The launch today of the long awaited 'Raising the Standard' programme, aimed at improving the quality of HR directors in local government, was something of a damp squib, its agenda dotted with absent speakers and unexpected changes.
Hertfordshire County Council's outgoing director of people and property, Alan Warner, a long-time champion of the project, was missing. As was Stephen Moir, president of the Public Sector People Managers' Association (PPMA).
Event host and one of the initiative's main contributors, the Improvement and Development Agency (I&DEA) saw its own numbers depleted, with director John Hayes arriving late enough to miss his speaking slot.
Eighteen months in the making, the initiative consists of three main components: a standards framework involving 15 personal specifications for HR directors, an online assessment tool, and a mentoring scheme, whereby representatives of private sectors organisations including Xerox and the Royal Mail mentor their public sector peers.
Audience reaction was enquiring but lukewarm. Participants - largely HR directors and learning and development specialists - wanted to know whether the online segment would be free. 'More or less', said Kelly Sandiford of the I&DEA.
They asked whether skills gained during the programme could be counted against qualifications. Not at this stage, although according to Jan Parkinson, managing director, LGE, 'Raising the Standard' has something that the CIPD qualifications lack, namely a strategic focus. Sadly this wasn't evident today.
Despite the best efforts of the valiant Sandiford, the event was oddly anti-climactic. Even the offer of a free lunch - mid credit-crunch, at that - wasn't enough to prevent the faithful from scurrying off once the last session had ended. And, alarmingly, the loudest applause of the day went to the speaker who announced that he (not his wife, note) had just had a baby daughter.
As with so many things in life, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. Watch this space.
Comments (1)
On a serious note, it's easy to pick holes in things, but the real, newsworthy (dare I say, constructive) message here could have been that private sector HR professionals are keen to support, learn from and partner with their local government counterparts.
The fact of the matter is, the IDEA have launched an initiative that enables *sharing* - not only between local authorities, but between sectors. This in my opinion is the real angle. As commentators have long noted, both sectors have lots to offer each other around, diversity, policy and process; this is exactly the sort of initiative that should be celebrated - not criticised.
Posted by Richard Tyrie | February 20, 2009 5:54 PM
Posted on February 20, 2009 17:54