Your comments and opinions are very important to us. We strive to continuously develop and improve our service based on your feedback. Please see below how we have taken on board suggestions you have made and actions we have taken.
You Said
You said that you felt there were too many people attending a group session for the room size and that relocating to a larger room was disruptive.
We Did
We moved the group to a room that accommodated all attendees. The booking process has been reviewed to ensure that we are notified of all attendees in advance and that appropriately-sized rooms are booked.
You Said
You really like that we offer web-based sessions to groups of individuals on a wide range of topics.
We Did
We are constantly reviewing the range of topics we offer to meet the careers information needs of our customers across the West Midlands region.
You Said
You like that we contact you to provide you with vacancy, information and employment events but would sometimes like us to act as an employment agency so you do not have to look elsewhere for vacancies.
We Did
We support customers by providing information on specific, relevant opportunities and help customers to manage their own careers and job seeking. We advise customers to use a wide range of vacancy sources to ensure they access the breadth of opportunities available.
You Said
You like that we help you to find courses including bootcamps but sometimes get frustrated that the providers of those course don’t get back to you.
We Did
We keep in touch with customers to check how things are going and support customers with getting onto courses. However, each course provider will have their own processes and we cannot always guarantee when they will be in contact. The provider’s contact details will be shared with you so that you can contact them if necessary.
You Said
You do not always recall using our service
We Did
We ensure all our advisers have branded materials to promote who we are and discuss our Customer Charter and 12 months of support available in every first appointment so you know about our service and its standards. This is also sent in a document after your appointment.
You Said
You would sometimes like further help after your first appointment
We Did
We developed our service to make sure you get ongoing contact for a year to help you to progress into both learning and work. This includes follow ups with qualified staff, webinars, events, newsletters and information about opportunities.
You Said
You like our service delivered face to face, on the telephone and through video conferencing depending on your needs
We Did
We train our staff to deliver through all means including using Microsoft Teams for video discussions where our customers would like this
You Said
You value our high-quality advice on your CV
We Did
To ensure our CVs are of a high quality we undertake quality checks on a sample of CVs and run regular training to help advisers maintain and improve their skills.
You Said
You like to be listened to and provided with advice tailored to your needs
We Did
We have run active listening training for our advisers and best practice is shared with all advisers on a regular basis.
You Said
You value the Careers and Skills Action Plan produced with your Careers Adviser
We Did
We continuously upskill our advisers in the development of Careers and Skills Action Plans and ensure you receive this via email following your session. This activity is regularly reviewed and quality assured to ensure standards are maintained.
You Said
Your adviser asked you questions about your personal life which made you feel uncomfortable.
We Did
We have delivered additional training to ensure our advisers are more sensitive when asking questions that are personal. As part of the service advisers need to be able to understand personal circumstances to provide appropriate support, such as helping with developing a careers action plan, finding suitable opportunities and helping overcoming any challenges to your success.
You Said
You said you wanted more contact with your adviser.
We Did
We have made changes to how we work to enable your adviser to contact you more frequently.
You Said
You said that you found the information in the customer newsletter useful.
We Did
We have improved our customer newsletter with more information about the labour market and opportunities to support you with your career decisions.
You Said
You said you would like to receive more information about vacancies and courses.
We Did
We have increased our vacancy, course and event updates.
You Said
You said that you found our digital offer helpful.
We Did
We have improved our digital offer which includes a range of careers and employability webinars delivered by a specialist careers adviser.
You Said
You asked for advice on finding work which takes into account your disability.
We Did
We provide support for customers with different types of disability and health issues and continuously upskill and train our advisers and share best practice to help them keep up to date and improve their knowledge of specialist information and support available.
You Said
You are highly qualified and experienced and need advice at the appropriate level.
We Did
We provided our advisers with additional training and information to enable them to support customers with a range skills and experience. We contacted employers with job opportunities at different levels and researched and shared further information about higher levels of training and learning opportunities.
You Said
You would prefer one to one appointments via the telephone due to the pandemic.
We Did
We upskilled all our advisers to maintain the delivery of high-quality careers guidance using telephone and other virtual/digital platforms. We also ensured all our advisers had access to the right equipment to ensure they could deliver telephone-based appointments effectively.
You Said
You said your adviser was superb! You were highly complimentary about the adviser you saw.
We Did
We ensure any compliments are shared with the adviser and with all staff to highlight the importance of delivering high quality careers guidance and highlight best practice.
You Said
You asked for more information and tips on interviews.
We Did
We produced further ‘expert tips’ videos focusing on different types of interviews and shared these on our social media platforms.
You Said
"It was great to learn that through this difficult period, there was a service such as the National Careers Service available which has been very useful. I was shown how I can still access qualifications online, before this I had the idea that online courses are not equivalent to courses completed through colleges."
We Did
We researched and gathered more information about training being delivered online in this period and shared these with advisers and promoted via social media to ensure more people could access online training opportunities.
You Said
You said that more appointments should be available within a few days of you contacting us.
We Did
We increased our capacity to ensure the majority of customers could book an appointment that suited them and as soon as possible after they contacted us.
You Said
You shared personal stories and worries about your mental wellbeing in discussions with your adviser.
We Did
We ensured all staff were trained to provide appropriate support and direct you to additional help and support available. We also revised the safeguarding pack for staff.
You Said
You would like to be invited to a customer forum.
We Did
We set up our ‘meet the manager’ sessions virtually to enable customers to share their thoughts and feedback on the service.
You Said
You would benefit from more information on our social media platforms.
We Did
We have ensured that all our events and vacancies are published on Facebook and Twitter.
You Said
You value the customer newsletter that gives you information about vacancies.
We Did
We ensure that opportunities about jobs, learning and training are shared as often as possible with our customers to support progression.
You Said
Have asked for access to more group sessions.
We Did
We have designed new webinars and seconded an adviser to coordinate and deliver these on a regular basis.