Employer contributions toolkit

Welcome to the Employer Contributions Toolkit

Generating income from employer training has become an important issue over the past few years. Public funding has become increasingly targeted and maximising commercial income ensures that providers are able to reduce their reliance on a single source of funding.

The Toolkit describes key factors that influence the potential contribution that an employer may make towards the cost of a training programme or package. The Toolkit suggests ways in which these factors can be modified by a provider, so that the level of contributions can be increased. Key factors are listed as either employer factors or provider factors. Details on each factor can be accessed from the lefthand menu.

Using the Toolkit

The best way to use the toolkit is to download the desktop application. This application allows providers to assess the strength of their negotiating position for each employer training opportunity. Providers can record a list of actions that should allow them to improve the strength of their negotiating position in the short and long term.

Each training situation can be summarised, using a series of self assessment questions, as a point on a 3 x 3 grid. The horizontal axis shows the employer's potential to pay higher contributions. The vertical axis shows the provider's capability to realise higher contributions. For each self assessment issue actions can be stored and reviewed at a later date.

The desktop application has been designed as a thinking tool to support the development of a fee strategy and culture across an organisation. It is an ideal tool to use as part of a staff development session.

Contributions from an employer

Employer contributions include contributions in kind as well as tuition fees. Examples of possible contributions in kind are employer led delivery of part of the qualification, employer assessment, and employer sponsored marketing of the programme. These in kind activities reduce the financial cost of the running the programme for the provider so are equivalent to collecting tuition fees.

• Employer factors
• Provider factors