Staff Development and Training Policy

Contents

• Objectives
• Roles and responsibilities
• Evaluation

Purpose

The policy’s primary purpose is the enhancement and enrichment of each member of staff through organisation, job and personal development. The policy seeks to provide learning opportunities for all staff so that by performing their individual jobs effectively, they can contribute to NICVA’s Mission, Vision and Values.

Staff development and training as a planned and structured activity is designed to help an individual or a group of people to achieve quality of performance and service.The staff development and training process uses organisational structures and procedures to facilitate access to learning, education and training.

Aims

The staff development and training policy aims to enable staff to gain increased satisfaction from work within NICVA and to develop individual careers through enhanced qualifications. The policy aims to help staff develop the skills, knowledge and aptitudes necessary to make a more effective contribution to NICVA’s work and thereby to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the achievement of NICVA’s Mission, and the promotion of its work. In helping staff make a more effective contribution to NICVA’s work, the policy further aims to confirm and emphasise NICVA’s commitment to community development principles.

Objectives

NICVA identifies these objectives as necessary to achieve its staff development and training aims:

1. To monitor and maintain clear staff recruitment and selection procedures ensuring equality of opportunity in employment.
2. To provide a comprehensive induction procedure for new staff.
3. To develop, maintain and monitor structures and systems providing management, support and evaluation for all staff.
4. To maintain staff development and training records for each member of staff.
5. To evaluate the impact of development and training on the individual’s work and ultimately the performance of the organisation.

Roles and responsibilities

The responsibility for and central co-ordination of staff development and training rests with the Chief Executive, who will ensure:

1. The maintenance of confidentiality (with access to an employee’s staff development and training record being available only to that individual, the Chief Executive, the appropriate Director or line manager and Human Resources Manager).
2. A co-ordinated and organisation wide overview of and approach to staff development and training.
3. The effective implementation of staff development and training through its integration into Development and Operational Plans.

The Chief Executive will:

1. Delegate to each Director responsibility for implementing staff development and training within their function.
2. Ensure appropriate training for each Director to enable such delegation.
3. Assume direct responsibility for the staff development and training needs of  Directors and line managers.
4. Delegate responsibility to each Director for evaluating the impact of staff development and training.

Lead responsibility for ensuring the implementation of NICVA’s Equal Opportunities Policy will rest with the Director of Corporate Services.

Responsibility for the induction of new staff to NICVA and for supervising their introduction to their job responsibilities will rest with:

1. Appropriate line managers (who will be entitled to request support from other NICVA staff).
2. The Chief Executive in the case of newly appointed Directors.

There are no exclusions to the type of training NICVA is prepared to offer, in order to assist in the achievement of its Development and Operational Plans. No individual will be excluded from training on the grounds of gender, marital or family status, religious belief or political opinion, disability, race or ethnic origin, nationality, sexual orientation or age, or any other criteria which could be deemed to be discriminatory or divisive. Training provision in NICVA may arise from needs identified by:

The Management Group

1. Line managers.
2. Individual staff members or groups of staff.
3. The recognised union.
4. Supervision.
5. Staff appraisal.

The Human Resources Manager will:

1. Provide advice, assistance and support to line managers to enable them to fulfil their training responsibilities.
2. Provide advice and practical help to all staff on matters relating to training and education.
3. In the provision of such advice, use internal or external resources and expertise.
4. Provide assistance to line mangers to enable them to effectively evaluate the development and training of their staff and take the relevant action when necessary.

Provision of training is dependent upon:

1. Setting priorities where there are competing demands which cannot all be met.
2. NICVA’s ability to allocate funds for financial assistance towards training.

Action arising from the identification of staff development and training needs will normally be agreed between the individual member of staff concerned and their immediate line manager. Grievances arising within the procedure will be referred to and processed through NICVA/SIPTU negotiation machinery.

Evaluation

Evaluation of staff development and training is the responsibility of each line manager. Supervision should be used as an opportunity to review the development and training that has taken place and evaluate how useful it has been, how it has impacted on the individual’s work and how the learning could be shared with the others in the organisation. The evaluation should be recorded using the proforma provided by Human Resources. This form should be returned to Human Resources and stored in personnel files. Human Resources will monitor the overall effectiveness of staff development and training and facilitate the sharing of learning with others in the organisation when necessary.

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