A team of seven inspectors spent a total of 28 days with the company inOctober 1999. They inspected the retailing programmes provided for government-funded trainees. Programmes leading to bakery and administration awards hadrecruited few trainees and were not inspected. Inspectors visited 23 stores andinterviewed 29 employees on government-funded training programmes, including 2New Deal clients. Inspectors interviewed 22 store personnel and 40 training staffwho were directly involved in NVQ assessment and verification. They observedseven assessments, one action-planning session and one training session. Allmembers of the inspection team spent time at the training department’s head officein London, where they spoke to staff and examined awarding body and companydocuments. Inspectors agreed with most of the strengths and weaknesses identifiedin the self-assessment report. The inspection team identified additional strengths.Inspectors agreed with the grades proposed by the company for trainee support andmanagement of training. Higher grades were awarded for the retail sector andequal opportunities. Inspectors awarded a lower grade for quality assurance. In itsaction plan the company outlined key areas for future development.

Grades awarded to instruction sessions

GRADE 1 GRADE 2 GRADE 3 GRADE 4 GRADE 5 TOTAL

Retailing & customer service 4 4 1 9

Total 0 4 4 1 0 9

OCCUPATIONAL AREAS

Retailing & customer service Grade 2

8. SSL has 56 government-funded trainees working towards NVQ level 2 in retailoperations. Of these, 36 are on the company’s retail training scheme, which is abroad programme of training designed to develop the young person for a careerwithin the stores. The programme includes planned off-the-job training and a one-



week residential course in addition to the NVQ. The remaining 20 trainees arecompany employees who are under 25 years old and eligible for government-fundedtraining. They form part of a group of 1,954 employees drawn from across thecompany, who are working towards NVQs as part of the company’s overalltraining programme. There are a further seven trainees on the subsidisedemployment option of the New Deal scheme. Each of these trainees selects twounits from the retailing NVQ level 2 to work towards as part of their New Dealprogramme. The company employs all trainees.

9. Trainees attend off-the-job training sessions in designated stores. They areallocated time to work on their NVQ portfolios during working hours in their homestore. The company has work-based assessors and internal verifiers in each store.They, in turn, are supported by teams of trainer/assessors, managed by qualificationadvisers, who work across specified geographical zones. A typical zone has 118stores, four trainer/assessors and one qualification adviser. SSL has 339 qualifiedwork based assessors and 80 qualified internal verifiers. The company usuallyrecruits department managers to become assessors and store or personnelmanagers to become internal verifiers. At the time of inspection, there were anadditional 1,289 staff undertaking training to become assessors and 328 stafftraining as internal verifiers. The company aims to have a maximum ratio of fivetrainees to one work-based assessor. The NVQ achievement rates of government-funded trainees are satisfactory although they have declined over the last threeyears. In the last three contractual years, the proportions of trainees who achievedNVQs were 56 per cent, 55 per cent and 51 per cent, respectively.

10. The company’s self-assessment findings on this occupational area focus ondescribing the NVQ process rather than the trainees’ experience on the trainingprogramme. A number of strengths cited in the report were more relevant to thegeneric aspects of provision. Inspectors found strengths, not identified by thecompany, in the way that training was clearly related to NVQ specifications andstandards. Inspectors largely agreed with the weaknesses listed in the self-assessment report. The company, however, had failed to acknowledge thesignificance of weaknesses in the NVQ assessment process. Inspectors awarded ahigher grade than that given in the self-assessment report.

STRENGTHS

♦ trained coaches for on-the-job training

♦ well-planned training programmes

♦ close links between theory and practice

♦ good learning resources

♦ well-motivated trainees

♦ trainees’ high levels of occupational competency

♦ trainees’ skill in identifying assessment opportunities

♦ good opportunities for trainees’ career progression



WEAKNESSES

♦ no summative training plans for individual trainees

♦ some poor assessment practice

♦ some trainees’ slow progress

11. SSL demonstrates a clear commitment to training. Trainees are trained to ahigh standard of retail operation. Senior staff are trained in coaching skills whichthey use to good effect for on-the-job training. Other staff are trained to provideoff-the-job training sessions to employees at each store. Staff who have beentrained to coach and train in the stores are issued with company training licenceswhich are renewed on a yearly basis by the training and personnel managers.Renewal of licences is carried out through a process of observation and evaluationof performance. It is intended that this process should occur regularly. In somestores, however, it has lapsed and managers have fallen behind with theirschedules. Where appropriate, department managers act as both coach andassessor to the trainees. They plan the on-the-job training to ensure that it relates tothe competencies specified in the NVQ units. Trainees are given good opportunitiesto apply the knowledge and skills acquired during their training, in the workplace. Ifthe assessor is not based in the trainee’s department, the trainee’s line managertakes on the responsibility of ensuring that the on-the-job training enables the traineeto make progress towards achievement of the NVQ. Trainees are able to makelinks between their on- and off-the-job training. In turn, they can see the relevanceof both their on- and off-the-job training to the specifications of their NVQ.

12. All trainees on the retail training scheme spend time in each department of thestore. They gain a broad base of experience, which is used as a foundation for theirNVQ training. Off-the-job training is well-planned. It aims to help trainees tounderstand key areas of both retailing and their NVQs. Skilled trainers use a rangeof methods to help trainees to participate fully in the training sessions that coverareas such as security, customer care, retail legislation and health and safety.Within the stores, a good variety of learning resources are used. These includevideos, useful and well-written learning packs, modern till-training equipment, stillscameras and up-to-date display equipment. In most stores, trainees have access tocomputers for producing written work. Training takes place in the stores and insome cases, the rooms available for training are not conducive to a good learningexperience for the trainees, being too small and lacking natural light. In addition totheir in-store training, trainees on the retail training scheme are also taken on visitsto supplier depots and have a week-long residential programme aimed at developingtheir team-working skills. In one zone, the trainer/assessors have worked withtrainees to help them apply the skills they have developed during the residentialprogramme, to the workplace. During inspection, trainees were able to cite howwhat they had learnt had helped them in their work roles.

13. Assessment is well-planned. Trainees indicate when they feel that they haveacquired the competencies that are to be assessed. In most cases, they complete



and sign a checklist of competencies, which is then presented to the assessor, alongwith supporting evidence. Trainees take the initiative in requesting to be observedcarrying out planned tasks in the workplace. Assessors and line managers usuallyrespond promptly to the trainees’ requests. Trainees show a clear understanding ofthe requirements of their NVQ and the assessment process. They demonstratecontrol over their learning and that they are making progress towards obtaining theirNVQ.

14. Trainees display a high level of competence in their job roles. They are givenresponsibility early on in their programme. This boosts their confidence andmotivates them to succeed. Trainees are further motivated by the valuable supportthey receive from managers, assessors and from one another. They receive goodguidance from assessors when carrying out effective action. They produceportfolios of a high standard, which contain good work products, written projectsand assignments, and diverse evidence, such as photographs of store displays thatthey have planned and constructed.

15. Personnel and training managers maintain a close interest in trainees’ progress.They monitor the trainees’ progress reviews and give trainees advice and guidanceon career progression. When recruiting personnel for trainee management positions,SSL has a policy of giving preference to trainees who have obtained an NVQ inretail. A high percentage of trainees are being developed for positions as traineemanagers and a significant number of department managers within the stores, weresuccessful in obtaining an NVQ in retail.

16. The training department has developed a series of operational checklists, whichdetail the elements of on-the-job training. Trainees use them to identify areas whichthey need further training. Department managers then plan the training to takeaccount of the trainees’ requirements. This checklist system is new and its use isnot yet an established part of the planning process. Where it has been implemented,trainees have benefited from having a clear picture of where their own trainingneeds lie. There is a comprehensive system for setting targets for trainees. Targetscover NVQ units to be achieved and workplace objectives to be met. At a locallevel, assessors monitor trainees’ progress towards meeting targets for achievingNVQ units. They then update wall charts kept in the stores. In some stores, thesecharts are not kept up-to-date and there is no overall picture of trainees’ progress.Currently, trainees are confused through having a different set of training plans fordifferent parts of their programme. Trainees and those supporting them have to siftthrough a number of different documents to make sense of their overall targets.There is no overall plan for each individual that pulls together all elements of theirtraining programme. This is not the case for New Deal clients who have a detailedtraining plan. This plan, however, is not differentiated to reflect the needs ofindividual clients, and it is not reviewed or updated.

17. In general, the assessment process is sound, but some poor practice occurs. Instores where new assessors are still working towards their assessor awards, thereare no arrangements to ensure that another qualified assessor countersigns their



assessment decisions. Observed assessments are poorly recorded. Often thetrainees record what they have done and the assessor signs their statement if theyagree with it. In some instances, the assessor writes a description of what was seenand signs it. In some stores, staff are unsure of the difference between the witnesstestimonies given by other managers and observed assessments undertaken byassessors. Assessors often do not record which criteria the trainee has met duringthe observation. Witness testimonies are frequently given but it is difficult toestablish how reliable and accurate they are.

18. Whilst the majority of trainees make steady progress towards achieving theirNVQ, some trainees find that their progress is hindered by a number of factors,such as the postponement of on-the-job training, sometimes for no apparent reason.Pressure of work sometimes prevents trainees from being allowed the allocatedtime to work on their portfolios. It can also prevent managers from being availableto assist the assessment process. In some stores, there is a lack of assessors andtrainees have not been assessed promptly or regularly. In some instances, there hasbeen a lack of internal verifiers to verify the assessment that has been carried out.The extent and rate of trainees’ progress vary considerably from store to store.

GENERIC AREAS

Equal opportunities Grade 1

19. SSL has a clear commitment to the principles and promotion of equalopportunities. Policies are clearly defined and exceed TEC and awarding bodyrequirements. Procedures for promoting equal opportunities and for dealing withharassment, complaints and grievance are well documented. Trainees are treatedas members of staff and as such, are referred to as colleagues. The aim of thecompany is that all colleagues should be able to work in an environment free fromdiscrimination, harassment and bullying. All colleagues, job applicants, customersand suppliers should be treated fairly. Currently, 45 per cent of trainees are femaleand 55 per cent male. Two per cent of trainees are from minority ethnic groups. Notrainees are registered as having a disability.

20. The self-assessment report identified a number of strengths and fewweaknesses in this area. The text of the self-assessment was largely descriptive.The impact of policies and procedures was outlined in detail in more than onesection of the report. Inspectors awarded a higher grade than that given by thecompany.

STRENGTHS

♦ framing of equal opportunities and fair treatment policies in plain, understandablelanguage



♦ effective promotion of equal opportunities throughout the organisation

♦ clear targets at local and national level for recruitment and progression

♦ equality and diversity steering group

♦ confidential telephone counselling service available 24 hours a day for staff

♦ specialist training for staff

♦ sensitive implementation of staffing arrangements to meet individual needs

WEAKNESSES

♦ no comprehensive system for collecting and analysing data specific togovernment-funded trainees

21. Sainsbury’s equal opportunities policy is clearly detailed in plain user-friendlylanguage. It has been incorporated into the staff handbook, which is given to everymember of staff. There is a comprehensive leaflet entitled ‘it takes all sorts’ whichis a fair treatment guide for all staff. The leaflet explains what complaints,harassment, bullying, victimisation and discrimination are, and gives guidance on tohow to deal with issues that might arise under these headings. It also advertises the24-hour help-line that is available to staff. All trainees are issued with a copy of theleaflet, which is also displayed, with further details of the counselling service, on allstore notice boards. All documents dealing with equality of opportunity andapplication forms are available in Braille. The company states through all itsexternal advertising that it is an equal opportunities employer. Posters in stores andon staff notice boards, including those used for internal advertising, carry positiveimages which promote equality of opportunity.

22. The company sets targets for staff recruitment which reflect the profile of thelocal population from which customers are drawn. It aims to have at least the sameproportion of employees from minority ethnic groups as persons from these groupsin the local population. Nationally, the proportion of staff in the company fromminority ethnic groups is 10 per cent, and this figure compares with the proportionof persons from minority ethnic groups in the population of the United Kingdom is 6per cent. The company has identified however, that only 4 per cent of its staff atmanagement level are from minority ethnic groups.

23. All stores have a staff and trainee council. The council represents the variousfunctions within the store and meetings are timed so that night shift as well as dayshift personnel can attend them. Councils meet to discuss various issues andmanagement uses the opportunity to explain changes or developments that areoccurring within the company. When the equal opportunities policy was reviewedand updated in 1998, the councils were consulted. It was decided to rename theequality policy, the equality and diversity policy. The policy recognises the value ofthe different skills, views and approaches which colleagues bring to the business.An equality and diversity steering group was set up, which is chaired by a memberof the company’s board. The group looks at equality and diversity issues. It

GOOD PRACTICEThis is an example of thecompany’s sensitiveapproach to meeting theneeds of individuals.Interpreters are availableduring interviews ofprospective employeeswho have difficulty with theEnglish language.



identifies how the company can improve its promotion of equality and its nurturingof diversity. At the time of inspection, the group was looking at ways of tackling theunder-representation of people from minority ethnic groups in managementpositions. The company believes that whilst it is difficult to eradicate prejudice, it ispossible to make the behaviour of individuals more reasonable and rational througheducation. All staff from assistant departmental manager level and above have hadtraining related to equality and diversity. Department managers work closely withlocal community groups to identify specific needs within the local community. Thiswork has resulted in items to meet these needs being stocked by the local stores,and has also resulted in communities becoming more aware of employment andtraining opportunities within the company. The extent to which all staff feel theirdiversity is respected and they are treated equally and fairly, is closely monitoredthrough ‘Talkback’, the employee satisfaction survey, and by the company’s boardevery six months.

24. A free confidential help-line, run by an independent company is provided foremployees 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Staff can contact the helpline to talk inconfidence to a counsellor about equal opportunities issues. The helpline is providedfor those who feel unable to approach another Sainsbury’s employee with theirproblem. Data are collected three times a year and the number of calls received bythe help-line is monitored and the gender of the caller is noted. To date, 31 per centof calls have been made by men and 69 per cent by women.

25. Specialist training in working with people with disabilities is made widelyavailable to employees. There is general training for staff on the ‘helping hands’programme, which is a scheme that is designed to help customers with specialneeds, many who need assistance when they shop. Specific training is also availablewhen a particular need for it arises in a store. For example, a whole departmentwas given training in working with blind people because a new member of staffwas blind. After encountering a customer who could not make a signature, anotherstore has trained all checkout staff to help customers who need facilities wherebythey can thumbprint credit card transactions.

26. Staffing arrangements are sensitive to the needs of staff with religious andother cultural needs. Flexible working times can be organised and holidays forreligious festivals can be arranged at short notice. The company has three nurseriesfor children of staff; it also operates an employee assistance scheme to help withchild minding services. Prayer rooms are provided at all stores where required.

27. Data relating to equal opportunities are collected and monitored. There is,however, no comprehensive system for analysing these data. Trainees are treatedequally as employees and equal opportunities data relating specifically togovernment-funded trainees are not routinely collected. There is no process foridentifying trainees with special learning needs. Where such needs are identified,they are met. Their identification, however, is incidental rather than systematic.



Trainee support Grade 3

28. The company operates a thorough and comprehensive selection process.Following an initial review of applications, applicants are invited to undertakeselection tests to assess their motivation and to ascertain their perception ofeffective customer service. Those trainees who successfully complete these testsare invited to attend an interview with a departmental manager. During theinterview the applicant’s qualifications, interests and career aspirations arediscussed and any special needs identified. All trainees are employed by thecompany, have the same terms and conditions as other employees and are givenaccess to the full range of company benefits and incentives. At the start of theirtraining, all trainees undertake a comprehensive introductory training programmelasting eight weeks. The process gives trainees a clear understanding of their rightsand responsibilities, a general overview of the organisation and introduces them tothe work-based training programme they are about to undertake.

29. Inspectors agreed with most of the strengths and weaknesses cited in the self-assessment report but they considered some strengths to be no more than normalpractice. They found strengths and weaknesses the company had not identified.The self-assessment report had failed to acknowledge as a weakness, the poorarrangements for initial assessment. Inspectors awarded the same grade as thatgiven by the company.

STRENGTHS

♦ management’s commitment to helping trainees to succeed

♦ clearly designated staff responsibilities for particular aspects of trainees’ support

♦ comprehensive eight-week introductory training programme

♦ good support for trainees with disabilities

♦ additional training opportunities to complement NVQ programme

♦ celebration and publicising of trainees’ achievements

WEAKNESSES

♦ ineffective initial assessment

♦ inadequate process for reviews of trainees’ progress

♦ insufficient help and counselling for early leavers

30. Trainees are well supported throughout their training by SSL management andstaff, the majority of whom are highly committed to helping trainees to progress andachieve success. Significant investment has been made by the company during thepast two years in order to provide an infrastructure which enables trainees toreceive a comprehensive training programme and achieve their qualification aims.



The company is committed to ensuring that every store has three qualifiedworkplace assessors and one internal verifier. Currently, almost 1,600 branch staffare working towards their NVQ assessor/verifier qualifications. There is also a highlevel of commitment at a local level to supporting those on programmes and traineesare highly motivated and keen to succeed. However, some trainees stated that theyfound it difficult to find time to get away from their place of work for reviews andassessments and were not given sufficient time to work on their NVQ portfolioduring normal working hours. A recent survey also indicated that 58 per cent ofworkplace assessors also felt they had insufficient time to carry out their roles.Branch staff have designated responsibilities for particular aspects of traineesupport. At the start of their training, trainees in some stores are teamed up with a‘guardian’. The guardian is normally a colleague at the same level who will providefriendship and support during the early stages of the training. Many line managersare either qualified assessors, or working towards their assessor award. Theyclearly understand the NVQ requirements and provide a mentoring service totrainees. Each store has designated tutors/coaches who support trainees throughoutthe learning process.

31. During the first eight weeks of their employment, trainees undergo an extensiveintroductory training programme as part of their probationary period. Thisprogramme commences with a one-day introduction to the company and is followedby an intensive programme of training covering such areas as safe workingpractice, food safety, retail and the law, store security and customer care. Traineesare provided with a series of modular workbooks that they have to complete duringtheir induction training. Although trainees are informed about the trainingprogramme during the induction process, they are not told enough about their NVQand assessment process. The induction checklist, the new ‘facilitator guide’ andtrainee induction pack do not make reference to the NVQ. Trainees are assessedas they progress through the introductory training and their results dictate whetheror not they will be offered permanent employment.

32. SSL provides a high level of support for disabled trainees and those withparticular needs. Most stores are accessible to, and are equipped to help, physicallydisabled trainees. Specific action is taken to help trainees to achieve theirqualifications. For example, one trainee who suffered from epilepsy was concernedthat the flashing lights on the till could cause her to have a fit. She was providedwith an alternative activity in under simulated workplace conditions in order that shemight achieve the relevant NVQ unit. Another trainee with special learning needshad been provided with extensive one-to-one support in order to achieve units foran NVQ at level 1. Throughout the organisation, trainees who need them areprovided with scribes and signers, and extensive one-to-one support wherevernecessary.

33. In addition to receiving good-quality training to help them to achieve theirqualification, trainees are also given the opportunity to attend courses to broadentheir knowledge and understanding and further their personal development.Trainees who are identified as having management potential are invited to attend a

GOOD PRACTICETwo young trainees whohad experienced severebullying in school and hadlow self-esteem had joinedthe retail-training scheme,despite having low careerexpectations. The supportand guidance provided bySSL have enabled bothtrainees to progress to themanagement developmentprogrammes



residential course designed to develop their confidence and improve their leadershipand team-building skills. Some trainees have taken part in activities, funded by thePrinces Trust, to develop planning and communication skills. SSL takes pride intrainees’ success. When individual trainees achieves their qualification, branchmanagers present the certificate to the trainee in the presence of colleagues.Certificates of achievement are then displayed on branch notice boards in the staffcanteen and success stories are published in the company’s journal.

34. Trainees receive no initial assessment of their basic skills. Although severaldocuments are used as a means of identifying what occupational skills traineeshave, there is no formal system for identifying trainees’ learning needssystematically. Most trainees are given a detailed list of the skills they need forparticular jobs and they have to put a tick against the skills they have and a crossagainst the skills they do not have. They are supposed to work through the list inconsultation with their line manager but in most instances, they put in the ticks andcrosses on their own. The design and content of training programmes are notmodified to take account of the skills trainees possess or need to acquire. There isno accreditation of trainees’ prior achievement. Most trainees do not have anindividual training plan. New Deal clients do have a plan that is required in orderthat they may be paid. This is not used, however, as a working document andcontains little detail about individual clients’ training needs.

35. The progress of trainees is reviewed regularly on an informal basis. The reviewprocess is not systematic. It does not focus on the trainees’ personal developmentand does not include action planning to help the trainees to achieve theirqualification. Organisational restructuring had an adverse impact on trainees’progress. Staff have been moved between stores and many trainees haveexperienced long delays between assessments. Some trainees who have been ontheir programme for six months or more have not yet completed any NVQ units.New deal clients are unaware that they are able to achieve the full NVQ at the endof their six-month training period. Several trainees have become frustrated at whatthey consider to be inadequacies in support from staff and have left the programmeprematurely. SSL does not have a system for helping those trainees who leave thecompany, to achieve their NVQ. Trainees are unaware that they may obtain NVQunits progressively. The company was unable to provide details of how manytrainees who left programmes early had been given NVQ unit certification.

Management of training Grade 3

36. SSL develops a corporate business plan annually which forms the basis ofdepartmental and project plans within the company. There have been two majorrestructuring exercises within the company recently which have resulted in the lossof 10 per cent of store management personnel and a re-organisation of the way inwhich training support is provided in the field. The restructuring has had anunsettling effect throughout the organisation. It has led to significant changes,



particularly in terms of people’s job roles and responsibilities. There is a formalperformance review process for managers and staff. During this process, individualtargets are agreed for staff and progress towards reaching them is reviewedregularly. This process results in the development of staff training plans, which arethen collated by departments and stores. The plans are summarised at a districtlevel, and then requests for training resources to support the plans are madecentrally to head office. The most recent NTP audit reported low financial riskbanding. Seventy-two stores and three central departments have achieved theInvestor in People award. The remaining stores have been set the target ofachieving this award by the end of 2000. The current management informationsystem provides information such as equal opportunities monitoring data, numbersof trainees on programmes and the locations of the trainees. There is a range ofmeetings, which take place within the organisation. At store level there are storedevelopment committee, staff council and staff and management meetings. Thereare also meetings for NVQ assessors, internal verifiers and qualifications advisers.Inspectors agreed with many of the strengths cited in the self-assessment report.Some of the statements of strengths, however, were insufficiently evaluative.Inspectors agreed with the grade given in the self-assessment report.

STRENGTHS

♦ outstanding strategic and operational planning

♦ comprehensive staff development process

♦ excellent co-ordination of on- and off-the-job training

♦ effective communication throughout the organisation

WEAKNESSES

♦ underdeveloped management-information system

♦ insufficient standardisation of working practices

♦ lack of clarity about management roles and responsibilities

37. Strategic planning is particularly effective at all levels of the organisation. Thecorporate business plan is developed annually and is communicated throughout theorganisation in a number of ways. There is a human resource divisional plan, whichdetails the strategic objectives for the human resources department. At store level,the branch manager involves the store management team in developing a localbusiness plan. The store plan is communicated to staff by departmental managersand in some stores, the full business plan is available to staff. There are numerousimplementation plans and project plans, which serve to map out the action requiredin order for the stated objectives to be achieved. They identify who is responsiblefor achieving the targets specified, how they are to be achieved and by when.These plans are regularly reviewed and updated. One means of review is thehuman resources report, which is produced every four months and analyses in detail



action that has taken place. Staff have a clear understanding of what theorganisation is trying to achieve. A model has been established called “the web”,and this specifies the key areas of business success. This is central to manyinitiatives within the stores. Focus groups meet in stores to examine how the store isperforming in these key areas and to identify further action to be taken. Training isstrongly linked to “the web”. New recruits within the stores were able to explainhow their training relates to the key areas for success identified in this model.

38. The staff development planning process is linked to the staff appraisal system.Staff are appraised by their line manager. During their appraisal interview, staffidentify their training needs. Clear training and staff development objectives areagreed and these form the basis of department and store training plans. Staff havea good understanding of their training plans and are encouraged to highlight theirtraining needs. Trainers, assessors and verifiers have relevant training plans thatrelate to the development of the particular skills they need for their job. Good-Departmental coaches and trainers receive good-quality training. Training recordsare maintained on a newly introduced store database. The records show whichopen learning materials have been used by each member of staff and the off-the-job training that staff have received. Although the identification of training needsand training planning are effective, there is a lack of follow up to check that plannedtraining has taken place. There are many instances where trainees’ training planshave been agreed, but not updated to show that training has actually occurred.

39. On- and off-the-job training are well co-ordinated and managed. Trainees canmake clear links between what they are learning from open learning materials andtheir on- and off-the-job training. Trainees are briefed before and after taking partin off-the-job training to ensure that they understand the relevance of the trainingand have sufficient confidence to apply what they have learned in the workplace. Intheir planning of on-the-job training, department managers take into account whichmulti-media packages, videos or workbooks are available to the trainees. There is acomprehensive directory of training support materials available in store. From this,staff are able to identify relevant resources that may be used in training related toeach role in the store. Qualification advisers maintain a local database of assessorsand verifiers for each store in their zone. This is used, for example, when additionalpersonnel are needed to implement the NVQ programme. Training for assessor andverifiers is then planned accordingly.

40. There are many formal communication channels within the organisation. Manymeetings, wide ranging in scope, take place. Some meetings are regular and followa set agenda, whereas others take place in response to a specific need. Forexample there is a store development committee. The senior management teamattends its meetings, at which management and staff development issues arediscussed and planned. Plans have been made to include a top-level review oftrainees’ progress at these meetings. There is also a staff council, which comprisesrepresentatives from different store departments and includes staff from all shifts.Staff notice boards are used effectively and checks are made to ensure that theinformation displayed is accurate and current. All stores have access to the



company’s intranet system whereby electronic messages can be transmittedbetween stores and head office. This system is widely used. The company hasdeveloped business television, whereby senior executives deliver a presentation thatis filmed and transmitted to all stores, where it is videoed and shown to all staff.Managers are encouraged to adopt an open communication style. This isparticularly evident in the NVQ department, where qualification advisers haveaccess to more information than was previously available to them and areencouraged to become involved in new initiatives.

41. There is a central database of information that contains some data relating totrainees’ locations and numbers of trainees on NVQ programmes. There are anumber of shortfalls in the current system. The system does not allow data to bemanipulated or to be accessed easily. Management reports are difficult to produce.When trainees have achieved their NVQ, the system automatically transfersinformation on them to an archive and it is not possible to gain access to thetrainees’ files to update trainees’ records to show further progression. Key datarelating to trainees’ achievements and the number of trainees beginning andcompleting programmes are either very difficult or impossible to extract from themanagement system. There is no monitoring and recording of trainees’ progresscentrally or at local level. Overall, there is a lack of quality data available to assistdecision-making and the planning of future action. There are firm plans to develop amore effective system for producing data during the year 2000.

42. Working practices vary markedly and some are more thorough than others. Forexample, in one store, a department manager carries out reviews of trainees'progress every month, whereas another department manager in the same storedoes not carry out any reviews at all. There are also differences in workingpractices between stores. For example in one store, the NVQ meetings areirregular and are attended by the trainees and the assessors. In another store, thesemeetings occur regularly and are attended only by the assessors who work to theset agenda that is provided to them by the central training department. Procedureshave been written for training staff to follow. These are, however, interpreted inwidely different ways and there is a lack of central monitoring to identify action forimproving them. There is insufficient sharing of good practice within theorganisation. Successful practice in one store is not shared with other stores, evenwithin the same zone.

43. The restructuring within the company has resulted in significant changes in theroles and responsibilities of staff and managers who support NVQ trainees, both inhead office and in the stores. A comprehensive training package has recently beendeveloped and distributed to the stores. This includes job descriptions for themanagement positions within the stores. It does not, however, include reference tomanagement responsibilities in relation to assessment and verification, whichmanagers undertake as part of their roles. New responsibilities have been added tothe personnel and training manager roles, but there are no clear guidelines outliningwho is responsible for which part of the NVQ process. The qualification advisersare key personnel in terms of NVQ programme management, but they do not have



current job descriptions and they find their workload is difficult to prioritise. In manyinstances, reorganisation has resulted in staff moving to other branches and traineeshave been left without trained assessors to help and support them. In some stores,there is a very clear chart that shows which assessors are responsible for theassessment of specific NVQ units. In other stores such allocation of responsibilityhas not taken place.

Quality assurance Grade 4

44. Responsibility for quality assurance systems across the company rests with acentral managers and field team staff. The quality assurance process forgovernment-funded training programmes leading to NVQs is a small element withthe company’s overall nation-wide quality assurance arrangements. Responsibilityfor the quality of the NVQ programmes rests with the training and developmentdepartment for the retail training scheme (RTS) and the general NVQ provision.The resourcing department has responsibility for training under New Deal. TheRTS programme is being reviewed and recruitment for it has stopped. The trainingand development department is using self-assessment and the Investors in Peopledevelopment programme as a means of identifying ways of improving its qualityassurance processes. An action and consolidation plan has been developed andtargets have been set. Each store is working towards achieving a minimumcomplement of three qualified assessors and one internal verifier.

STRENGTHS

♦ strong commitment of staff to improving quality assurance processes

WEAKNESSES

♦ no quality assurance system for programmes leading to NVQs

♦ no quality assurance manual for the NVQ process

♦ failure to collect and analyse data on trainees’ achievements

♦ some assessors’ and internal verifiers’ lack of knowledge of the NVQ process

♦ lack of rigour in internal verification practice

♦ no sharing of good practice by internal verifiers

45. The company has a deep commitment to quality assurance. The main priority isensuring the quality of occupational training and development. The quality of NVQprocess is given less priority. For reasons outside the control of the trainingdepartment responsible for cross-company NVQ training and assessment, problemshave arisen in maintaining the quality of the NVQ process. The company’s concernin upholding quality is clearly shown in the many new initiatives being developed to



improve the NVQ training provision. The provider has analysed the currentproblems in NVQ quality assurance as part of a self-assessment process. Theprovider’s first report was carried out by head office staff without consultation andfocussed upon identifying strengths. These staff then changed and the consultationprocess for the second report was much wider and covered both head office andfield staff. The second self-assessment process used Raising the Standard as itskey reference. The second report was objective, well written and it led to theproduction of an action and consolidation plan. At the time of inspection, action toresolve problems was being implemented but it was too early to judge itseffectiveness. The action plan which was drawn up after self-assessment iscomprehensive. It specifies dates by which the profile of vocational qualificationswithin the company must have been raised by internal publicity and marketing. Italso covers the introduction of forms on which trainees will be asked to provide anevaluation of their training when they leave their programme. An analysis oftrainees’ evaluations will be made and taken into account when planning theimprovement of provision. A booklet is to be developed for trainees, which will aimto give a comprehensive introduction to NVQs. The action plan coversarrangements for monitoring the quality of the workshops for assessors and internalverifiers and for checking that assessment and verification are carried out toconsistent standards. It also stipulates that questionnaires for trainees and storemanagers on the effectiveness of provision will be devised and introduced.

46. There are quality assurance processes covering training on occupationaltraining schemes. There are performance measures such as the customersatisfaction index and the human resource review. Staff can raise issues relating tothe operation of company policies and procedures through a staff council. However,these measures have little significant impact on the quality of NVQ trainingprogrammes across the company. Currently, the company has no quality assuranceprocess which covers training programmes leading to NVQs. There are fewguidelines on quality assurance which relate to the NVQ provision. There is nocentral quality assurance manual for the NVQ process. There is no rigorousmechanism for ensuring that problems identified in store site training andassessment process are identified and remedied. For example, there are noarrangements to ensure that NVQ trainees always have a qualified assessor andqualified internal verifier responsible for their training and assessment.

47. The central training department does not collect data on trainees’achievements. Data are not kept on the number of NVQ units trainees achieveagainst targets. The department does not have monitoring measures to enable it toidentify promptly whether it will meet its contractual targets, or the extent of itsprogress towards achieving them. Similarly, there is no procedure for identifyingtrainees who make slow progress towards gaining their qualification. In someinstances, staff had wrongly assumed that trainees were carrying out work whichwas inappropriate for the purposes of assessment. They had failed to recognise thattrainees may gather evidence of competency for NVQs in retail, through alloccupational work in stores.



48. Assessors and verifiers at some stores lack confidence in their ability toconform to awarding body standards. Some internal verifiers and assessors haveinsufficient knowledge of the technical aspects of the NVQ assessment process.For example, internal verifiers fail to notice that assessors’ supplementaryknowledge questions and answers to them are not recorded. Some trainees do nothave their work observed by assessors. Some witness testimony is not clearlypresented or signed. External verification reports have been collected centrally anddisseminated to internal verifiers. However, there are no procedures for ensuringthat the recommendations on the external verifier’s action plans are acted upon.Internal verification is not carried out properly at some stores. The company has notdetermined standards and criteria for internal verification and no arrangements forcarrying out quality assurance of the internal verification process. Instead, thecompany relies on external verification by the awarding body. Some internalverifiers do not give adequate support to assessors. There are no arrangements forinternal verifiers to share good practice regularly.

List of TECs contracting with Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd

Bedfordshire

Greater Peterborough

Heart of England

Hertfordshire

WESTEC

Wiltshire

Norfolk

Dorset

Hampshire

Somerset

Surrey

Sussex



Essex

Barnsley

Calderdale

LAWTEC

N Yorkshire

SOLOTEC

Coventry

Leicestershire

Lincolnshire

N. Nottinghamshire

S&E Cheshire

S. Derbyshire

Northants

C England

Documents

Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd - Ofsted · Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd. (SSL) is part of J. Sainsbury plc, one of the ... The company has work-based assessors and internal verifiers