The College was recognised as in Investor in People in April 2003. Re-accreditation was achieved in both March 2006 & March 2008, and further re-accreditation is due in March 2011. Management & staff development issues and communications, both internal & external, were areas identified within the IIP reports. These areas continue to form the nucleus of the staff development programme and are a major focus to the College’s HR Strategy, namely a commitment to staff personal and professional development.
The Staff Development Officer (SDO) plays a key role in this commitment through the planning, provision and evaluation of a comprehensive programme of development opportunities. These include both ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ methods of management and staff development and the in-house Learn4Life and Espresso initiatives. October 2009 saw the introduction of a 2-year, accredited Management Development Programme for all its academic and support staff managers, in association with the Chartered Management Institute and Staffordshire University. This programme is underpinned by a wide-raft of ‘soft-skills’ management development workshops, delivered either by in-house subject experts or external training consultants. The programme was preceded, in September 2009, by an off-site ‘Management Away Day’ which focused on inspirational leadership, motivation, cross College peer-support and a commitment to the College’s Management Expectations & Responsibilities paper.
Recognising that a well organised induction programme can help the new employee to quickly establish sound working relationships with colleagues and increase their effectiveness and output, the SDO implemented an annual Staff Orientation Day to support the existing Personal Induction Programme. This event, attended by all new employees, offers an insight into the corporate and operational environments within the College and is presented in the informal format of an “Open Day,” with short presentations from senior managers, heads of departments and groups, “trade stands” and a “Taste of Shropshire” luncheon.
Mentoring and coaching are recognised as essential elements to the academic working environment and therefore training is provided to academic staff in these key areas, with new members of academia being assigned a work-based mentor.
To ensure that staff receive the on-going personal and professional development they need, the College is committed to its Performance Development Review (PDR) process. This process has recently been updated to make it more focussed on the individual whilst at the same time providing the line manager with a wider window of opportunity in which to conduct the reviews. Line managers are encouraged to not only conduct an annual review but also at least one ‘mid-term’ review. This mid-term review aims to make the process more pro-active in identifying progress against performance objectives and in identifying and providing personal & professional development opportunities at the optimum time. The PDR process allows the individual and their line manager to discuss the corporate, departmental and individual needs in an open and honest environment.
In addition, advice and support is provided through a variety of training & development formats to managers and staff, including equal opportunities & diversity, computer skills (and up-skilling), health & safety, career & retirement planning and work-life balance issues.