VONNE

Workforce development is an essential aspect of most successful and robust organisations and can make a key difference in whether organisations are equipped to survive these changing economic times.

Workforce development basically means developing your staff and volunteers to improve their skills to better deliver your services and ensure a more effective organisation.  Done well, the outcome of workforce development is a motivated, skilled, diverse and outward looking workforce capable of delivery high quality services to all your beneficiaries.

Workforce development often means training, whether accredited or non accredited, but it can also include other ways.  Below is a list of some of the other ways your organisation can develop your workforce.

Apprenticeships are a form of vocational learning which combine work based learning with some learning delivered elsewhere, usually by a college or other training provider. Together, this helps the apprentice work towards a nationally recognised qualification.

In England there are over 180 different apprenticeships which are formally recognised spanning an array of industries and sectors.  The Learning and Skills Council provides financial support for two levels of apprenticeship:

• Apprenticeship - where apprentices work towards a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at Level 2, key skills qualifications and in most cases a relevant technical certificate.
• Advanced Apprenticeship - where apprentices work towards an NVQ at Level 3, key skills qualifications and in most cases a relevant technical certificate.

Unlike the traditional view, apprenticeships are not just restricted to young people leaving school or college.  Since August 2007 adult apprenticeships have been available to individuals aged 25 and over.

Further information on apprenticeships and the type of apprenticeships available can be found at www.apprenticeships.org.uk.

Coaching and mentoring
Coaching can be defined as a process that enables learning and development to occur and therefore bring about improvements in performance.  Mentoring is defined as one person providing intensive help, support and guidance to another.

In terms of WBL both can be used to good effect to in the work place as they can be focused on the core skills an employee needs in their role, and can be tailored to support and build the confidence and capabilities of an individual.  Coaching and mentoring can also be extremely flexible allowing training and learning to be quickly adapted to meet new and emerging needs.

Coaches and mentors are experienced and competent in performing the skills they teach.  They can also be either external or internal to an organisation.  Indeed a number of voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations already use existing staff as coaches and mentors in an informal way of inducting and developing new staff.

Further information on coaching and mentoring can be found at: www.coachingnetwork.org.uk

Job shadowing can be defined as one person from a specific work area having the opportunity to work alongside and gain firsthand experience of another's specific role and work.  It can also be used as a useful tool to share knowledge and learning between colleagues. 

Job shadowing can be a useful tool in helping to improve organisational performance, through things like developing a shared understanding and helping to build and improve team working.  A number of organisations use job shadowing as a key part of their staff development and many do not restrict it to their own organisations. It can be a useful tool for developing partnership working, particularly between VCS and public sector organisations.

"On the job" training as the name implies involves training employees in their workplace and can include some of the methods already outlined, however it more usually includes specific instruction to show individuals how to do the job.

There are a number of benefits that have been identified to this form of training, including helping to deliver training to a standard approved by the employer, and improving the productivity of staff as they continue to work whilst they are learning.  For the individual it can help to build their confidence and familiarity in the workplace.

Train to Gain
Train to Gain is the umbrella programme for government funded training and can be use by VCS organisations to receive help and support to deliver WBL to their employees and volunteers.  Train to Gain is the national skills service that supports employers of all sizes and in all sectors to improve the skills of their employees as a route to improving their performance.  The service offers skills advice on subjects like Investors in People accreditation and development of basic skills through to leadership and management training.  Further information on the support available through Train to Gain can be found at www.traintogain.gov.uk or by calling Business Link on 0845 600 9 006.