People Development Programme of the Year!
2011
Customer Excellence
"The tools utilised within Pathways, such as the Purple Passport demonstrate a best in class approach"
Where we began!
"The Pathways Programme is Innovative & Inspiring"
We were recently re-accredited for the Customer Excellence Award... Our Assessor, a specialist in L&D herself, reported she was amazed by Purple Pathways! Our Development Programme was the key factor for her awarding us Compliance Plus!
Our People tell us we are making a difference for them!
Business Impact
"The visual approach taken with Pathways has built a strong identity for L&D across the organisation"
"In all my years of assessing I have never seen an L&D programme like Pathways!"
Our Purple Pathways
Our story begins just over 2 years ago in a Preston based Social Housing provider called Community Gateway Association...
The training budget avalible to staff has increased by over 75% since the launch of Pathways
An average of 5 days training per employee has been delivered this year
8638 total
hours training has been delivered to Colleagues, mainly in easy to access
2 hour sessions
We have other Companies visiting to see what we've done to take ideas back to their own businesses
We have 11 Colleagues completing Functional Skills having pro-actively approached us asking for help
Our annual training evaluation showed 98.14% of colleagues thought our training was excellent
Training delivery has been restructured to support attendance outside of business peaks & allow part time staff to have the same opportunities as full timers
Pathways has been featured in the Chartered Institute of Housing's Learning Anthology, & we presented at their 2013 L&D Conference
63% of our Colleagues are now exceeding the job related & competency requirements of their roles
76 different Colleagues have accessed our development drop-ins for development planning & career coaching
Colleagues achieving required competency levels have increased from 84% to 96%
Colleagues
A combined total of over 1500 days training have been delivered this year!
Our training is accredited through ILM, ICS, ITOL, IOSH and City & Guilds providing all our people with more opportunity to gain a recognised qualification...
They have achieved 106 so far this year!
2013
We currently have 9 other full time permanant employees completing apprenticeship qualifications at level 2 & 3
We have created an additional 6 Apprentice positions this year, identifying specific areas of specialism to support career progression such as L&D, Marketing & Arboriculture in addition to more standard Business Admin & Customer Services opportunities
The picture for Learning and Development was bleak. The energy injected into training years earlier by the use of External Consultants had been lost and the solutions they had implemented had become outdated and over used. Training attendance was low unless mandated and value add was minimal.
Our Pathway's Successes
All entry level roles are reviewed to access suitability for apprentices
All apprentices have a PDP and access to all training delivered accross all 5 Pathways
All apprenticeship applicants are given detailed feedback following interview to support their future Job search
The Gateway Approach
Apprentices
We do not descriminate on age, and therefore provide a commitment to fund all over 25's should they wish to persue an adult apprenticeship
Times 100 Best Companies
Feedback shows training delivered is relevant to business neeeds
Over a third of our vaccancies have been filled with internal applicants as growth opportunities
We have successfully turned L&D around within Gateway & Pathways is now firmly back at the heart of our organisation
This year we jumped 20 places to number 17 in the Times 100 Top Not-For-Profit Companies to Work For Survey!
Board
Our Volunteer Board Members have seen an increase of over 250% in the number of learning opportunities avalible to the since the launch of Pathways
L&D budgets have been centralised providing a better value for money service
Combined training sessions facilitate greater understanding & communication with Board, Colleagues, Volunteers & Residents
100% of Employees have accessed learning through Purple Pathways this year
A fit for purpose solution aligned to the
needs of the target audience...
Our Board Members are able to access all of the training delivered accross all 5 Pathways at any stage
We were also the Runner-Up for their special award for Innovation in Learning; less than 3 months after Purple Pathways launched!
Over 70% of our Tenant Board Members have achieved an externally recognised qualification
"Everyone we spoke to related Pathways to their own specific learning needs, no one person said the same thing! They weren't describing a process, they were talking about what it really meant to them!"
Feedback from managers and colleagues alike represented a lack of faith in the L&D provision; referring to a one size fits all sheep dip approach to the delivery of mediocre and irrelevant training.
Over 817 hours of training has been delivered to our volunteers
Volunteers
40% of our Volunteers have gained an externally recognised qualification through Gateway this Year
We have provided opportunities for an additional 6 Apprentices through Pathways
All Volunteers recieve an induction, personal development plan, appraisal & access to all of our colleagues training as well as the training in their own Pathway
76% of our Volunteers have recieved personal Mentoring or Coaching
A total of 143 External
qualifications have been
achieved this year!
"Purple Pathways is an inspiring approach to providing far more than just Training Solutions"
The number of colleagues managed within our Performance Improvement process has dropped by 40%
During our re-assessment for Investors in People not only did we maintain our IIP Gold status but we achieved all 196 out of 196 indicators measured.
We've been recognised for the innovation and excellent approach to Pathways by IIP, Times 100 & Customer Excellence
This year we have offered perminant roles to 3 volunteers
100% of our Volunteers have a Personal Development Plan aligned to Purple Pathways
More than a quarter of volunteers wanting to go into work have moved on to paid employment
We have delivered 84 courses to Residents so far this year
Residents
A total of 1400 hours of learning has been undertaken this year
Courses are developed in Partnership with training providers & Colleges for accreditation but delivered in the community to increase accessibility
All courses are provided free of charge, with support for food & travel where needed
"Purple Pathways is a World Class example of a business aligned & value adding learning solution"
Investors In People
We provide Jobs clubs, development planning, personal profiling and coaching to all of our residents
All Residents are Guarenteed an Interview for any apprenticeship or entry level role advertised;
We now employee 17 Residents within Permanant roles at Gateway
At Community Gateway Association we have made a commitment to developing
more than just our staff...
With a variety of active volunteers ranging from our Board, to our Tenants Committee, plus over 6000 properties and a wider community level membership spanning across Preston we provide development opportunities to all of our
Members & Stakeholders - resulting in a mammoth quantity of training needs!
Purple Pathways celebrated its 1st Birthday on 1.10.2013
Corporate Induction
This year we have implemented and
embedded our new People Development
programme, turning L&D around, and
we've been working our socks off!!
We are really proud of Pathways... We hope you can see why!
Certificate in Housing Practice
Role Related Skills
Knowledge Share & Networking
The Professional Path is about each person having the right skills, qualifications and memberships for their specific role...
Introduction to Social Housing
Professional Qualifications
One Size doesn't fit all!
Conferences & Events
What happened next...
Professional Membership
Coaching & Mentoring
Microsoft
Office
Why this Year is our Year!
Personal
Impact
We're making a difference for all of our people - they are telling us Pathways has opened up opportunities they wouldn't have had before
Colleagues
People Management
So instead of compromising we developed a specific
solution for each individual group...
The Effectiveness Path is about developing
transferable skills; those things that apply no
matter what role or industry someone works in...
Leadership Development
With a fresh pair of eyes and a commitment to turning training
around we set about identifying a solution to put
Learning & Development back at the heart of the business!
Time Management & Prioritisation
Team Work & Collaboration
Challenges & Learning
Path
Communication
Skills
Valuing Equality & Diversity
Managing Safely
in Housing (IOSH)
(Have I mentioned our L&D team
was only one person?!)
Ok... So yes our 1st Challenge
was the capacity of the team!
Understanding the
role of Governance
Role Related
Policies & Procedures
The Process Path is about the way we do things;
the need to develop in these areas is driven
by legislation or guidelines, or by our own
specific processes and procedures.
Managing the CGA Way (HR Policies & Procedures)
Our other 4 Paths are for our...
Our Solution was ambitious, and we had a long way to go to really turn around the negative reputation that training had gained...
Community Gateway Association introduces
5 Purple Pathways!
Theatre Based
E&D Learning
Health & Safety
Training
Service
Foundations
Introduction to
Employment Law
Telephone
Excellence
A vast number of stakeholders and huge variety of target audiences
resulted in a need to really identify & clarify the training needs of each, and to manage project group requirements & expectations simultaneously
Apprentices
Face-to-Face
Excellence
Written
Excellence
The Service Path is about how we deliver our
services to our customers, both externally
and internally. This path focuses on ensuring
we always provide a high quality of service.
Service Improvement & Innovations
A comprehensive People Plan (aka a HR Strategy) was already in place following earlier consultation with Managers and Staff. It identified areas for development focus, including:
Role related training
Competency related training
Compliance & legislative training
Talent Management
Leadership Development
So work commenced to validate that these areas really were still the training needs of the organisation...
Consultation was held with every team, & feedback sought from every manager... The business had moved forward, but training hadn't!
Board
Benchmarked to
ICS Standards
Designing a solution that provided flexibility & resilience to business
change & growth whilst achieving a consistent brand for learning
that didn't need constant redesign or relaunch to keep it relevant
required an innovative & creative approach
2012
Managing Service Quality & Delivery
Residents
The People Path is about helping our Colleagues
develop the right behaviours to demonstrate
our Values and Competencies.
But with challenges comes learning & every
challenge overcome resulted in an opportunity
to learn and move forward...
&
All our Courses are mapped against our values & competencies, and if there isn't a course that fits the individual's needs we provide 1:1 coaching instead!
Volunteers
Developing a tailored Solution...
Aligned to Business Need
through Manager Involvement
Just 10 months after presenting
the initial concept to Board Purple Pathways
Phase One launched...
This is an example of one
of our Frameworks. This is
our Colleagues Pathway, the
images show our values &
the border sets the context
of the training delivered, as
any element included within
it changes, such as the
Strategy, then the training
delivered will also change...
There are 5 areas of learning that we focus on;
Professional, Effectiveness, Process, Service, & People Skills.
Putting Learning & Development back at the heart of Gateway
Introduction of the 5 Purple Pathways
Aligned to Corporate Strategy through Executive Guidance
Increased Quality Learning Provision
Phase One:
Implementation of tailored e-Learning Solution
Gaining
Commitment & Buy-in
Developing a concept based upon individual ownership for their learning
journey, providing a unique Path for all
Development of the Course directory outlining 63 newly developed training courses for colleagues
Senior Managers became sponsors for each area of learning
Start of Development Drop-In Clinics to discuss
training needs & progression
Consolidating
Learning Needs
Working groups were established
with representatives from all
business areas & levels
Creating a Framework that provides
areas of learning focus which will adapt
as the business grows & changes
Production of the Purple Passport (PDP)
Aligned to Stakeholder Needs
through Consultation & Project Groups
Consultations started to demonstrate
the commitment being made to ensuring L&D became business focused and aligned to both corporate and colleagues needs.
Focus on Personal Growth & Progression
What next...
Selection & development of Training Champions to support internal training delivery
Valuing & applying feedback from ALL resulted in a shared ownership of our Solution
...Through Purple Pathways
Following the 1st Anniversary since the launch of Pathways we are now 2 years in to our 5 year plan!
A presentation directly to Board supported buy-in from the top
Shift in ownership
of development from
Manager to Individual
Review & redesign of competency framework & Job Families, and launch of online Appraisals
Constant evaluation, review & advancements within all of our L&D solutions
In the next 12 months...
Launch of our Leadership Development programme, accredited by ILM
2014
An executive agreement to increase the investment in learning was reached
Further development of our Board Pathway, and the introduction of a 'Preparing for Board' training plan
Launch & Embedding
Introduction of 'Gateway to Housing' a pre-tenancy training programme to support potential residents into developing the skills to sustain a tenancy, and gain a work skills qualification
& beyond...
Additional opportunities for Residents to gain support into employment by further increase in the provision of jobs clubs, work placements & qualifications