The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has launched a new web-based tool that allows
staff and managers to plan and manage training and develop structured personal
development plans. Career Paths has been created by QA and identifies the
skills employees need for their current or desired job role, and proposes
training courses to develop those skills. Previously there was no guarantee
that the courses an employee took were the most appropriate for the job.
"Career Paths brings valuable structure to our training and career
development programmes," says Susie Thomson, spokeswoman for the MOD’s
Defence Communication Services Agency (DCSA). "To encourage use, the tool
has been made to look like an MOD initiative with all the right branding. Its
use gives me confidence that training is in line with business objectives, and
that budgets are well spent."
The tool can be accessed from employee desktops or the MOD’s intranet. Users
select the appropriate job family and job title, and can then view a structured
profile of core and functional competencies and corresponding training plans.
It also allows staff to choose the training delivery method that best suits
their learning style: classroom, e-learning or self-study.
More than 250 classroom, e-learning and computer-based courses from
recognised MOD providers have been mapped on to the corresponding job roles, as
well as the ministry’s in-houses courses and QA’s management and training
portfolio,
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"Support for career development is vital for maintaining motivated,
effective teams," said Paul Northcott, head of consulting at QA.
"Career Paths gives MOD staff a clear outline of how to progress to a
desired role – that’s incredibly powerful and motivating."
