Staff Learning and Development Annual Report 2009/10

Transcription

1 Strategic Aims: Staff Learning and Development Annual Report 2009/10 In order to support the University s Top Ten mission, Staff Learning and Development is focusing its resources in a number of key areas: Advice and support for Early Career Researchers, including Research Fellows Leadership and Management Development with a particular focus on Performance Management and Coaching Continue to ensure that staff learning and development programmes delivered by all Training Providers in the University are integrated into HR processes such as induction, probation, performance review and promotion. Embed and expand the use of the IiP standard for all support staff Deliver perennial staff development programmes in a more cost effective and creative way Support career development through the use of Development Centres and mentoring Summary of Activities in 2009/10 Supporting Research Goals for 2009/10: Strengthen the quality of academic mentoring to improve research and teaching; make greater use of Development Centres for Research Fellows to improve career development 1. The transition to Colleges has given us an opportunity to revise the Performance and Development Review (PDR) for academic staff to ensure that it fits new governance arrangements and that it is more effective at enabling all staff to perform at the highest level. Specifically there is greater emphasis on career development and recognition of individual contribution across the whole spectrum of academic activity. The new system provides more guidance and support from peers (Academic Leads) and will significantly enhance support for developing research and teaching practice 2. The University along with only eight other Institutions in the UK has been recognised by the European Commission as meeting the standards of the European Charter and Code for Researchers. This is related to what is provided for staff contracted to undertake research: policies, strategies and development opportunities. At the same time it has been confirmed that Roberts funding for transferable skills training of postdoctoral staff will come to an end in March There is an expectation by RCUK however, that the University will continue with staff development in this area and embed provision into normal HR processes. Staff Learning and Development (SLD) is working with the DVC Research and the Dean of Post Graduate Studies to produce a strategy which will bring together post doctorial and post graduate transferable skills training to ensure that we can create sufficient critical mass to continue to deliver high quality training courses in the most cost effective way. This strategy will take into account the termination of Roberts funding and will propose how researcher development will be funded and delivered from 2011/12

2 3. The use of Development Centres (DCs) for contract research staff has not increased significantly over 2008/9, despite efforts to promote them in Schools and Colleges. It is likely that the demand for DCs will remain at about per year. Supporting Education Goals for 2009/10: Revise PCAP to accommodate Teaching Fellows; Increase LTHE provision to meet the increasing role played by PGRs in learning and teaching. 1. The University s Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP) now has the highest completion rate in the sector and as a result we are in the upper quartile in terms of HEA membership. The programme has been redesigned to accommodate Teaching fellows and provides pathways for other staff (including Professional Services) to gain an accredited qualification. 2. Demand for the Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (LTHE) programme continues to grow as we increase the number of PGR teaching assistants. SLD and Education Enhancement were successful in receiving additional central funding to deliver additional training courses in 2009/10. Management Development Goals for 2009/10: New management development programmes for middle managers; Accreditation by ILM; introduction of Development Centres for managers; further roll out of Statutes and Ordinances training 1. A full review of all our management development was undertaken earlier this year and a new framework was created which has been accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management. As well as greatly enhancing development opportunities for Managers particularly at grades E to G, SLD is now in the position to offer transferable management qualifications to staff working at the University. 2. The cost of designing and delivering Management Development Centres was considered to be too high at this point in time. An alternative design involving a combination of psychometrics and 360 degree feedback however was successfully piloted. Early indications are that this new tool is proving useful and valuable in terms of Career Development; SLD is extending the pilot for a further 12 months. 3. Over 110 staff attended the Statues and Ordinances training in 2009/10 Corporate and Social Responsibility Goals for 2009/10: Implement new volunteering policy Staff Learning and Development has been involved in supporting a number of Community Challenges involving members of staff undertaking day-long volunteering activities in Devon and Cornwall. Over130 staff have taken part in the first year of this scheme which has resulted in a direct benefit to the local community and has also led to improved team working. Partners the University has worked with include: FORCE support centre, National Trust, Westbank Community centre, Organic Arts, Devon Wildlife Trust, Poltimore House, Bishops Forum (Penryn), Newtown Primary School

3 Spend and Activity Pattern of staff learning and development activity* in 2009/10 was Education (including PCAP and LTHE) 32% Mandatory courses 18.5% Leadership and management 15.5% Technical 12% Personal development 7% Other (including IT) 15% * Activity refers to training which has been recorded on the central HR system Table 1 Year Spend *( k) Person Days 2005/ / / / / * Spend represents central training budget, external spend in Corporate Services, and monies ear marked through TQEF/TESS for Learning and Teaching. Staff training related to learning and teaching is the most significant activity in terms of volume (person days) and is all delivered through Education Enhancement. This level of activity is consistent with the continuing emphasis being placed on quality of learning and teaching.

4 1. Research and Education Staff Learning and Development Goals 1.1 Support and mentoring related to grant capture and publishing will be more formalised with the introduction of a new PDR system for academic staff in 2010/ PCAP and LTHE programmes will be expanded to accommodate Teaching Fellows and Professional Services staff engaged in Learning and Teaching, as well as meeting increased demand from post graduate researchers. Some additional funding has been secured to deliver the expanded provision in 2010/11, but staff development in this area is still largely funded through TESS and therefore we still need to address long term sustainability. 1.3 SLD will work with Education Enhancement to help Academic Leads to engage fully with the Education Strategy and to respond to needs they identify through the new PDR system. Academics will be encouraged to keep a portfolio to evidence and reflect more regularly on their teaching practice. This approach will greatly enhance the amount and quality of Continuous Professional Development. 1.4 Anticipating the likelihood that it will be necessary to report on how many of our staff have professional teaching qualifications, a CPD framework will be developed offering a number of pathways for professional recognition by all staff involved in L&T 1.5 In collaboration with the International Office, SLD has carried out a survey to assess the impact of internationalisation on staff working in the Business School. This information will help to inform the design of a Cultural Competencies workshop for academic and professional services staff in Colleges. Following a pilot in the Business School in early 2010/11, the workshop will be rolled out more widely to other Colleges. Deliverables All Academic Leads trained to use the new PDR academic PDR system by February 2011 New strategy for early career researchers November 2010 New PCAP to be delivered in 2010/11 academic year Proposals for an HEA accredited CPD framework by end of 2010/11 academic year Rollout of Cultural Competencies workshops from February Leadership and Management Achieving our aim of growth in a tough economic climate will require the highest level of resource management. Our programmes must encourage innovation and distributed leadership at all levels of the organisation. We will achieve this by increasing our provision of structured management development programmes, tailored on-line learning resources and by offering programmes which encourage innovation as well as improve performance. 2.1 Larger academic units will require leadership skills to be embedded more widely; SLD is working collaboratively with a number of Universities including ones in the

5 USA and Australia to develop an innovative on-line leadership skills resource for Research Fellows and Principal Investigators which will be available in In conjunction with this resource, the feasibility of offering an Institute of Leadership and Management accredited programme will be assessed in Exeter has been successful in securing funding from HEFCE and the Leadership Foundation to undertake an 18 month project to provide managers in the sector with a learning resource which can be used to improve service delivery whilst reducing costs. SLD will be actively involved in the internal dissemination of the findings from this project. 2.3 SLD is now an accredited centre for the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) and provides opportunities for staff to undertake nationally recognised qualifications at a range of levels to demonstrate achievement and capability in the workplace. SLD will extend the qualifications we can offer to Certificate level at L2 and L3 (middle managers) by June We will continue to offer staff career development through the Aspiring Managers Programme (AMP) and Career Development Planning Discussions (CDP); this will create a pool of staff that are well prepared to take advantage of internal vacancies as they arise. 2.5 SLD will develop its coaching skills programme and offer the ILM L3 workplace coaching qualification in 2012 and extend the coaching network still further during the course of Deliverables 20 new managers developed through AMP (with median impact evaluation score of 4 or higher): 25 achieving L2 qualifications. 2010/11 30 middle managers developed to ILM L3 (with median impact evaluation score of 4 or higher): 15 achieving L3 qualifications. 2011/12 All Research Staff and Principal Investigators to be given access to the online leadership resource. 2011/12 Feasibility of offering ILM Award for Researchers undertaken in cohorts to undertake Career Development Planning managers completing the workplace coaching programme with a median impact evaluation score of 4 or higher. July registrants for new coaching qualification. January Quality, Systems and Policies There are a number of mechanisms in place to support the learning and development provision which help members of staff to understand and make effective use of University policies and processes, these include quality standards like Investors in People, ITIL, Customer First and ISO The Students as Change Agents initiative has demonstrated that students can add great value to the design and delivery of education offered at the University. Building on this experience, a Student-Staff Exchange programme will be launched to give professional service managers and staff an insight into key aspects of student educational life and at the same time offer students the opportunity to shadow professionals in their area of career interest. A similar programme has been run at

6 London South Bank University with great success and has led to significant improvements in customer service. 3.2 There will be a review of the Professional Services competency framework in 2010/11 in order to evaluate its usefulness and to accommodate the needs of Professional Services staff in the newly formed Colleges. The review will also encompass how competencies are used in the PDR process and how they can be embedded into other HR processes like recruitment and selection. 3.3 Create and implement a Professional Services staff recognition scheme in 2010/11 which will compliment current local and University initiatives related to reward and recognition. The scheme will be related to the Professional Services competency framework and will be a celebration excellent performance at individual and team level. 3.4 The principles of Investors in People are being used to embed good business practice across Professional Services. The network of IiP Coordinators has been expanded to ensure greater involvement. Internal health checks are being carried out to us a benchmark against the indicators ensuring we are well prepared for reaccreditation in November The customer First standard is being adopted by Academic Services in parallel with the creation of Central Student Services. This will ensure effective customer service process and standards are in place to meet increasing expectations from students. 3.6 Staff Learning and Development Systems. The new College structure provides an opportunity for Learning and Development activities to be delivered more directly within Colleges. SLD will work closely with the new HR Business Partners to undertake training needs analysis and create local training plans. It is anticipated that the number of open programmes will be reduced as a result of more programmes being delivered within Colleges. 3.7 We will continue to develop our use of the Trent HR system, working with our suppliers to improve the self-service functionality, which although useable, is not sufficiently user-friendly. The use of Trent will be included in induction as this is used by many for booking annual leave, checking payslips as well as for booking onto and recording learning activities. Trent will also be used to generate management information for Colleges and Services to improve attendance on mandatory courses like Equality and Diversity and Health and Safety. 3.8 IT skills development. Our current opportunities are focused on basic training and reactive problem solving which inhibits strategic improvements. To ensure the University s workforce is making the most cost-effective use of information technology to support our day-to-day work SLD will conduct a review of development needs and how best we can meet them. The review will include: staff induction; organisational policies; user education; the relationship of skills development to the support provided by the Helpdesk and Desk-Top Support teams in Academic Services; the different approaches to skills development; and our strategy for using and improving IT in the workplace. Deliverables Revised competency statements and guidance on use by December 2010.

7 Launch of new Staff Recognition Scheme March 2011 IiP reaccreditation by November 2011 Academic Services: Achievement of Customer First Standard by September Provide management information about mandatory training Autumn 2010 Comprehensive IT review report with recommendations produced by December Staff Learning and Development October 2010