KEELE UNIVERSITY STAFF DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 2010-1015

Context The Keele University Strategic Plan, 2010-2015, sets out the University’s distinctive mission and its intended position as the ‘ultimate’ campus University of the 21st Century. This distinctiveness of vision will steer the University’s strategic development during the course of the next five years and beyond. These are challenging times for Higher Education. The University faces increasing financial pressures, arising from a combination of factors and increased pressure on research income. In addition, we operate within an increasingly competitive environment based on choice and cost, and it is imperative that we continue to attract undergraduate and postgraduate students from home and abroad as a basis for maintaining and developing our market position. There is an accepted need for the University to be sufficiently able and agile to adapt to changes around student demand, and funding arrangements, and for it to capitalise on new opportunities for strategic alliances, research development, income diversity and new student markets. Responding to all these challenges requires the development of a high performance culture, where professional development is supported, facilitated and encouraged. There is a need to develop a dynamic leadership and management culture which is about clarity of structure, overcoming obstacles and developing others. Within this context, the University’s ability to develop and maintain its learning and skills base and to attract and retain quality staff is a crucial factor in ensuring delivery of its Strategic Plan. This Strategy will support the delivery of the University’s Strategic Plan. It aims to ensure appropriate Professional and Skills Development and Learning strategies to support the strategic mission and direction of the University up to and beyond 2015. It should be read alongside the University’s Human Resources and Organisational Development Strategy 2010-2015. Aims and Objectives Faculties, Schools and Directorates should work collaboratively in order to fully understand and support the professional development implications of the organisation strategy and business aims. We should ensure that the strategic development needs of each area are captured, as well as how these might be converted into practical professional development interventions, focusing on delivery. Core strategic development themes have been identified as follows: Education and Research, Student Experience, Partnership and Integration, Business and Commercial Understanding, Entrepreneurial Approach. All activities should link to one or more of these themes as a basis for facilitating a cohesive, co-ordinated working culture.

In practical terms the University aims to:Ensure the availability and development of expertise in those areas of knowledge and skill that are essential to the University’s mission and strategy and thereby enable all staff to contribute effectively in support of the strategic objectives of the University. In seeking to achieve this aim, the University will: Foster and encourage an environment where key learning and development needs are recognised and facilitated as a basis for enhancing performance, career potential, and quality of work experience. Develop leadership and management capability across the University. Develop the learning and skills base of staff across the University. Work in partnership with key managers and staff in developing and implementing any changes, and to ensure appropriate learning and skills development in support of these changes. Principles This Staff Development Strategy will be underpinned by the following principles: The University will provide a range of training and development opportunities relevant to the needs of its staff within the context of its strategic direction. All staff will have fair and equal access to relevant training and development opportunities. All staff will meet with their manager to discuss their work and development needs as part of the University’s Staff Performance Review and Enhancement Scheme. Applications for training and development opportunities will be considered in accordance with the principles set out in the University’s Equalities policy and will be monitored accordingly. Strategic Development Framework Staff Performance Review and Enhancement The new Performance Management system (SPRE) is a vital part of creating quality conversations and translating organisational, Faculty, School and Directorate strategies into individual objectives. They are an important part of ensuring understanding of the University’s strategic direction and aims, as well as demonstrating how each individual’s contribution connects to these overarching drivers. This is the principal vehicle for professional and personal development planning and for connecting the development needs of the organisation with business capability, and career development.

Maintaining and Developing Capability The University must identify key development initiatives designed to ensure that all staff have the requisite skills to undertake their role fully and well. It must provide also for key developments in roles, and anticipated changes in skills and knowledge requirements. Core Skills and Knowledge Development The University commits to ensuring the provision of core skills training as a basis for ensuring best management practice and compliance with all relevant standards and legislative requirements eg Diversity training; Health and Safety training; Recruitment and Selection training; Teaching and Learning in HE Programme. Career Planning Faculties and Directorates are encouraged to work with Human Resources to create a career planning framework for all groups where practicable to do so. Career structures should indicate key skill and knowledge requirements at each level. The University should ensure opportunities are available for staff to develop their skills within the context of these career structures. Leadership Development and High Performance Leadership development programmes are in process at an operational level and at a wider strategic level. All require commitment from the senior management team in a number of key areas, in the form of conviction, and resource. The University recognises the need to develop leadership capability at all levels. Developing a Variety of Training and Development Inputs The University must recognise the importance and relevance of a variety of learning and development inputs and facilitate these. These include: Short workshops and seminars alongside longer programmes: Accredited where necessary, local development events may include expert input and facilitation from inside and outside the University. Coaching: Provides a facilitated means of working with individuals to assist in enabling them to identify how they can develop their skills, through one-to-one discussion, reflection and feedback. A number of staff have been trained in coaching techniques and training is available internally. Mentoring: Expert individual support which enables discussion, reflection and guidance on key issues which provides ongoing support and develops learning and confidence. Mentoring opportunities can be arranged internally or externally and can often be identified via individual professional networks. Work Shadowing: Structured formalised shadowed within or outside of Keele – provides practical insight in to key activities and experiences and how these are handled and managed. Opportunities are often within the gift of individual managers, or can be arranged by agreement between managers.

Action Learning: Small groups of participants work within a structured facilitation group to explore key issues and solutions. These would need to be arranged by senior managers or via CPSD or LDU. Action learning sets often form part of wider management or leadership development programmes. E-enabled Learning: The University has already started to realise the potential of elearning packages where appropriate and where this suits individual learning styles. CPSD and LDU will propose further developments in this area. Experiential Learning: Exposure to different activities, work based problems/ challenges or working methods – with relevant supervision and support as a basis for experiencing direct, different aspects of work and developing learning accordingly. These are most often organised within existing Departments or Schools and are largely arranged by line managers. Feedback and Reflection: The importance of management or expert feedback on key aspects of an individual member of staff’s work as a basis for learning and development. Study Leave and Secondments: Temporary assignments to different roles within or outside of the organisation as a basis for facilitating learning and development. Signposting to external sources of information and guidance. Developing a Mix of Internal/External Providers There is a need to develop a greater mix of internal and external providers for staff development, and to develop key collaborations with other Higher Education Institutions particularly. These are being explored. The benefits of such an approach include increased creativity, enhanced innovation and challenge, and the provision of additional experience and knowledge. Management and Responsibility The Director of Human Resources, Organisational Development and Student Support will be responsible for (i) the provision of leadership, management development and general skills development through the Centre for Professional and Staff Development (CPSD) and (ii) the provision of training and development designed to support the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy, through the Learning and Development Unit (LDU). Responsibility for Research training is allocated across Research Institutes, and through the office of the Head of Research and Enterprise Services. Responsibilities and arrangements for research support are subject to further clarification over the forthcoming months. It is the responsibility of the Faculty Deans, and the Professional Support Directors to ensure that processes exist for the identification and facilitation of training and development needs within their area of responsibility and to ensure adherence to the principles set out above. Principal responsibility for agreeing and facilitating relevant training and development for any individual member of staff will lie with the line manager.

Faculty and Directorate based managers with responsibility for local training monies should ensure that these are allocated fairly and based on individual need and strategic priorities. Funding and Resources Existing financial capacity for the provision of training and development is of necessity limited, and managers are encouraged to consider development activities outside of formal courses where possible. Staff training monies from across the University will be spent as efficiently as practicable, realising relevant economies of scale and avoiding unnecessary duplication. The value of experiential training, management coaching and support, agreed mentoring and shadowing opportunities and facilitated collaborations cannot be overstated and resource commitment must include personal investment of time and expertise particularly at managerial level. Planning Training and Development activities should be identified as part of the SPRE process based on clarity of the individual’s role, associated standards, targets and expectations, recent or impending developments and relevant career planning. Heads of Schools, Research Institute Directors and Heads of the Professional Support Departments are requested to ensure that key training and development needs are distilled and notified to the central training providers as necessary. Central training provision will be informed, in part, by these inputs. It will be informed also by agreed organizational priorities and these should be reviewed and agreed by the Staff Development Steering Group. Staff Development Steering Group A Staff Development Group will meet once a term. Its principal remit will be to consider how this Strategy may be operationalised in terms of key actions and activities at the Centre (CPSD and LDU) and across Faculties and Directorates. Particular activities may include: To review key training priorities from all Schools, Research Institutes, and Professional Support Departments as a basis for (i) identifying any potential for joint working and to avoid duplication and (ii) prioritizing central training provision for the next delivery/funding cycle. To review the expenditure of all training monies from across the University with a view to encouraging an environment of joint working and as a basis for realizing economies of scale where possible during the next funding cycle. To review key change drivers within and outside of the University as a basis for agreeing key training and development priorities for the next delivery cycle. To review SPRE completion rates.

To review relevant training evaluation processes – and to refine content, target audiences, management briefing routines, and delivery priorities accordingly. To review attendance rates generally, and for any compulsory courses in particular – and to monitor management nomination processes accordingly. The membership of this Group will be as follows: Director of Human Resources, Organisational Development and Student Support Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Learning) Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) Professional Development Managers (CPSD) Head of the Learning and Development Unit Director of Conference and Facilities Management, or nominated representative Faculty Business Manager (1) Director of Learning and Teaching (1) Central Training and Development Plans and Priorities Central training providers will publish their Professional Development plans and priorities within the context of this Strategy, on an annual basis.