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The PPD Policy on Learning and Development
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(20th July 2006)
Note: Recent non-trivial revisions are shown in red.
Objectives
1.
to ensure that all staff have the necessary skills to function
effectively in a rapidly changing environment
2.
to ensure that each member of staff is able to contribute
personally, as appropriate, to the development of the research programme of the
Department by extending and enhancing their skills
3.
in order to maintain the international competitive position of the
Department in particle physics research, it is required that the scientific and
technical staff continue learning to remain at the forefront, and that the
secretarial and administrative staff are fully equipped to use state-of-the-art
information technology.
General policy
1.
All PPD staff should have the training required to do their job.
2.
To maximise the effectiveness of training, it should be available
when it is needed - this is typically when it is about to be applied.
3.
Staff will not have their training delayed excessively due to
pressure of other work.
4.
All staff should maintain their own learning and
development plan making use of the APR form.
5.
It is assumed that in this department, learning and development
needs will mostly be identified at the level of the individual rather than
taking a top down approach. However the line manager should ensure that
individual learning and development needs match the job holder’s objectives and
that these individual learning and development needs and objectives are in
accordance with those of the group.
6.
All staff should be up-to-date with relevant technologies and in
their field of work by attendance at conferences, workshops, lectures, seminars
and training courses, and by the provision of books and computer assisted
training.
7.
Guidance will be provided concerning further professional and
vocational qualifications, and if considered appropriate, support will be
given.
8.
Responsibility for learning and development is shared by the job
holder, the line manager and the learning and development representative.
oThe job holder is well
motivated to identify his/her own learning and development needs.
oThe line manager must be
involved and will sometimes identify learning and development needs which the
job holder has not spotted.
oThe learning and
development representative in looking after the corresponding budget seeks
value for money.
9.
To evaluate the effectiveness of
learning and development events
Actions
Note that for each action the
person responsible is in bold type
1.
The job holder in consultation with his/her line manager should complete the
learning and development section of the APR and relate them to objectives.
2.
The job holder in consultation with his/her line manager should update the
learning and development section of the APR at least 2 or 3 times a year.
3.
The learning and development form should be used
for all training - the learning and development representative should be given
a copy by the individual requesting the training even
though he/she does not need to sign it to authorise payment e.g. management
courses.
4.
The learning and development representative will advise job holders
who are having problems finding the learning opportunity they need.
5.
Line management should consider learning and development time of their
staff in any schedules.
6.
The learning and development representative will make use of the
departmental web and e-mail to ensure that all members of PPD are aware of what
learning and development opportunities are available.
7.
The learning and development representative will prepare a report
for the PPD division heads outlining the learning and development events which
members of the department have attended that year and highlighting any
problems.
8.
The division heads meeting will consider that report and with their
knowledge of the people in their division assess how effective the learning and
development has been in meeting the needs of the individual, group and
department and will suggest, before the end of the APR year, any improvements
which should be made. They will also produce a report (probably based on the
report from the learning and development representative) outlining the
investment the department makes in training and how effective it has been.
9.
On the basis of feedback from the division heads meeting and
experience the learning and development representative will make a request to
the department head for adequate financial resources for learning and
development within PPD.
10.
If training is not being provided as planned the learning and
development representative will try to find out why. He will report any problems he cannot
solve to the department head
Summary of Responsibilities
The job holder
·
Has primary responsibility for his or her own learning and
development.
·
Should maintain his or her own learning and development plan.
·
Should discuss with his or her line manger any new learning or
development need.
·
Should send a copy of all learning and development forms to the
learning and development representative.
The line manager
·
Should ensure that learning and development needs are discussed
with the job holder and related to objectives when the APR form is started at
the beginning of the year and each time it is revised.
·
Should consider especially the non-technical learning and
development needs of his or her staff.
·
Should include in their own personal objectives for the year a
responsibility to consider the learning and development needs of his or her
staff.
·
Should consider in any schedules the time their staff will need
for learning and development
The group leader
·
Group objectives should be produced annually and communicated to
each member of the group
·
Should formulate a group learning and development plan consistent
with the department and the individual learning and development plans and with
the group objectives.
·
Should send a copy of the group learning and development plan to
the learning and development representative.
Division Heads
·
Will consider annual report from the learning and development
representative and consider the effectiveness of training and suggest
improvements which could be made.
·
Will produce an annual report (probably based on the report from
the learning and development representative) outlining the investment the
department makes in training and how effective it has been.
The learning and development
representative (Fred Wickens)
·
Will use appropriate means to inform the department of what
learning and development opportunities are available
·
Will produce an annual report to division heads
·
Will request an appropriate level of funding from the head of
department and will manage that fund
·
Will attempt to rectify training problems
·
Will prepare revisions of the departmental learning and
development policy and plan at least every 6 months based on the group learning
and development plans.
Department Head (John Womersley)
·
Will ensure that adequate funds are made available to meet
departmental learning and development needs
·
Is responsible for the departmental learning and development
policy and plan and the consistency between the departmental plan and group
plans.