TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT POLICY

(Amended August 1998)

Policy Statement
Our employees are the Council’s most important asset. For our future development and progression it
is, therefore, essential to provide good quality training and development for all employees.
North Warwickshire Borough Council will aim, within available resources, to provide a variety of
development opportunities that will equip employees to meet the Authority’s current and future needs.

Policy Objectives
The key objectives of this Policy are:-
1 To confirm the Council’s commitment to training and development
2 To ensure that appropriate training and development opportunities are provided for
employees, trainees and Members to meet the overall objectives and service aims of the Council
at organisational, occupational and individual levels.
3 To ensure that the training resources are used to their full potential by establishing a clear
process for identifying, prioritising, planning and monitoring training and development needs,
actions and resources.
4 To establish clear roles and responsibilities for implementing all aspects of the Policy and
achieving the stated objectives.
5 To establish a clear process for identifying and prioritising training and development needs
at all levels.
6 To ensure that the financial resources identified for training and development are utilised
effectively and equitably.
7 To ensure that all employees of the Council have equality of access to training and
development, in accordance with the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy, and according to their
assessed development needs.
8 To establish clear guidance to all employees as to their entitlement and responsibilities
whilst undergoing training.
9 To outline the resource requirements to meet the Council’s training and development
needs.
10 To ensure that all training undertaken by employees is of an acceptable and required
standard.
Explanation of Objectives
Commitment
1. The Council is fully committed, within financial constraints, to making available the resources to
provide the necessary training and development opportunities to ensure that the skills and
capabilities of its employees are kept up-to-date and able to fulfil their potential. The
development of all employees to their maximum fulfilment is vital to the success the Council.
2. The Council accepts the need to provide appropriate training for elected Members.
3. The Council will endeavour to make available to all employees the appropriate training and
development opportunities necessary for the proper discharge of their duties in current and
 anticipated future roles.
1.4 The Council will continue in its obligation to recognise and provide equal access for all
employees to training and development opportunities.
Training and Development
1. Employee training and development needs are as follows:-

• Those which are necessary for the employee to be able to do their job
accurately, efficiently and effectively.

• Those which are necessary for the employee to achieve their agreed
personal targets.

• Those which are required for the employee to keep up-to-date with
legislation, new technology, changing standards, practices and policies.

• Those which will enable the employee to continue to improve their job
performance.

• Those which will prepare the employee for future roles and responsibilities,
in the interests of the Council.

• Those which will enable employees to gain a professional qualification.

• Training for Trainees.

1. Member training and development requirements are:-

• Induction.

• Those which are needed to keep councillors up to date with new legislation,
changing policies and procedures.

• Those which will enable individual councillors to undertake specific duties

and responsibilities.
1. The formal analysis of training needs at a corporate level is vital to the success of the Training
and Development Policy. To ensure that this is carried out, Divisional Officers will ensure the
identification of training needs at an individual and Divisional level within the overall performance
management appraisal system. Divisional Officers will complete a Training Needs Summary
Form for their Division and forward this to the Training and Safety Officer.
2. The Training and Safety Officer will meet with each Divisional Officer and Management Team to
discuss and agree the identified training needs in accordance with the training needs process
(see appendix A ).The Training and Safety Officer will then prepare draft budget allocations for
approval by Management Team and a Training Strategy based upon the identified training
needs, corporate objectives and initiatives and budgetary provision. Following approval the
Training Strategy and the budgetary allocations will be communicated to all Divisions.
3. A annual training programme of in-house training activities will be produced by the Training and
Safety Officer.

.
4. All training and development activities provided for employees and Members will be consistent
with, and support, the Council’s Corporate Strategy and service policies.
5. The implications for training and development will be recognised in, and by, future strategic plans
and policies.
6. The development, co-ordination and responsibility for the analysis and provision of appropriate
 training and development activities will be carried out by the Training and Safety Officer in
consultation with the Head of Personnel and Management Services, who will have overall
responsibility for the training and development function.
2.9 The Training and Safety Officer will evaluate all training activities in accordance with the
evaluation process (see appendix B ).

Training Priorities
The Council recognises that, although all development will need to be prioritised, there are specific
areas that will automatically assume priority status. These are as follows:-
1. Induction training will ensure that all new employees and councillors are provided with the
necessary information and awareness of the Council’s internal and external relationships and will
be aware of health and safety practices, policies and procedures.
2. Emphasis will be given to training and development that is related to continual improvement in
the quality or performance of services and products and the achievement of corporate objectives
and initiatives e.g. management development, quality initiative training.
3. Professional skills where:

• The Council has statutory obligations

• They are essential to the maintenance and improvement of service standards

• They are necessary to maintain income

• They will enable employees to meet their responsibilities in completing continuous

professional development required by their institutes or professional bodies
1. Management development programmes that are applicable to identified individual and strategic
needs.
2. Health and safety training that will enable individuals and the Council to meet its legal
obligations.
3. Communication skills training that will promote the culture of a well informed and knowledgeable
workforce i.e. briefing skills, meeting skills, plain English.
4. Training and education in the current and future use of information technology.
RESOURCES
The Council will always match its Training Strategy to the resources available. In doing
so the following will be taken into account
1. North Warwickshire employs approximately 580 employees and there are 34 Councillors
2. Adequate and appropriate training and development is an investment in people which the
Council recognises as essential for the achievement of its aims and objectives.
3. Direct training and development costs arise from the following areas

• Course fees

• Employment of external training providers

• Hire of external facilities

• Training materials
 • Travel and subsistence
1. Indirect training and development costs are employees’ salaries and wages and the effects on
services of employee absences whilst attending or receiving the training.

1. Training resources will be allocated on the following basis:

• Relationship of the training activity to the individual or Divisional training

plan, which itself is derived from the performance management appraisal
system

• Training activity cost, location and demand

• The training priority list

• Training history of the applicant

• Financial and manpower resources available

1. Wherever possible courses will be run in-house or at local venues.
2. Requests for training must always be submitted to the Training and Safety Officer prior to a
course booking being made. Failure to do so may result in training resources not being allocated
to that training activity.

3. Requests for training will be considered on the points outlined in 4.5

Key Responsibilities
This section describes the roles and responsibilities of all those employees involved in the training and
development process.

5.1 Management
The responsibility for training and development rests with management. Directors,
Divisional Officers and managers and are responsible for the following:-

• Ensuring that employees have the appropriate skills to perform their jobs to
the relevant standards

• Ensuring that all new employees successfully complete the induction planner
(when implemented ).

• As part of the appraisal system, jointly agreeing training needs with their
employees

• Ensuring that employees know why they will be attending a particular

training or development event before it takes place.

• Evaluating the impact that any training has on job performance

• Ensuring, so far as is practicable, that all proposed training and development

activities contribute towards improving the performance of their Division,
section or employee

• Ensuring that all employees receive the correct level of health and safety
training.

2. Employees
Responsibilities include:
 • Recognising that training and development activities represent a financial
investment by the Borough Council

• Recognising that the objective of a training activity is to improve job

performance on an individual and Council-wide basis.

• Recognising that training and development opportunities increase individual

flexibility, increase individual market value and contribute to the development
of the Council.

• Completing and returning all evaluation questionnaires to the Training and

Safety Officer.
3. Training and Safety Officer
The Training and Safety Officer is responsible to the Head of Personnel and Management
Services for providing professional expertise in the management and provision of training and
development activities, and in particular for the day to day management of the Council’s training
function.
(amended August 1998)

Specific responsibilities include:

• Prioritising training and development

• Development of a Corporate Training Strategy

• Communication of the Corporate Training Strategy

• Monitoring and control of the central training budget

• Advising on the appointment of relevant management consultants

• Advising and guiding managers and employees on staff development

activities

• Developing and managing the internal training programme

• Advising on and promoting a range of staff development activities

• Advising on, and co-ordinating external training and development activities

• Managing the Post Entry Training Scheme

• Evaluating all training and development activities

4. Personnel Administration
Personnel will provide all the operational systems relating to the training and development function, in
that it will:

• Carry out all training and development bookings in line with Council policy

• Co-ordinate the booking of training rooms

• Operate the computerised training system

• Co-ordinate all training correspondence

• Manage the training catering function

• Co-ordinate the evaluation process

6.1 Provision of Training
Career Development/Qualification Training
The Council will support employees who wish to pursue qualifications provided that:

• The qualification relates to their existing or potential job role

• The qualification cannot be provided internally

• The qualification is accredited with a national accreditation body

• Where applicable, the qualification has been awarded with a

national vocational qualification level

• The training does not compromise the Council’s ability to provide services

• The Post Entry Training Scheme has been adhered to (please refer to the
Post Entry Training Scheme Handbook)
6.2 Externally Provided or Continual Professional Development Short Courses
The Council will support employees in attending externally provided or continual
professional development courses provided that:

• It can be demonstrated that the course has direct relevance to the corporate
objectives of the Authority and the individual’s training and development plan

• The course cannot be provided in-house

• The full costs of attendance are established i.e. course fees, accommodation
and transportation costs
6.3 Internally Provided Short Courses
The Council provides a wide range of internal courses/seminars.
These courses/seminars are provided in response to demand generated by Divisional and
Corporate Training Strategies
Employees will be supported provided that they can show that such training is included in
their training plan or they can demonstrate to their manager that attendance will improve their job
performance.

7 Quality of Training
The Council recognises the substantial investment which it is making in the training and
development of its employees, and seeks to ensure that the training which its employees receive
is of the highest standard.
The Training and Safety Officer will be notified by Divisional Officers of any requests for
training and development and will, after agreement, monitor this development to ensure that a
high standard is achieved and that all needs have been met. This will be achieved by random
monitoring, evaluation interviews, evaluation questionnaires and appraisal and college reports.
Divisional Officers should always discuss any training requirements and programmes in
advance with the Training and Safety Officer, who will then advise on the appropriateness and
availability of any preferred training solutions.
All training must be provided in accordance with the provisions of the Council’s Equal
 Opportunities Policy.
Conclusion
This policy aims to provide a framework in which training needs can be identified and met in a prioritised
and cost effective way. The success of the policy depends upon the commitment and co-operation of
the Chief Executive, Directors, Divisional Officers, Managers, Supervisors and employees at all levels
working together to create a learning environment at work which ensures that the Council has a skilled
and motivated workforce, providing a high quality service to the residents of North Warwickshire.

APPENDIX A

TRAINING NEEDS PROCESS

All Divisional Officers and Management Team should complete the Training Needs Summary Form
upon conclusion of all appraisals within their Divisions or Directorates.

1 The Training Needs Summary Form establishes a basis for a meeting between the
Training and Safety Officer and the Divisional Officer/ Director, the purpose of which is to identify
in detail the training and development needs of the Division/ Directorate. Areas to be covered will
include:-

• Employees individual needs and the reasons why a particular training or development activity
has been selected. It will be at this point that advice can be given on available training and
development opportunities.

• The priority ratings of the Division against the priority rating of the Council’s proposed Training
Plan.

• Training budgets

• Proposed Training Plan for the Division

2 Once all Divisional Officers and Management Team have met with the Training and
Safety Officer a corporate Training Strategy will be drawn up. The Strategy will be
based upon training needs identified in the Corporate Plan and the training needs
identified within the appraisal system itself. The Strategy will be submitted to
Management Team for approval by August each year.
3 Once the corporate training strategy has been agreed, each Division will receive its
Divisional Training Plan. Other training parties will receive a copy of Divisional
Training Plans and will liase with the Training and Safety Officer on these points. By
September of each year.
4 The Training and Safety Officer will develop and implement an in-house training
programme that will be circulated to all employees by October of each year.
5 The Training and Safety Officer will review the Training Strategy after the 6 monthly
appraisal reviews .

APPENDIX B

TRAINING EVALUATION
 Training evaluation is an essential part of the learning process. Not only is it key to checking that the
learning event has achieved the set objectives, but it ensures that all development activities support the
corporate objectives. Evaluation looks at the total value of a learning event, not just at whether and how
far it has achieved it’s learning objectives. It thereby puts the event in it’s wider context, and provides
information essential to future planning.
EVALUATION PROCESS
Justification of Training
When an employee is nominated for any learning activity a number of considerations arise in
connection with the justification for training. It is necessary to ensure that:

• the corporate/ Divisional objective is clearly identified

• the current and required levels of performance at all levels are assessed to identify the gap

• alternative methods of bridging the gap are investigated

• a method and timescale for assessing performance can be determined after the learning activity
is established

• any other details, e.g. preferences for timing of delivery and training methods are specified.

• If the booking and monitoring of all development activities are a central function then evaluation of this
stage will be made more effective and can be carried out directly by the Training and Safety Officer.
This justification for training is in accordance with the Council’s Training Policy.
Pre Training Brief
Before any training intervention the employee needs to be briefed by his or her manager to ensure that:

• the training objectives are agreed and understood

• the employee clearly understands why he or she is undertaking the training and what he or she
wants and is expected to achieve

• the employee understands how the learning event relates to their training plan

• agreement is made on how the learning will be put into practice on return to the workplace

• any problems are identified that may affect the employee’s ability to put the learning into practice
A form will be produced that will form the basis of these briefings.
The use and effectiveness of the pre training brief will be monitored by the Training and Safety Officer
by way of random checking and post course questionnaires.
Post Training Evaluation
Evaluation is carried out at three points in the process.
1 Immediately following the training, with a course evaluation questionnaire. The
questionnaire will be distributed and analysed by the Training and Safety Officer.
2 Following the training a meeting will be arranged between the employee and the manager
to discuss:
a) the employees reaction to the training
b) whether or not the training met the pre-determined objectives
c) any particular training needs not met and any action that is required to aid
the transf of learning to the workplace.
 3. At the next appropriate appraisal.

Process for Analysing Information

Quarterly training evaluation forms should be submitted by managers to the Training and Safety Officer
who will use the reports and other evaluation methods to produce an annual training evaluation report,
that will be used to aid the review of the Corporate Training Strategy.
The evaluation report will cover the following areas:

• A review the effectiveness of all learning events

• Identification of lessons to be learnt for futuretraining and development events

• A justification of training expenditure

• A demonstration of the effectiveness of training and development as an organisational tool and in

achieving Divisional and corporate goals.

• The foundations for the next corporate training strategy.

QUARTERLY TRAINING EVALUATION FORM

PERIOD: From: To: DIVISION

Training/ Manager’s Further actions, if any By whom By when

development comments on
activity impact of training on
individual/team/
divisional objectives
 NORTH WARWICKSHIRE BOROUGH COUNCIL
TRAINING EVALUATION FORM

PERSONAL DETAILS
NAME JOB TITLE

DIVISION COURSE
TITLE

DATE VENUE
TRAINER

PRE COURSE PREPARATION

COMMENTS
DID YOU RECEIVE A PRE
COURSE BRIEFING FROM YOUR
MANAGER. PLEASE COMMENT
YES / NO

COURSE ADMINISTRATION AND VENUE

Please rate the following aspects by circling the relevant number using the scale below.
WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL VIEW OF

2 3 4 5
COURSE ADMINISTRATION 1

COURSE VENUE 1 3 4 5
2

OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATION 2 3 4 5
( if applicable)
1

CATERING 2 3 4 5
1
ANY FURTHER COMMENTS

1-VERY POOR
2-POOR
3-SATISFACTORY
4-GOOD
5-VERY GOOD

CONTENT
PLEASE COMMENT ON THE COURSE IN RELATION TO YOUR OBJECTIVES

1 3 4 5
CONTENT 2

RELEVANCE 2 3 4 5
1

USEFULNESS 2 3 4
1 5

PRESENTATION
PLEASE GIVE YOUR OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF

2 3 4 5
CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY 1
THE TRAINER

USE OF VISUAL AIDS 2 3 4 5

1

TIME SPENT ON SUBJECTS 2 3 4 5

COVERED
1

LENGTH OF THE COURSE 2 3 4 5

1

COURSE DOCUMENTATION 2 3 4 5
1

PLEASE COMMENT ON
OVERALL RATING OF THE 1 2 3 4 5
COURSE IN RELATION TO
YOUR OBJECTIVES AND THE
COURSE OBJECTIVES

Any other comments ______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________
1-VERY POOR
2-POOR
3-SATISFACTORY
4-GOOD
5-VERY GOOD
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE
PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM TO THE TRAINING AND SAFETY OFFICER S28