This week’s training news
Training opportunity passes by one in five workers
Two-fifths of workers across the UK are still not getting the opportunity to
train sufficiently for their jobs, according to research from the Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI). More than half of workers (55 per cent) believe
structured training would make a significant difference to their productivity,
yet two-fifths (37 per cent) admit their employer does not give them the
opportunity to ask for a tailored training programme, which many believe would
help improve their overall performance. The survey, which questioned 1,000 full
and part-time workers, also reveals that while employees are aware of the value
of training, they may not be translating that training into success – 85 per
cent of employees admit they often don’t make the most of it. www.dti.gov.uk/bestpractice
Pilot scheme success leads BBC to adopt online route
BBC staff will be trained using two new online leadership skills courses
after the successful completion of a pilot scheme. The leadership courses show
how teams can be more productive when managers use facilitation skills to
clarify objectives and improve team relationships. "We believe our
managers will be more effective and achieve greater buy-in from their teams if
they use a facilitative style of leadership, rather than a command-and-control
approach," said Louise Katz, learning executive at the BBC. The pilot
results showed that 75 per cent of the participants learned a ‘significant
amount’ from the courses. "The feedback was very positive," said
Katz. "The courses give a very good understanding of facilitative
leadership and team dynamics." The courses were developed by training
company Balance Learning and ran on the BBC intranet.
Council expands in-house social worker programme
Barking and Dagenham Council has secured funding from the Department of
Health to expand its ongoing social workers training initiative. Social
Services in the Borough runs a sponsorship programme for staff at the Council
wishing to undertake a degree in social work. Known as ‘Grow Our Own Social
Workers’, the programme helps to both increase the number of social workers at
the council, as well as encouraging staff to expand their skills. Tim McCarthy,
training and development manager for social services, said the programme, which
currently supports 25 people aiming to qualify as social workers, will be
expanded to help more than 40 switch careers. Employees across all council
departments can apply for sponsorship and McCarthy said the response rate has
been good.
Health service staff happy with training provision
Ninety per cent of NHS staff have received training and development in the
past year, according to a survey of more than 200,000 healthcare staff.
However, the just-published 2003 NHS Staff Survey also reveals that just two in
five have received health and safety training in the same period. Despite this,
most NHS staff are generally satisfied with their jobs. However, staff cited
several areas where improvement could be made – including addressing violence
in the sector, the amount of work-related stress and injuries, work-life
balance issues, and communication and feedback. The survey shows that
three-quarters of staff work more than their contracted hours, with one in 10
working more than 10 extra hours a week. However, two-thirds believe the NHS is
making efforts to address the work-life balance issue. The full report is
available online. www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/nationalfindings/surveys/fs/en
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