Learning and Development CHAPTER 10 The L&D agenda in different sectoral settings

THE PURPOSE OF THE CHAPTER To explain how the agenda for L&D in an organisation varies according to its context of sectoral setting and size. KEY THEMES Small and medium-sized enterprises The public sector The voluntary and community sector

When should a small, fast-growing enterprise take a more strategic approach to training? Analyse L&D needs highlighted in its business plan – do they suggest a need for a more strategic approach? Analyse outcomes of the firm’s approach to the training so far – do they suggest a need for a more strategic approach? Identify external sources that can provide help in planning and meeting training needs

KEY TASKS FOR L&D PROFESSIONALS WORKING IN THE SME SECTOR (Pettigrew et al, 1990) To propose, organise and measure L&D activity that will: enhance organisational performance, as indicated by a range of appropriate measures enhance employees’ ability to cope effectively with internal and external change contribute to the organisation’s overall ability to achieve its longer-term goals

2007 LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORKFORCE STRATEGY ‘The place to be, the place to work’ To be achieved through: Organisational development Leadership development Skill development Recruitment and retention Pay and rewards

2006 Results of ‘league tables’ for four government departments Departments for Education and Skills, Work and Pensions, Constitutional Affairs, and the Home Office fail to motivate staff fail to provide leadership fail to deliver services effectively The Home Office was by far the worst, and suffered an immediate purge of 25 senior civil servants Four areas are to be transformed: High-level strategy and priority-setting Managing performance Tackling failure Building up skills, especially in people management

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM (Riddell, 2006) The elephant in the room that no one mentions, is ministers. This is unlike the comprehensive performance assessments of local authorities, which have examined the quality of political leadership. The good management practices now being applied to the Civil Service – training, career development and succession planning – are alien to ministers.... Some of the failings of the Blair Government are because senior ministers have not understood how big organisations work.

PRESSURES OF CHANGE Beverley Shears, new HR Director at the Home Office (2007): The amount of change the organisation has already been through is breathtaking.... What I am experiencing now is a talented team that is battle- weary.... It’s about re-energising and motivating people, while building on the good they have already done.

2008 Penna Consulting survey of 161 HR professionals in the public sector 96% wanted responsibility for facilitating change 63% said they had resourcing, capability and talent management frameworks in place 78% claimed to be aware of how to drive passion and pride in their team or organisation BUT 78% believed that their departments needed to upskill in order to deal with the challenges brought by the unremitting pace of public sector change Almost two-thirds said their department was not equipped to manage the change 76% blamed this on lack of direction or leadership

KEY TASKS FOR L&D PROFESSIONALS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR Finding the right balance between central and local needs, to aid achievement of targets and enhance service delivery Building learning cultures to enhance workforce development, flexibility and adaptability, and to develop individual potential Improving leadership and management capability to inspire, build and sustain customer-facing, high performance, people-centred enterprises Managing the L&D budget, with high-level skills in prioritising their activity, tailoring it to current and predicted future needs and coping with unexpected cutbacks and other contingencies

Briefing Note on the new Comprehensive Area Assessment for local services, 2009 Change The importance of local strategic partnerships and working across organisational boundaries is likely to increase, with councils taking a leading role. The new indicators are diverse and challenging and finding ways to influence them positively will demand creativity and innovation. Workforce implications Increasing importance of joint workforce planning, more transferability of employees, possible pressures to harmonise terms and conditions, increasing need for relationship management skills. There will be a need to encourage more creative and flexible ways of working to engage effectively with the community and partners.

L&D professionals working in or for the public sector must be: expert and credible in L&D theory and practice in a variety of organisational settings and sectors proactive, willing and skilled at working in business partnerships to provide high-value L&D for their organisations and the community well informed about the L&D agenda in different areas of the public sector, and fully accepting of the need for radical change able to propose and follow through L&D solutions to aid that transformation in key areas including organisational development, leadership, employee engagement and talent management competent to deal with the politics involved in helping to drive through the public sector modernisation programme able to engage people at all organisational levels in that drive

NEW INDEPENDENT THIRD-SECTOR SKILLS BODY (October 2008) Funded for the first three years by: The Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills Purpose: To address skills shortages and gaps for charities, voluntary groups, social enterprises and other third-sector organisations by developing programmes to plug the immediate skills gaps, linking the third sector to the complete national skills framework and influencing the development of skills support services for the benefit of the sector Specific aims: to pull together the work of the sector skills councils to open up learning opportunities for third sector paid and voluntary staff to ensure that the sector’s needs are properly considered in the development of national occupational standards, the apprenticeship frameworks and sector qualification strategies

COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THAT AID SOCIO-ECONOMIC REGENERATION Nine interactive features: a philosophy based on mutuality of endeavour, of interest and of benefit a philosophy that does not favour one kind of knowledge over another a recognition that knowledge is embedded in a community’s grass roots a recognition that learning must be a shared task local champions who are respected in the community a continuous search for best practice, outside as well as within the region a commitment to being ‘in it for the long haul’ continuous, incremental and integrative expansion of individual and collective capacity and competence a durable infrastructure to ensure sustainability