Comprehensive Training Strategy Sumeeta Banerji, UNDP India 11 th April 2015.

Comprehensive Training StrategySumeeta Banerji, UNDP India

11th April 2015

UNDP’s approach to Capacity Development• Capacity Development is the engine of Human Development

• UNDP sees capacity development as the process through which individuals, organizations and societies obtain, strengthen and maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives over time.

• Capacity development is about transformations that empower individuals, leaders, organizations and societies. If something does not lead to change that is generated, guided and sustained by those whom it is meant to benefit, then it cannot be said to have enhanced capacity, even if it has served a valid development purpose.

UNDP identifies three points where capacity is grown and nurtured:

• The enabling environment – this is the broad social system within which people and organizations function. It includes all the rules, laws, policies, power relations and social norms that govern civic engagement. It is the enabling environment that sets the overall scope for capacity development.

• At organizational level - this refers to the internal structure, policies and procedures that determine an organization’s effectiveness.

• At individual level – this refers to the skills, experience and knowledge that allow each person to perform. Some of these are acquired formally, through education and training, while others come informally, through doing and observing.

These three levels influence each other in a fluid way – the strength of each depends on, and determines, the strength of the others.

What is training and why do we need it at all?

• Training is a systematic process through which an organization’s human resources gain knowledge and develop skills by instruction and practical activities that result in improved organizational performance

• A planned effort to facilitate the learning of job related knowledge, skills, and behavior

• A sequence of experience and opportunities designed to modify behavior in order to attain a specific objective

What is a Comprehensive Training Strategy?

It has its roots in systematic approach to training, learning strategy, and organizational development and performance strategy

Comprehensive Training Strategy is essentially a forward looking strategy which supports the achievement of an organization’s human resource management and strategic goals and contributes towards organizational effectiveness and performance in the long run.

It articulates the linkage between organizational performance objectives and the workforce capabilities, skills or competencies required and sets out the means of developing these capabilities to achieve the performance targets.

Another primary objective of the strategy is to explore and select options for addressing training, learning and development needs within the organization.

Characteristic features of Comprehensive Training Strategy

• A comprehensive training strategy should be internally consistent, and be mutually reinforcing with other strategies across the organization. That is - it should be vertically and horizontally integrated.

Vertical integration means integrating the training strategy with the overarching human resource management strategy and with the operational strategy at the level of organization.

Horizontal integration means integrating the training activity with other human resource management practices so that there is consistency across all human resource areas with all its activity supporting organizational goals.

Under Comprehensive Training Strategy…

• There is a continuous process of identification and assessment of training needs, delivery of training, and monitoring and evaluating its impact of the training on performance of staff and organization.

• There is a focus not only on training for job related skills but on overall development: places equal emphasis on developing communication, and helps in unfolding hidden skills within individuals such as leadership skills, problem solving, decision making, conflict resolution, etc

• Differential training needs of senior, middle, and junior management are covered

• Different tailored trainings such as peer to peer field training/exposure, apprenticeship, mentoring, blending, etc are provided

What does it look like?

Identify linkage with organizational

performance objectives

Set out clear performance

targets

Identify training needs/gaps

Deliver and implement training

Plan and Develop methods/tools

Develop training objectives, success

indicators

Measure and monitor

Evaluate impact on individual and organizational performance

Measures for improvement

A comprehensive Training Strategy for Civil Services could include several components including:• Links with organizational goals and objectives• Links with competency mapping, values and ethos of civil

service• Training needs analysis• Development of a national annual training plan • Development of a pool/ network of trainers, trainer CD

program • Tools for evaluation of training• Training Budget• Links with international and national institutions• Communication of the training strategy• Equality of opportunity – gender equality in training• Peer networking and learning opportunities• Mentoring and coaching • Exposure visits and hands-on learning• Efficiency and Innovation in Training Delivery

Global Examples: Australia

• The Australian Public Service Leadership and Core Skills Strategy identifies skills that are relevant to all public servants.

• These foundation, core and management skills (collectively known as Core skills) are seen as essential for ensuring a high performing Australian Public Services (APS) and are focused at employees at APS and Executive Leadership classification levels, and those members of the Senior Executive Service who are new to the APS.

• The Strategic Centre for Leadership Learning and Development within the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) is funded to design and develop learning programs to develop the skills identified in the strategy in partnership with APS agencies.

• All program designs are based on the industry best-practice 70-20-10 learning model. This model recognises that formal classroom training is only one part of the learning process.

Global Examples: Singapore• The Singapore Public Service Commission provides officers from

across the Public Service with opportunities to: learn and share knowledge; network, dialogue and exchange views; and develop a service-wide ethos and shared perspectives.

• The government follows a business-like approach within the civil-service, continuously analyzing the service delivery needs of the country and the emerging global trends, reforming the civil service according to such needs and trends through training programmes, in-service trainings, providing opportunities to its civil servants to upgrade their skills, and knowledge.

• The training programmes are focused not only towards imparting job related domain skills but lot more emphasis is given on customer orientation, enhancing leadership skills, etc. Trainings are an in-built component within each public sector organization, irrespective of its size, role, scope and responsibilities. The government ensures sufficient investments in training and capacity development of its staff.

Global Examples: Malaysia

• The National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN) introduced its Transformational Plan to meet the national aspiration of ‘1 Malaysia: People First, Performance Now’. • Accordingly, INTAN has geared its training, research and

development activities towards operationalizing the concept of ‘Humanizing the Public Service’, which can only be transformed into reality by public sector officers who are knowledgeable, high-performing, dynamic and citizen-centric. • In addition, learning has been enriched through the virtual

learning process to consolidate and enrich their continuous learning requirements. • INTAN takes cognizance of the needs from the perspective of

public sector human resource capacity and capability, and redefines its training and learning strategies towards realizing change that is more effective.

Key lessons

• Trainings that follow a well designed strategy are more effective in bringing about desired change in knowledge, behavior and skills.• Comprehensive training strategy helps in

improving organizational performance in the long run.• This strategy should be an integral part of an

organization with clear vertical and horizontal linkages.• Global examples indicate that countries who

have an in-built training strategy within their organization have better and more equipped civil servants/work force to meet changing realities.