Franchisor excuses no longer accepted for workplace learning standards

Last night’s budget centrepiece was the $715 million skills package that comes off the recommendations from Skills Australia and the Productivity Commission’s report Vocational Education and Training Workforce Research Report issued last week.

Combined, they all turn up the heat on franchisors and workplace trainers to deliver on expectations.

Hot on the heels of Skills Australia’s Skills for Prosperityreport, the Productivity Commission’s Report is welcomed and should motivate the franchise sector to pay serious attention to vocational education and training [VET] standards and practices in franchising.

Promoting ‘comprehensive training’ as a key franchise feature to prospective franchisees is simply spin, dangerous and unethical. Franchisors need to back up their training claims with a solid education strategy that is executed by experienced and capable trainers.

A franchisor’s educational strategy need to answer this question: who needs to learn what, why and how? It is essentially a strategic plan for learning, education and training in a franchise. Educational strategies consist of education policies, priorities, practices, measurements of success and an action plan.

In comparison to the Productivity Commission’s findings, we believe the franchise sector is performing below the TAFE sector in regards to small business skill development. We no longer accept the excuses the franchise sector, franchisors and their trainers offer for not adhering to fundamental VET and adult learning standards.

Franchise trainers and field managers have significant influence over a franchisee’s skill and knowledge development. If fundamental workplace training and adult learning capabilities are not supported by qualifications and ongoing professional development, these roles remain a significant risk in regards to franchisee performance.

We challenge the franchise sector to improve benchmark standards:

Conduct annual franchise trainer and field manager capability assessments against VET and adult learning practices and create professional development plans that include on-site industrial experience; networking with other educational professionals and increasing the use of eLearning and social media platforms [Productivity Commission’s Finding 9.2 and Recommendation 10.5]

Ensuring that all trainers, field managers and franchisor personnel with learning touch points with franchisees hold [as a minimum] Certificate IV in Training and Assessment; Diploma of Franchising and an equivalent industrial qualification. This correlates with the Productivity Commission’s Finding 3.1, where 40% of TAFE sector workers who are trainers and assessors do not have the minimum educational qualification [Productivity Commission’s Findings 3.1 and 10.1]

Inclusion of annual cultural diversity, literacy and numeracy education for all franchise trainers, field managers and those with learning touch points with franchisees [Productivity Commission’s Finding 6.1]

Franchisors to develop Recognition of Prior Learning and Current Competencies policies for prospective and current franchisees [Productivity Commission’s Finding 9.2]

Source valuable data from franchisees and participants that offsets the removal of low-priority or low-value questions [Productivity Commission’s Recommendation 5.1]