« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
CHAPTER FOUR: INFORMATION, MARKETING, AND AWARENESS OF THE ILA SCOTLAND SCHEME
ILA Scotland information and support for learning providers
4.1 An important focus of the research was to investigate learning providers' and intermediaries' perceptions of the marketing strategies which have been pursued by ILA Scotland, and the impact of these strategies on knowledge and understanding of the ILA Scotland scheme among learning providers, intermediaries, learners and potential learners. This also led to a number of suggestions about how this marketing activity could be improved.
4.2 Firstly it can be noted that learning providers and intermediaries in general suggested, in both phases of this research that the information provided by ILA Scotland is accessible, clear, informative and useful in understanding the scheme and responding to the needs and queries of learners. Information and marketing material targeted at learners was also generally described as very useful. Respondents referred to a range of sources and forms of support which included ILA publicity such as leaflets and posters, the website, input of ILA representatives and email contact. While there was some limited criticism of the helpline in terms of the consistency of advice provided, respondents were in general very positive.
4.3 The majority of providers are positive with respect to information and support provided to them by ILA Scotland staff and have described building strong, personal relationships with the staff. In this manner, staff accessibility and approachability is both commended and welcomed. This is a recurring theme throughout the study.
4.4 The ILA Scotland website is used widely by learning providers to source information for both themselves and learners. It is generally agreed to have a wealth of helpful and relevant information and is easy to navigate. However some respondents referred to the difficulties in identifying the learning opportunities which learners wish to access. In some cases this can be due to non-standard search criteria.
"…we get people who use the ILA website to search for courses, but the way in which they've entered their sequences can be quite misleading, you can have for example ECDL under ECDL, but then you could do another search under European Computing Driving Licence and come up with different providers." (Scotland's colleges 2, LP interview (2))
Levels of awareness
4.5 While many respondents commented favourably on the clarity and quality of the information, it was also noted by a range of respondents that the understanding and awareness of the ILA Scotland scheme amongst staff could be described as mixed in both Phase One and Phase Two of the research. In a number of cases, knowledge and information about the scheme was not getting through to the people who should be informed. For example, it was noted that when promotional events were held it became clear that knowledge of the scheme among participants was often limited. Even in a sector like the trade unions, where there has been fairly close involvement with ILA Scotland it was noted that knowledge was limited among staff. However this was noted as being associated with internal dissemination strategies as well as ILA marketing. Knowledge and understanding was noted as being better amongst staff who are actively involved with the scheme, and promotional events were recognised as increasing awareness. Nevertheless it would appear that the issue of ensuring that an appropriate range of staff have the levels of knowledge and understanding of the ILA schemes which would be necessary for its effective operation is an area where further work can usefully be done.
4.6 There was a view among learning providers and intermediaries that awareness amongst client groups is mixed, and often limited. Some were of the opinion that a good proportion of their client group would have some awareness of the ILA Scotland scheme, whilst others described awareness and understanding amongst their client group as minimal. In this respect a number of participants expressed surprise about the level of awareness of the ILA Scotland scheme, considering the amount of expenditure that has been invested in the marketing of the scheme.
"I'm surprised by the level of knowledge of the ILA scheme. (We do) a lot of our marketing of the learning centre through the local papers…and a lot of people who have come to us to join the courses...a lot of them have never heard of the ILA scheme and that's quite worrying with the level of expenditure there's been on the marketing." (Trade Union 2, Intermediary focus group (1))
4.7 This view was echoed by learning providers interviewed as part of the Phase Two research who felt that knowledge among learners continued to be limited in many cases.
"I know there's like TV advertising but it's still amazing how many people have never heard of it." (Scotland's colleges 20, LP interview (2))
4.8 Agencies working with learners with disabilities, mental health problems or substance misuse problems were particularly likely to comment on low levels of awareness. It was suggested that additional measures are required if people in these categories are to be fully aware of the opportunities which may be available to them.
"I really don't feel its been well-publicised as far as people with disabilities are concerned, bearing in mind there are lots of places that…these people don't go and also because I don't think the information is accessible to them." (Local authority 2, Intermediary focus group (1))
4.9 Similarly it was suggested that people with literacy difficulties are often quite uncertain about the support which may be available through this scheme, and will find it difficult to navigate the website. Concern about the adequacy of information sources for participants in these categories also persisted through the second phase of the research. This led to suggestions for more effective marketing strategies which will be discussed below.
4.10 A related concern was that in some cases, even after people with learning difficulties or other disabilities become involved in the scheme, information from ILA Scotland may be 'binned' by their carers because it is not distinctive enough, and it is mistaken for junk mail. This particular group have been highlighted as having a very low engagement with, and understanding of, the scheme.
"Well, what the problem is, some of our clients will have a range of carers coming in to support them in their own home and the client has saved a pile of mail up for them to go through and if the clients aren't expecting it coming in, they will just assume it's a flier that's been sent through and will chuck it away, so I'm continuously writing letters out to clients and carers saying 'look we've applied for this on your behalf, you will get this letter that looks like this, please don't throw it away, bring it in to us and we'll help you fill it out' which is all time consuming and still doesn't always work." (Local authority 3, Formal intermediary interview (1))
Perception of marketing activities and suggested improvements
4.11 There was a concern amongst a number of respondents, and particularly intermediaries, that current approaches in relation to marketing ILA Scotland were not being fully effective in reaching the key target groups who would have to be reached if the scheme is to be successful in widening access to learning. It was suggested that existing marketing approaches are likely to be most successful with those individuals who were already interested in learning. While it was recognised that national TV advertising had helped to raise the profile of ILAs, a range of respondents raised doubts about the effectiveness of this form of advertising reaching the key target groups and actually recruiting students onto programmes.
"I know they did a lot of TV and radio marketing, because obviously my ears pricked up the amount of times I heard ILA. But the amount of people I have spoken to that are not aware of it…., I just don't feel it's been marketed properly." (Private provider 9, LP interview (1))
4.12 This limited impact of existing marketing approaches continued to be noted by representatives in Phase Two, leading to suggestions regarding how it could be addressed.
4.13 First of all it is reported by a range of respondents that learners are most likely to have heard about the scheme through 'word of mouth'. Indeed word of mouth was consistently viewed as the most effective means of engaging learners and potential learners, and informing them of the ILA Scotland Scheme. This is considered particularly relevant in instances where client groups have limited access to computers. Some providers and intermediaries have reported spending a substantial amount of time explaining the scheme to learners. These activities emphasise the important role that learning providers play in the provision of information, advice and guidance ( IAG) regarding ILAs to learners and potential learners.
" I think what we're finding certainly from our client group is that most of the information is word of mouth. Many of our clients don't actually have computers, so they cannot get the information off the computer. So it's definitely as far as our clients are concerned it's word of mouth." (Local authority 1, LP interview (1))
4.14 Some agencies also viewed marketing and recruitment activities undertaken by ILA Scotland as "too slick" for their client groups, and indicated that often a coloured photocopied flier was enough to encourage their clients into education. In this sense, glossy leaflets were referred to as "too professional" and not reflecting their clients needs. They also emphasised the value of 'thinking out of the box' more with respect to advertising, and moving beyond obvious locations such as colleges and libraries to venues which are widely used in local communities such as pubs.
4.15 Associated with this, there was strong argument that there is a need for greater cooperation between ILA Scotland and other locally based agencies in developing more effective marketing strategies. In this respect, while the expertise of ILA staff and the valuable range of marketing materials was recognised, it was suggested that more could be made of these strengths if more locally based advertising and marketing strategies were developed as a means of raising awareness amongst client groups, learners and potential learners. A successful example of this approach was reported by one respondent
"…we've been able to get ILA to get (marketing) materials and specifically target it to work with our materials, and done that time and time again. I think that maybe where they miss a trick is where they do not take it to a local level. I mean I was in an event put on by learndirect where there were loads and loads of providers in the one building open to the public. It had been advertised to the press and local radio so it's a local event; ILA Scotland was there, learndirect were there, providers were there. And it got to the point where they almost had to close the door because the place was full. You know if they did four events a year and I think if they were to go down to that level on a more targeted, local area, I think that the benefit that they would get for uptake…they would get a bigger demand for what they're currently spending on their marketing campaign." (Trade Union 1, Edinburgh focus group (2))
4.16 The importance of more locally based advertising campaigns was also emphasised by respondents from more rural locations, who suggested that national TV advertising often did not take sufficient account of the characteristics of their local communities and labour markets. This was stated clearly by this respondent from an island community.
"…I know you advertise on the telly, posters are wonderful, leaflets when we get them are OK, but there's just something missing in [our community] because people just don't know about it. We don't spend a lot of money on marketing because the best form of marketing on [the island] is word of mouth. So we don't spend a lot of money on it, so we don't go down the route of advertising specifically as ILA course. If people come in wanting to do a course we'll say it's eligible for ILA once they're in. In fact, I don't think I can recall somebody coming in and specifically asking 'I would like to do a course on ILA'. It's not hitting [the island], the advertising." (Private provider 5, LP interview (1))
4.17 In developing a more locally based scheme it was noted by many respondents that learning providers and intermediaries already play an important role in providing information and encouraging participation in the ILA scheme. They have taken on the role of disseminating information about the ILA scheme, and through these activities increasing awareness and uptake. Intermediaries describe engaging in a wide range of awareness-raising activities regarding the ILA Scotland scheme amongst client groups. These activities vary in relation to the specific role and objective of individual agencies and their access to resources. Key activities include providing information about the scheme in their own advertising and information leaflets, the production of briefings and newsletters, working in partnership with other agencies, outreach activities and 'Awareness Days'. These differing approaches are reflected in the two following quotations from a college and a trade union respondent.
"…whenever we put an advert in the paper stating that we've got courses coming up and start dates we always put a small bit in there saying that you may be eligible for ILA Scotland funding. And we also, whenever we send out, if somebody is looking for courses, in their acknowledgment letter we have a paragraph saying about how you may be eligible for ILA funding and we put the phone number on and we also send an ILA leaflet with that." (Scotland's colleges 20, LP interview (2))
"We've actually got our own leaflet, with my phone number on it and all the things, you know are you wanting back into learning? Are you in a rut? Are you wanting to help the kids with their computing homework? Things like that go on ours and just to let them know the free phone numbers for ILA was on it, I did it in ILA colours along with the union logo and ILA actually sent that out with their leaflet to all our union members. Anywhere I go, divisional conferences, anywhere at all, we take these leaflets with us." (Trade Union 1, Formal intermediary interview (1))
4.18 The importance of this role of learning providers and intermediaries as sources of information about ILAs can be seen in the following quotation.
"… out of 30 students who registered for ILA on our courses, only one had registered because of hearing about ILA before we told her. The other 29 learned about ILA through us." (Community/ voluntary 2, LP interview (1))
4.19 In providing information about the ILA scheme, intermediaries in particular suggest that they play an important role in not only raising awareness of the ILA Scotland scheme but providing support and encouragement to their client groups to enable them to access the scheme. They suggest that they have used information provided by ILA Scotland staff to actively encourage participation among groups who would otherwise not be likely to have the courage to participate. This was true for a range of organisations including agencies working with individuals experiencing mental health problems or substance misuse problems:
"As far as we see because of their chaotic lifestyles you know they're not really out there looking for…education, so when we bring it ( ILA Scotland scheme) up the first spark of interest comes in but I think marketing for ILAs is there, it's there for them to see, but they don't sort of realise it can apply to them. Not until we sort of bring it up and say you can do this." (Voluntary 1, Intermediary focus group (1))
4.20 Associated with this perceived need for changes in the approach to marketing and advertising was the suggestion from respondents in both Phase One and Phase Two that the information available to intermediaries did not provide enough explicit detail about learning opportunities. They suggested that there was too much emphasis on the funding, and not enough on the range of learning opportunities which this opens up.
"I think you need to be turning it on your head a bit more and look at selling it via the learning opportunities…we'll invest two hundred quid in you; that will get you from A to B…so it's much more clear what's on offer there."(Local authority 1, Intermediary focus group (2))
4.21 It was suggested that for many potential learners the starting point is for them to become interested in taking a course, the ava ILAbility of funding is then an added incentive. Advertising should therefore place more emphasis on the learning opportunities available.
"The thing about why should a learner take an interest in this, I think we've been talking quite a lot about the money side coming in, but I would think for a lot of people it's more the course side, you want to study something, you want to learn something, then you've got the issue of how do you pay for it, that can come in, but its really important to work on the course side of things in terms of getting information out because there is a limited amount of course provision that will attract the funding and people who are working in that area have the bonus then, they discover, of being able to get the funding." (Local authority 1, Intermediary focus group (1))
4.22 It was also suggested that, in this context of providing information about courses, it was important not to build unrealistic expectations. Examples were highlighted of leaflets with images of plumbers, irrespective of the limited ava ILAbility of plumbing courses under the ILA200 offer, and HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving opportunities which, whilst also available under the ILA200 offer, carry high associated costs.
4.23 A further issue which was raised was the importance of avoiding terminology and acronyms which were confusing for potential learners, particularly those with limited recent experience of the educational system. For example SCQF (Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework) is not a term which is immediately clear to many people unfamiliar with terminology associated with the Scottish education system. Additionally, the abstract notion of levels of study may be of little relevance to many learners and potential learners.
"I mean I've got a background in education, but if a punter phones up and is told about up to level 6 SCQF, they don't know what that means, I mean that is just absolute jargon isn't it." (Learning Uncovered delegate 3, Formal intermediary interview (2))
4.24 This ambiguity also has relevance as regards the ILA100 and 200 offers in that many people will have little knowledge of the cost of gaining different qualifications, and in this context the relative value of £100 or £200 needs to be explained to them.
4.25 Finally a recurrent theme among a number of respondents from intermediary agencies was the concern expressed by some potential applicants that an application of this kind could have a detrimental impact on their benefits. This applied particularly to people on incapacity benefit. It was felt that more explicit information could be provided in order to clarify this situation and put people at ease.
"They're on this Incapacity Benefit, they're a bit scared about saying they're doing training and that because they might lose their Incapacity Benefit, they are quite wary about actually going and saying we are going to do training." (Local authority 2, Intermediary focus group (1))
Developing links between ILA Scotland and intermediaries: the case of Trade Unions ( TUs)
4.26 Many respondents recognised the value of the links which they had with ILA Scotland staff in disseminating information about the ILA scheme, and suggested that if these links could be strengthened this could be an important means through which key target groups could be reached. In this respect the relationship which has been established between ILA Scotland and Trade Unions was noted as an example of good practice which could possibly be used a model in developing links with other agencies. This relationship between ILA Scotland and the TUs has given rise to a diversity of awareness-raising activities. For example, ILA Scotland has funded mail-drops regarding the scheme to union members, and attended road shows hosted by Trade Unions which offer the possibility of online registration.
"I think its quite good, although as I say any events that (union learner representative)… if she's going to any events she phones up in advance, and if they can get an advisor out with a laptop, that takes away the phone call the same as the form. They're there, they've got their marketing materials, they give out advice and one of the things that I really like about them is when someone phones or has this application pack, they actually ask them when they phone what kind of course... had they a course in mind? And they can send them out a list of courses in their area and I think that's a great idea." (Trade Union 1, Formal intermediary interview (1))
4.27 TUs have a number of dedicated mechanisms in place to encourage maximized engagement with lifelong learning, key to which is promotion of learning opportunities available through the ILA Scotland scheme. Union Learning Representatives ( ULRs) have a provide information, advice and guidance to learners and potential learners on courses available through the scheme, and attend dedicated training courses to enable them to do so. Staff notice boards, posters and awareness-raising sessions are all key methods of dissemination, though as has been noted above, 'word of mouth' is the most effective means of sharing knowledge about potential learning opportunities.
4.28 The work of ULRs underscores the commitment of Trade Unions to improving the skills and employability of the workforce, rather than existing merely to support workers with pay or grievance issues. From this point of view, engagement with the ILA Scotland scheme is seen as a positive aspect of the overall remit of TUs. Some TUs are in a position to integrate the provision of learning itself with advice about learning.
"We've got union learning reps that some people like to call 'education officers' under their particular branches, and they relay information on education and that is where a lot of ILAs are discussed, because when somebody says 'I'm not paying that for a course' and I'm saying 'well do you know there's money you can access there to help you'…that's how we've integrated it into the union and we've integrated learning branches, so when we integrate learning into the branches, ILAs are a part of it." (Trade Union 5, Formal intermediary interview (2))
4.29 It is recognized that the size of Trade Union agencies allows extensive collaboration with ILA Scotland. Logistical considerations for smaller agencies might mean that such a relationship could be difficult to sustain. It is also recognized that resource constraints would make it difficult for ILA Scotland to develop similar relationships with a wide range of agencies without additional resources. However it would appear that developments of this kind could be of considerable value in the development of this scheme.
« Previous | Contents | Next »