Workforce development, as we know, is absolutely vital in delivering economic uplift and securing the UK’s place in the global market. The allocation of £23bn in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, to tackle the UK’s poor record on raising output per person, demonstrates just how much emphasis the government is putting on businesses to increase productivity levels, through raising the skills of the workforce. By-lined to Tessa James, HR Director at Lifetime Training.
Talent development therefore must be high on the agenda and whilst productivity is the core benefit, a people strategy will also deliver enhanced engagement levels, and as a by-product also delivers increased productivity. A further positive side-effect of developing one’s own talent pipeline is the inevitable reduction in recruitment costs. But so few businesses truly understand what it takes to deliver a successful talent development strategy, never mind one that is integral to, and supports, a business’s overarching corporate strategy and goals.
People first
Understanding your business’s goals and objectives at the outset is critical. This is then underpinned by the talent development strategy that for all intents and purposes ensures that the right people are in the right place in the business, doing the right job at the right time.
All too often the people component of the business is all but ignored and is dropped in favour of a focus on product and services. But it’s actually the most important element of any business. It’s the people that make it work, the people that do the job, the people that deliver. When you have the right people, that is when you can deliver real ROI. Looking at the people component further strengthens the argument that HR must sit around the board table, to positively influence the people agenda and ensure the people component of the business is not ignored, or at best, merely given lip service. Consider all business functions and all levels of personnel. How can your business be more productive? What areas need work and how can small changes effect a more positive performance? I’ll refer you to Jacques Marais at IPMS Global who neatly talks about this in his people P&L model.
As part of this strategic review HR teams need to understand how all existing training and development streams work together, and if indeed they do, to deliver the right people who will take the business forward. This means reviewing entry level recruitment and training requirements, processes and probationary periods; all training for existing staff – from onboarding through to management development programmes – and succession planning. The latter is extremely important and often a forgotten component of training and development programmes. This is that all important look to the future and how industry, sector, people changes, and technological advances could have an impact on a business, and subsequently, a workforce. What’s in place now versus what’s needed in a few months or years. Looking at the here and now is absolutely key but looking ahead is best practice, and of course being ready and agile enough to make changes quickly, should the business environment change in ways you haven’t predicted, is essential.
Where do you start?
That’s all well and good but where do you start and how do you go about running an effective training programme? Go back to the people. Ensure your business has the right team at the top to deliver on the objectives and ensure they have the right teams in place to deliver on theirs and so on. Training and development programmes should always have someone who manages the programme; who is responsible for its smooth running and is accountable for delivering ROI to the business. These are the people who report back to the business, secure buy-in for programmes and manage transitions and new initiatives. They drive the programme forward and ensure all the cogs in the wheel are appropriately ‘oiled’. It is essential that they are embedded into the business and can quickly and easily access all areas of the business should there be any urgent actions required. It is also vital that a return on investment is quantified for training and development activities, to allow for greater credibility and ultimately greater investment opportunities.
To be successful any team needs to be working towards the same goal. They need to be speaking the same language and understand their role and the impact and value that contribute both within their team and in the wider business. Without doubt both establishing and communicating employer culture to people in an organisation is the first step when it comes to providing appropriate training resources. These need to be hosted in an appropriate format and accessible while people are working as well as, in an ideal world, out of hours. People don’t always have the time or ability to access resources during working hours and many prefer to review learning materials out of hours. The next step is to ensure training and development resources are made available in the same way. Ideally these would be categorised by individual but dependent on the business they could equally be categorised by department, role or ‘level’. It is also essential that all training and development materials are tailored to cater for the multi-generational workforce we now operate within.
Onboarding materials to be developed include department and organisation structure, business objectives, business plans, what’s expected, how we work, uniform, and so on. It is often all too easy to focus on the hygiene factors, and miss the broader, cultural elements in onboarding, which done right will ultimately drive employee advocacy and strengthen your company culture. Training materials need to include personal development plans, career paths, training schedules, industry information, essential reading lists and other useful resources. And don’t forget the trainers and managers who make it all happen. They will need access to a range of training guides, coaching support, and an appropriate way of evidencing training and reporting on-site training success.
Creating a successful environment
Learning is a very human thing. And to ensure the success of any training and development strategy it’s imperative that people have the opportunity to discuss their training needs and challenges and have the opportunity to bounce off other team members wherever practicable. Creating a support network to ensure people get from A to B smoothly and have plans to reach point C as needed will help to flag any potential risks and challenges that may have a negative impact upon completion. This support structure will help your people feel more confident as they explore and push their boundaries, and help them to keep on track. The support network ideally will include someone at team level, a line manager, the trainer and someone with a training or HR slant. Fully supporting your people to be the best they can be is the duty of any employer and not one to be taken lightly, especially if increasing productivity is a business priority. This is why training and development requires buy-in at the most senior level of business and should remain a regular key topic in the board room.
Apprenticeship programmes
While there are many forms of training programmes and initiatives available to employers, apprenticeship programmes are particularly worthy of note right now. The CEBR states that a typical apprentice delivers productivity gains of over £10,000 per annum and, with the roll out of the government’s apprenticeship reforms – employer-led, credible apprenticeship training – there is no better time to invest in apprenticeships. Employers with pay bills of over £3 million will be paying into an apprenticeship levy from May 2017 so it makes sense that apprenticeships form a significant part of any talent development plan.
And, whilst it is appropriate for some organisations to manage their apprenticeship programmes in-house, due to Ofsted’s quality obligations this often results in additional headcount and technical expertise. As such, and from my own in-house and external experience of running training programmes, my personal recommendation to employers would be to at least meet with a training provider to explore their offer. Do not undermine the importance of your people and upskilling them. Businesses, and their people, must embrace talent development for any strategy to work. If they do, productivity levels will increase and the UK’s foothold in the global market will be secured.
www.lifetimetraining.co.uk
