Training and Development Policy
Richard Pike Associates are fully committed to the continuous development of its staff, in the same way as we continuously develop our services. This will be achieved by helping all staff identify and meet their own job and business related development needs. This policy will ensure that we have the adaptability and flexibility to thrive and succeed as a business. To do this, all line managers, through the Performance Review process, will
- Ensure that staff have a level of knowledge and skill to fully perform their role
- Encourage staff to develop within their current role
- Look for potential, and find ways for staff to demonstrate potential
- Recognise and reward staff development (utilising it wherever possible) and
- Create a learning culture by providing opportunities for learning
Equal opportunities
All staff are entitled to and can expect to receive training they need to carry out their current role. This includes secondees, fixed-term contract or short-term contract staff.
Permanent employees can expect to benefit from Richard Pike Associates further commitment for each individual to devote at least 5 days a year towards training and development. Our first priority will be towards job-related training, but we will also encourage individuals to undertake personal development training. This may entail taking professional qualifications; undertaking research into a particular field of interest or experiencing a particular aspect of another job in order to gain an insight into the role and fuller understanding of the work.
Training should not be viewed purely as "attending a training course". There are a variety of different methods that can be used to help train and develop individuals and Human Resources will be happy to help individuals and managers select the most appropriate method. For example, using open learning materials; computer-based packages; videos or CD-ROMs; e-learning; and reading literature, to name but a few.
Shared responsibilities
Richard Pike Associates recognises the need for everyone to learn and develop their skills on a continuous basis and will support individuals to help them achieve this. Equally, it is expected that individuals take on some responsibility for their own self-development. For example, identifying suitable training activities (with the help of line managers and Human Resources) and adopting a flexible and positive approach to any training and development that is identified with them.
Identifying training & development needs
Identifying training and development needs, and helping individuals to improve their performance, are key responsibilities for line managers, so they are expected to be actively involved in their team’s training and development. Line managers are also responsible for measuring the effectiveness of any training and development undertaken by team members, with assistance from Human Resources.
The skills and knowledge that will be needed for the future success of Richard Pike Associates will become apparent as each year’s business (corporate) plan is drafted and communicated to teams within the Group and individual performance objectives agreed. Where individual skills, knowledge or the development of competencies are needed to achieve our business objectives, these should be recorded on the Development Needs Assessment plan, which forms part of our Performance Review process.
Setting and evaluating learning objectives/outcomes
Richard Pike Associates has a number of key business objectives that it needs to achieve. These objectives can be achieved only through harnessing the abilities and skills of everyone in the company and by releasing potential and maximising opportunities for development. If individuals need to learn in order to achieve business objectives, it is important that any training and development in which we invest has a relationship to our business objectives, so we can demonstrate the contribution learning makes towards overall organisational success.
To demonstrate this contribution, individuals will agree with their line managers, prior to undertaking a learning activity, "learning objectives". Learning objectives will be the means by which we can measure how effective training and development has been towards achieving our business objectives or performance. Setting learning objectives will therefore provide a benefit for everyone:
For individuals, objectives give a better understanding of what is expected of them; where priorities lie; where their contribution fits into the organisation and how they are progressing. For managers, objectives provide a basis for allocating responsibility to individuals for achieving certain results; monitoring the achievement of results and providing solid evidence, which is less subjective, for assessing an individual’s performance. For the organisation, objectives give a greater likelihood of strategic and corporate plans being achieved.
Once someone has experienced a training and development activity or learning, we will measure its impact and effectiveness on individual performance and the organisation. Again, line managers are expected to be part of this process by defining the performance standards (or measures) when setting objectives and deciding on the methods that they will use to evaluate the learning. (Human Resources will of course be available throughout the process to provide guidance and support).
There are three key stages that will be used to evaluate training and development:
- Reaction: At this level, evaluation provides information on the attitudes of a participant to learning, but it does not measure how much they have actually learned. That being said, if a participant has a positive reaction to the learning experience they are more likely to implement what they have learned. Evaluation at this level will be measured by a post-learning questionnaire, which will be completed immediately after the learning activity has taken place. Normally, Human Resources will be responsible for issuing this type of questionnaire.
- Performance: Evaluation at this level looks at the impact of a learning experience on individual performance at work. Key to this area of evaluation will be the need to have established SMART learning objectives prior to the learning experience so that when evaluation takes place there are measures to use. For example, an important learning objective for a junior secretary attending a Word training course may be "to produce typed correspondence with no spelling or typographical errors." In this example, a manager would be able to evaluate the secretary’s performance using a measure of "no spelling or typographical errors". Ideally, evaluation on performance should take place approximately 3 – 4 months after the learning activity. Line managers should undertake this evaluation and send a copy of the results to Human Resources.
- Organisational impact: At this level evaluation assesses the impact of learning on organisational effectiveness, and whether or not it is cost-effective in organisational terms. Human Resources will undertake this evaluation as part of a wider training and development evaluation process.
In summary then, Human Resources will evaluate training and development at the reaction and organisational levels, and line managers will be responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of training and development at the performance level. However, there will be some types of learning activities, for example attending conferences or seminars, where it may not be appropriate to undertake any evaluation. If in doubt, please contact Human Resources.
To assist line managers, there are a variety of methods that can be used to measure the effectiveness of the learning. Some of these include:
Participant self-assessment
Written or practical tests
Structured interviews
Questionnaires
Feedback – for example, internally from colleagues, peers, and managers and/or externally from partners, customers or clients
Qualifications obtained
Line managers should contact Human Resources, who will be pleased to help set-up an evaluation method to use to measure the effectiveness of a training activity.
Funding
Funding for training and development will be paid from a central training budget, therefore the Human Resource Manager must approve any training and development that involves a financial cost before any financial commitment is made. Details of how to apply for a training and development are explained under the section headed "Selecting a training provider and applying for training".
In addition to job-related training and development, RPA also recognises the need to help individuals to improve within their chosen career path by encouraging individuals to gain professional/vocational/academic qualifications. With this in mind, RPA has established a company sponsorship scheme whereby full or partial sponsorship will be provided. Information about the scheme can be found under the section headed "Company sponsorship".
Travel /subsistence costs
Richard Pike Associates will reimburse travel and meal costs for attendance at a learning event in line with current arrangements. (Individuals undertaking sponsorship are unfortunately not eligible for reimbursement of their travel and subsistence costs).
Time off to attend training courses
Where an individual needs to attend a training course funded by RPA, time off during working hours will be given to attend the course. Individuals are expected to travel to and from a training venue within the normal course of the day. Where sponsorship is provided towards a professional qualification, time off to attend lectures/workshops/summer school will be agreed on an individual basis, taking account of the business needs. The Human Resource Manager will approve any such requests, in full consultation with line managers.
Non-training course learning activities
Typically, a training course is designed to transfer new skills or knowledge to an individual. Invariably new skills and knowledge will be developed over time to improve performance. However, not all learning has to be addressed through a training course. There is a wide range of development methods available that can be used without leaving the office. For example, being coached by a fellow colleague or manager; using a computer aided training package; on-the job training; reading books; undertaking research or practising a particular skill.
Finding out about training courses or alternative learning methods
Human Resources is building up a range of literature from training suppliers and a selection of books/videos/computer discs available for individual use. To find out more, please contact Human Resources.
Selecting a training provider and applying for training
Before booking a training event, individuals should research the costs and course availability with possible training providers Human Resources will be happy to help as they keep details of various training providers, so please contact them for information/advice.
Company sponsorship
Richard Pike Associates recognises the need for continuous professional development and are pleased to be able to offer a sponsorship scheme to all permanent and fixed-term employees (whose contracts are for at least one year). The scheme covers professional, academic or NVQ (or equivalent) qualifications. The following guidelines are designed to give individuals an idea of the sort of funding that may be available and how individuals may apply. Please contact Human Resources for full details.
Training Records
Human Resources will keep training and development records for each individual within RPA. This information can be viewed at anytime by contacting the Human Resource Manager.
Human Resources
Richard Pike Associates is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different cultural perspectives available in a multi-ethnic society, and where people feel they are respected and valued, and can achieve their potential regardless of race, age, sex, sexual orientation, colour, nationality, national or ethnic origins.