Learning and development activity booklet

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY BOOKLET

2024-2025

Our Activities:

The ability of Swansea Council to deliver its services to high standards for the communities we serve, largely depends on the skills and knowledge of you, our workforce.

The Human Resources and Organisational Development Team provides a range of training, learning and development services to help support you in your current and future roles with the Council.

This Booklet helps to outline the activities we are involved in, and how we can support you on your learning and development journey.

If you have any questions about anything covered in this Booklet, please get in touch.

Contact us at: OD.&CorporateTraining@swansea.gov.uk

Induction:

Induction is the start of the employee learning cycle. It helps new starters to the Council settle into their role quickly, and gain an understanding of who we are, what we do, and how we do it. This includes an introduction to essential business information, such as our corporate vision, values and behaviours, culture, policies and processes. We can also assist on a local level via departmental inductions, helping new starters to familiarise themselves more quickly with their immediate working environment.

We support new employees by developing and maintaining a Corporate Induction eLearning package, and, for new managers, the New Managers’ Induction Checklist, (available on Staffnet), which provides a useful framework to support Induction, acting as a training plan, visual aid, and reference guide.

The Checklist is for all managers. However, there may be some sections that are not applicable, for example, if a manager does not have line management responsibility.

We are currently reviewing our Induction offer and will be providing additional tools and resources to ensure that all new employees have an Induction that will help them to acclimatise and integrate into the Council smoothly and effectively.

Click here to access the Induction Framework.

eLearning:

We offer a suite of eLearning courses, both mandatory and optional, for managers and employees, which is located on the Oracle Fusion platform. Please click this link, which will take you to the page containing links to Fusion and the training guides for SelfServe and Manager Self-Serve.

eLearning, also known as digital learning, is a convenient and cost-effective means of developing your skills and knowledge. eLearning often provides a beneficial, foundational knowledge for a subject which is then enhanced via in-person or virtual training, and/or learning support in the workplace, such as coaching. Equally, it can act as a ‘stand-alone’ training provision.

We are continually updating and expand our eLearning portfolio. We oversee the general management of the Oracle Fusion ‘Learn’ platform and should be contacted if there are any eLearning titles required that are not on the platform. We will always do our best to help!

You should be aware of the mandatory eLearning requirements of your role, that is, what you need to complete, and when you need to complete it by. If you’re unsure, discuss this with your Line Manager.

Informal Learning:

This refers to any learning you undertake that occurs away from a structured, formal, learning context. It is often work-based and ‘on-the-job’. It is very relatable to learners because of its ability to be applied immediately to the workplace, and is very cost-effective, as it utilises existing skills, knowledge, and expertise.

We can advise on the design and development of informal learning initiatives, including: coaching, mentoring and buddying, chairing meetings, undertaking self-directed study, e.g. research, reading, etc.

Further examples on how to develop yourself and your team can be found in the resource, ‘50 Ways to CPD’ , located on Staffnet.

Leadership and Management Development:

Leadership and Management is a key theme in the Council’s Workforce Strategy.

The upskilling of our current and established leaders is important in retaining leadership talent across the Council, as is the development of successive leaders to enable the Council to navigate future change and challenges.

The Council’s Managers’ Behaviours evidence the attitudes and visible conduct we expect our leaders and managers to demonstrate, in alignment with the Values. More information on these will be available in due course.

There are a number of ways we support your leadership and management development, including:

Mandatory Training for Managers:

Via Oracle Fusion ‘Learn’, we provide specific eLearning for managers, which is continually being added to.

This includes the mandatory training requirements for managers, which all managers need to be aware of, and which need to be completed in the relevant timescales. We also have a range of non-mandatory modules to support your management development, for example, EL-CT-Managing Difficult Conversations, EL-CT-Emotional Intelligence, EL-CT-Unconscious Bias and EL-CT-Preparing for Change.

The full catalogue may be viewed on Oracle Fusion.

Management Skills Training:

We are continuously reviewing the vital skills our managers need in order to undertake their roles competently and confidently.

Some of these are provided via a blended learning solution, which involves a mixture of different training methods, such as eLearning, virtual, and in-person training.

Disciplinary Investigation Skills Training is a great example of this.

This training is mandatory for managers to complete before conducting any formal investigations or undertaking the role of the Responsible Officer under the Disciplinary, Harassment or Grievance policies.

Our HR & OD Business Partners deliver a half day training session, which covers the roles and responsibilities of all participants within the Investigation/Hearing process and includes hints and tips on how to plan investigations and conduct interviews.

We also run through the Hearing/Appeal processes and undertake some group exercises to encourage engagement between participants.

Prior to the training, managers should complete the eLearning Disciplinary Investigation Skills, via Oracle Fusion ‘Learn’.

For further information on the Disciplinary Investigation Skills Training, please contact your Directorate HRBPs.

Soft Skills Development:

We also offer soft skills development and have a number of eLearning units available on a range of topics, including how to develop your own skills and those of your team.

Some are delivered via a blended learning approach. For example, an eLearning coaching unit, which can be used in conjunction with virtual and in-person coaching development, such as the LTA series, and coaching programmes.

Health and Safety Training:

To maintain a healthy and happy workforce is a key strand of Swansea Council’s Workforce Strategy. That’s why health and safety is everyone’s business. Keeping up-to-date with your health and safety training is mandatory and helps to maintain a supportive and productive working environment for everyone.

Click this link for more information on health and safety training available, including your mandatory training.

The MDP (Management Development Programme):

Developed and facilitated in collaboration with Gower College, our managers complete n 18 month, (maximum of 24 months), fully-funded, ILM accredited Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management. Details on this programme and the Application Form may be found on Staffnet.

The qualification combines the development of knowledge and competency, and aims to develop new skills, as well as building on existing ones, to enhance management performance and assist career progression.

The qualification is aimed at those in mid to upper management levels, (Grades 8 to 11), who wish to further develop and progress in Council management roles. programme takes the form of a blended learning approach, combining academic study with real-time development of knowledge, skills and behaviours, using workshops, networking groups, one-to-ones with tutors, taught elements, project work and coaching in the following areas:

• Leadership and Management Development

• Strategic management

• Understanding the management role, (including communication and employee engagement)

• Leading innovation and change

• Project management tools and techniques

• Making a financial case, (including finance)

• Developing critical thinking skills, (including Emotional Intelligence)

• Continuous Professional Development, (CPD), and

• Managing improvement.

nched in 2022, the demand for places is high, with our learners evidencing real results. Don’t just take out word for it, look at what our learners say:

“The course has required me to take a step back from my day-to-day tasks and think about why we do things rather than how we do them. I have implemented a number of new practices that have strengthened my relationships with my team and improved the service we deliver to our clients”.

“I have found it beneficial to mix with other managers and hear about their experiences and different ways of dealing with things. It has also been good to find out a bit about myself and my management style…I enjoyed the Digital Literacy section as I was learning new things on the computer that I have never done before, so that was really interesting”.

“Discussion within the workshops provide an opportunity to reflect and consider different approaches of management. I have been able to identify key learning priorities and training needs that I feel will support my team and my career progression”.

“I have really enjoyed getting to know a variety of officers from across the local authority, and, in doing so, have broadened my knowledge and understanding of other departments”.

Aspiring Managers Programme:

The Aspiring Managers Programme is a fully funded 12-month course, delivered in collaboration with Gower College Swansea and is aimed at those who are either in a team leader position or who have some responsibility for supervising staff and allocating work. Upon completion you will achieve a Level 2 Diploma in Team Leading which is an internationally recognised qualification. The awarding body is the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).

It will support you to develop your leadership skills and cover the underpinning knowledge required to progress into management roles within the council.

Areas covered include:

• Manage personal performance and development

• Principles of Team Leading and managing a team

• Understanding business

• Communicate work related information and contributing to meetings

• Develop working relationships and collaborate with other departments

• Encourage innovation

• Develop and deliver presentations

For further information on this programme and the Application form, can be found on Staffnet.

Internal Coaching Network:

Developing a ‘coaching culture’ and a coaching and mentoring strategy across the Council, is one of the key strands of the Workforce Strategy, which the Corporate L & D Team is supporting.

This has involved the funded development of professional coaches in a Coaching Network. These coaches support the Council in fulfilling its coaching strategy and supporting individuals to realise their potential and develop their talents.

Here are some of our Internal Coaches, expressing what they find so invaluable about coaching others:

“My Coach’s dedication, understanding, and willingness to listen to any concerns, allowed me to make positive changes to the way I worked and the way I viewed my role. I would urge everyone to have coaching as the experience has been invaluable to me, both in terms of career progression and personally.”

“I was in a particularly tricky stage in my work life, facing possible redundancy or redeployment… Thanks to my Coach’s gentle but probing approach, we were able to explore together my perceived and actual strengths and weaknesses, how to present myself in the best way, how best to approach interviews, how to use my skillset in a team setting, and many more things.”

Professional coaching is available to eligible employees, to support your personal and professional development.

An Expression of Interest Form can be found on Staffnet.

Coaching, however, is not just a formal activity. Coaching can be used as a leadership and management style to create a highperforming environment to help you develop and succeed.

Coaching is also being embedded across a range of other development methods, including team coaching, coaching for performance reviews, leadership development coaching, etc.

We also provide coaching development via eLearning and workshops. Our coaching provision continues to be reviewed, with the aim of the gradual expansion of our coaching portfolio.

Let’s Talk About (LTA) Series:

The ‘Let’s Talk About’ (LTA) series, comprises engaging, monthly, bite-sized sessions, covering a breadth of different topics impacting the world of work.

Previous sessions have covered include Culture, Unconscious Bias, Managing Yourself through Change, and an Introduction to Coaching and Mentoring, plus many more, which can be located via a link to a comprehensive back-catalogue on the LTA Staffnet page.

This page also contains links to a form for any suggestions for future topics of interest.

Let's Talk About sessions are delivered online via Microsoft Teams, and comprise either facilitator-led presentations, or an interviewstyle conversation, with Q&As.

As well as hosting our own SMEs, (Subject Matter Experts), we also occasionally host guest SMEs from other organisations.

Details of forthcoming sessions are advertised on Staffnet, in the Staff Newsletter, and by email to managers.

Registration links are circulated with these details.

You don’t have to be a manager to join! The LTA Series is available to you if you are interested in developing your skills and knowledge across different subject areas, including opportunities to listen to engage with, the views of Senior Leaders.

All sessions are recorded, so if you are unable to make the ‘live’ session, you can access previous sessions at any time.

All recordings are posted on the ‘Let’s Talk About’ MS Teams Group.

To join the Group:

1. At the bottom of your Teams list, click on join or create a team

2. In the join a team with a code option, input 98tkuig and press 'join team'

3. In this Group, we'll post the recordings plus any presentations and documents.

For further information on the LTA series, please contact:

OD.&CorporateTraining@swansea.gov.uk

Redeployment Support:

If you find yourself in a redeployment situation, help is at hand!

Our ‘Selling You’ course is a popular and well-received session, focusing on improving your CV and application form writing skills, and helping you to prepare fully and effectively for interviews.

For further information, please contact:

OD.&CorporateTraining@swansea.gov.uk

Apprenticeships:

We are continually developing our partnerships with providers such as Gower College The Open University, and The University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s, to provide a wide range of industrial, technical, and professional Apprenticeships to attrac new staff to the Council.

We are also using Apprenticeships and funded training as a means of developing the skills and talents of our existing staff.

For more information, view Apprenticeships with Gower College Swansea, on Staffnet.

Welsh Language:

We are also actively involved in growing the Council’s Welsh Language provision. This involves working with providers, such as Swansea University, who will provide lessons for those interested in learning Welsh on a yearly basis.

Furthermore, we have partnerships with the Open University and the Welsh Government, to provide on-line Welsh language courses to help you develop your skills.

We also support a range of Council initiatives, including ‘Menter Iaith Abertawe’, which involves engaging with employees who are passionate about the Welsh Language, and developing activities across the Council to enable you to get-together to practise your skills.

More information on the wide range of support available to learn Welsh can be found on Staffnet.

Here To Support Your Development:

This Booklet provides just a snapshot of the learning and development activities the Human Resources and Organisational Development Team support across Swansea Council.

For further information on anything covered in this Booklet, or for support and guidance for your learning journey, please contact us - we look forward to hearing from you!