Cogent Skills Apprenticeship Delivery Successfully Achieve Matrix Accreditation

The matrix Standard is the international quality standard for organisations that deliver information, advice and/or guidance (IAG), either as their sole purpose or as part of their service offering. Following a recent assessment Cogent Skills Apprenticeship Delivery are delighted to have been awarded matrix accreditation in recognition for our dedication to delivering outstanding IAG.

The matrix feedback report highlighted the positive experience learners have with Cogent Skills Apprenticeship Delivery:

The feedback from learners about their experiences with Cogent Skills Apprenticeship Delivery is very positive. They see the organisation of their apprenticeship as being effective and efficient; they speak highly of the staff with who they liaise, particularly commenting about how their availability and their willingness to visit them on site – one described their Assessor as “thoroughly professional and approachable.” They value how staff take time to explain things to them and ensure that they understand concepts fully before moving on and many refer to the value of residential programmes in supporting their learning. Learners feel confident that they are being sufficiently prepared for their EPA, including getting support in taking into account any additional learning needs they may have.

Roger Chapman, Head of the matrix Service for The Growth Company said:

“This is a fantastic achievement for Cogent Skills Apprenticeship Delivery and I would like to congratulate the team on their success. We believe that at the heart of high-quality advice and support services are strong leadership, excellent service and a focus on continuous improvement, all underpinned by effective use of the resources available. The matrix Standard is designed to benchmark organisations against best practice in these areas. With their accreditation success, Cogent Skills Apprenticeship Delivery is working to provide the best possible support to their clients.”

Some of the key strengths highlighted by the assessment were:

• Very strong operational and strategic links across the sector. At an operational level, Cogent Skills has excellent links with employers who see the organisation as knowledgeable, thus keeping them informed of developments and changes to the training landscape
• Despite staff and learners being geographically disparate the organisation’s internal communications systems are very effective.
• Cogent Skills Apprenticeship Delivery utilise a neat and helpful way of capturing the process for learners and the version that incorporates IAG is an excellent demonstration of how IAG is embedded into all stages of the apprenticeship journey.
• Quality systems and processes for managing and developing IAG are clear, holistic and impactful.

Andy Wilson, Cogent Skills Head of Apprenticeships Operations & Analytics said:

Achieving the Matrix standard has given the team a valuable reflective experience on their roles in our IAG and quality assurance processes. For our delivery staff, this has highlighted the differentiation of our core service from the who, how and why we give the relevant IAG at each stage of the learning journey, for the quality and support team, it’s reinforced how their IAG enables other members of the team to perform their roles more effectively and for management, a reassurance of how effective and efficient our quality systems are in ensuring our customers are getting the best experience possible and that we have a right person with the right expertise at the right time approach to our service.