Generic skills The core training programmes fall into the following categories: Mandatory training Health & safety Basic lab skills Information technology Equipment Research Teaching Personal and professional Management The specific courses suggested for these generic skills are outlined in the training resource matrix for you to use to personalise for each technician, varying according to their role. Each face-to-face course has a course descriptor with aims and learning outcomes, which you can find using the Trent booking system when looking up a course: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/services/selfservice/ Specialist skills Technicians will also need specific skills to learn for each agreed technical role. The training resource matrix can help identify these, working from the job description and individual needs. The University is an institutional member of HEaTED which provider tools, courses and professional support for technicians... Details of how to access this support can be found on our website: www.ex.ac.uk/staff/development/technical/ 3 Summarising what’s needed A Personal Development Plan (PDP) is used to summarise what’s required from the matrix along with any needs identified from the competency framework.. The PDP also provides a way of evaluating progress and success of any training by providing feedback from the technical manager. You should meet your technical staff on a regular basis (at a minimum, every six months) to monitor progress against their training plan and identify further training as appropriate for the role. The PDP can also be used alongside annual PDRs to help you agree an agenda for discussion and to help you review the progress made throughout the year. Technician’s Training Programme Download a copy of the PDP from our website: www.ex.ac.uk/staff/development/technical/ 4 On-track review After 6-9 months, prior to the end of probation, Staff Learning and Development (SLD) will arrange to have a 1-1 meeting with each of your technicians to review their progress against their training plan and any other needs identified in their PDP. Quick Guide for managers 5 Development Centre As part of this training programme, after two years from joining, your technicians will be eligible for feedback against a further set of generic competences (which are mapped to the Professional Services Competencies). From this they will receive 1:1 quality data and feedback. This should improve self awareness with pointers about areas of strength and areas to improve on; all of which are useful for discussion at PDR. 6 Career planning After two and a half years to three years of joining, your technicians may wish to access SLD’ s career planning. This career planning helps to create a career plan to develop staff in their role and identify career goals for the future. This Quick Guide has been developed to support not only induction, but also to provide your technicians with a framework to develop in the role and provide the skills to have a long and successful career. Your technicians would undertake a number of online questionnaires (360o) and psychometric testing) and receive 1:1 coaching from a trained member of SLD. They will receive a career plan which can be shared with their line manager. It may help staff to identify a work based project to add to their CV. Staff Learning and Development 2011 Introduction This flowchart gives you a summary of the 3-year training programme for technicians from recruitment to career development . Details on each section are provided below. 1 Technicians competency framework Recruiting and selecting staff Technicians competency framework 1 The Technician competency framework builds on the University's competency framework with additional competencies for technical staff. You can use the framework’s definitions to inform which technical skills are essential for the role prior to recruitment and selection. On appointment and subsequently at PDR, you can individually identify skills that need to be developed. Each competency is broken down into three ‘development levels’. These can be used as a starting point for discussion about development activities. Each job role may have a combination of skills from each development level for each competency. These competencies focus on technician development in the agreed job roles. They are not intended as a tool for promotion or job re-grading. Using the training resource matrix, you can identify the levels of technical skills required over three years for the role for each technician vacancy. On joining an individual training plan can be agreed at induction. This matrix describes generic training for technicians, endorsed by an internal focus group of technical staff and managers from the College of Life and Environmental Sciences (CLES). These generic skills are mapped against current courses, filling in the gaps with a mix of local and central provision. Use during recruitment Use to help identify areas for development Years 1 and 2 - Induction and 6 monthly reviews Training resource matrix 2 Use to identify specific training needs in different skill areas On-track review 4 Independent review of progress against PDP (carried out by SLD) Using the framework you can agree with each new technician the required levels of general competence for the role at the end of three years. Identified needs arising from this can be discussed with the technician concerned to create a succinct Personal Development Plan (PDP) described in section 3 below. Importantly the PDP describes how any training will happen. 2 Training resource matrix Identify levels of technical skills required for role Refer to HERA graded job description/person specification/ Personal Development Plan (PDP) 3 A summary of what has to happen, by when and how Created with the technician concerned Use during reviews to check progress Year 2 – consolidation Development centre 5 Based on generic behavioural competencies Informs development plans Use at reviews Year 3 – planning the future Career planning 6 360o feedback Psychometrics Career Plan