- 5.35 pm – Verbal report
Minutes:
The Human Resources Manager reported progress to the Committee on three main elements of developing the Council’s workforce as part of the Workforce Strategy.
An online learning platform was being launched in February, initially for managers and then for all staff from early March. This would eventually include 150 learning modules and would provide greater flexibility for staff to undertake mandatory training and enable managers to monitor progress. Consideration was being given to including a streamlined EPD process within this, which would support greater consistency between personal and corporate objectives.
The Member Development Working Group was keen to engage Members in the implementation of the elements of the learning platform for Members, which would be launched in the next few months.
The Council’s Investor in People (IiP) accreditation had been due for re-assessment in June 2017. As this would have been against the revised 6th generation standard, it had been agreed, on the basis of an assessor’s review earlier in January, to extend the existing accreditation until January 2018. An action plan would be developed in the next three months to determine how the new standard could be achieved in January 2018, to enable the Council to decide whether to seek such accreditation. The Workforce Strategy would be revised to more closely match the requirements of the new IiP standard.
It had now been confirmed by central government that the Council’s target for apprenticeships would be 23 new apprenticeships each year with effect from April 2017. The Corporate Management Team was currently considering possible options for such apprenticeships, either new apprentices or upskilling opportunities for the existing workforce.
The Chair asked whether consideration had been given to the Committee’s previous request for a Scrutiny Committee Member to be included on the Workforce Strategy Steering Group. The Human Resources Manager agreed to investigate this. In the event of this being agreed Councillor Flood agreed to be nominated as the Committee’s representative.
Arising from questions from Members and discussion the following points were raised:
· Experience of supporting existing apprentices within some areas of the Council would form a good basis for how this could be done more widely;
· The apprenticeships would be established posts leading to regular employment;
· Managers were taking account of succession planning when determining possible apprenticeship opportunities;
· Whilst there was concern at the cost of the new IiP standard accreditation, it was recognised that revising the Workforce Strategy to more closely match the requirements of this standard would provide a good self-assessment and challenge for the Council if it decided not to seek accreditation under the new standard.
The Chair thanked the Human Resources Manager for her input to the meeting.
RESOLVED
(1) That the report be noted and the direction of the work on the Workforce Strategy be supported.
(2) That a response be provided to the Committee’s previous request for the Workforce Strategy Steering Group to consider whether a Scrutiny Committee Member could be included in the Group and that Councillor Flood be nominated to attend in the event of this being agreed.