Sportscotland
Human Resources Toolkit
Learning & Development (L&D)
1.0
Introduction
1.1
sportscotland is committed to investing in the learning and development (L&D) of all
employees and recognises how crucial this is to its long term business success. We
recognise that developing the knowledge and skills and influencing the positive
behaviours of our employees will help achieve our vision; “A Scotland where sport is
a way of life”. It will also help retain key people and skills within the organisation and
enhance sportscotland’s reputation as an Investor in People organisation.
1.2
By fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement, sportscotland will
maximise employee performance and growth aligned to the needs of the
organisation. It is recognised that to support the performance of employees, the
primary focus for L&D activities should be aligned with Corporate and Business
Plans, as well as fulfilling professional and legal compliance requirements.
1.3
sportscotland acknowledges its responsibility to help employees meet these
challenges by supporting appropriate learning and development for current roles
and/or for future development within the organisation and sport in Scotland.
2.0
Scope of Policy
2.1
sportscotland’s policy is to:

Develop capabilities internally, linking the identification of personal development
needs to the Performance and Development Review (PDR) process, succession
plans and career development;
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Ensure every employee has an annual learning plan, as part of the PDR process;
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Ensure every employee has the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills
to meet the requirements of their current position and, where appropriate, to meet
the future needs of the organisation;
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Encourage employees to take responsibility for the development of their
individual skills and to take ownership of their personal development;

Have agreed learning outcomes between employees and line managers prior to
learning activities taking place and a review between employee and line manager
following all learning activity to measure its effectiveness;
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Engender a culture of constructive feedback to enable employees to develop,
utilise their strengths, identify areas where they can improve their performance
and to understand the areas in which change and development would be
beneficial to both them and to the organisation;

Ensure managers understand and comply with all legal and other related
governance and compliance requirements of the organisation through having
appropriately trained and qualified personnel within their teams;
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3.0

Provide equal opportunities for all employees to develop and use their skills and
capabilities, and to allow them to contribute to the success of the organisation;

Ensure employees apply what they have learned back into the workplace and
adopt knowledge-sharing across the organisation as a “…way we do things
around here…”
Guidelines
PERFORMANCE AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW (PDR)
3.1
All sportscotland employees will participate in the Performance and Development
Review (PDR) process which is scheduled to take place in April each year. Any
employees that do not participate in the PDR process (e.g. ‘zero-hours’ contracted
employees) should contact their HR Business Partner for guidance in relation to
learning and development opportunities.
3.2
PDR requires every employee to meet with their line manager and discuss;
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3.3
The employee’s success in achieving agreed key work objectives and their
overall performance during the previous 12 months
Agree key work objectives for the coming 12 months
Identify the key competencies (behaviours, knowledge and skills) to help meet
those key work objectives
Identify any competency ‘gaps’ or needs to support the accomplishment of the
key work objectives
Agree employee continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for the
next 12 months
Agree a learning and personal development plan to support the accomplishment
of the key work objectives.
As well as discussing the development needs of the employee, the line manager
should be prepared to discuss any common development needs the organisation has
and how the employee can support this. This may include development needs such
as:
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Health and safety training (e.g. First Aid, Fire Warden, DSE Assessor training)
Legal and policy compliance training (e.g. Data Protection, Freedom of
Information)
Management development (e.g. HR policies and best practice, Risk
Management, Performance management and reporting)
Team specific (where team objectives require certain skills and abilities to be
retained within the team).
3.4
Primary outcomes from this discussion will be the key work objectives to be
achieved and a Personal Development Plan (PDP) in support of these key
work objectives. This PDP will identify the learning and development needs of the
employee as well as helping formulate team, service and sportscotland’s Learning
and Development plans and programmes for the coming 12 months.
3.5
The line manager and the employee should regularly monitor progress towards both
key work objectives and personal development plans throughout the year to
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ensure successful accomplishment. Where it is perceived that original agreements
are unlikely to be achieved, remedial actions should be taken. Refer to the
Performance and Development Review Policy for full details.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (PDP)
3.6
Within sportscotland, everyone is responsible for:
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Their own performance;
Their personal development; and
Supporting the performance and development of others.
3.7
Learning and development (L&D) requirements should primarily be identified,
discussed and agreed at the annual PDR meeting; however, additional learning
opportunities may also occur throughout the year.
3.8
To assist in identifying the area(s) for development, consideration should be given to
the needs of the:
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3.9
Individual – what skills or knowledge do they wish to develop?
Professional status – what are the skills, knowledge and behaviours required to
maintain or develop the employee’s professional status?
Occupation (general and specialist) – what are the skills, knowledge and
behaviours required to effectively perform the role for which the employee is
employed?
Team – what skills, knowledge and behaviours are needed to be displayed within
the team, what skills or knowledge ‘gaps’ are there, and who is the best person
(people) to fulfil these gaps?
Organisation – what skills, knowledge and behaviours are required by each
employee in support of sportscotland’s overall aims?
The following questions should be asked:
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What benefits will this learning bring to the individual, the team and
sportscotland?
How does it relate to the employee and/or team work objectives and/or
behaviours required?
How does it relate to the Corporate and Business plans?
If the reasons for development are explicit at this stage it will be easier to evaluate
the success and effectiveness of the learning activity.
3.10
The line manager has discretion to agree or decline an employee request for any
learning and development activity; however, they should be prepared to justify the
decision. Once the learning and development requirements have been agreed
between the employee and line manager, they should be recorded on the employee’s
Personal Development Plan (PDP).
MAINTAINING PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN RECORDS
3.11
The Personal Development Plan (PDP) is an important document highlighting
opportunities for personal development for each employee. This PDP should be
retained by the employee with a copy held by the line manager. The responsibility to
monitor and update the PDP rests with the employee.
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3.12
Line managers should use the information contained in each completed PDP to help
collate team training needs, to assist with the preparation of a schedule of activity for
team and organisation development.
3.13
All completed PDP’s should be forwarded to HR by the line manager by end May
each year to help provide an organisational overview of learning and development
requirements for the coming year and to support the effective management of the
learning and development budget.
DEFINITIONS
3.14
Learning and development – refers to the acquisition or updating of skills and/or
knowledge and/or changes in behaviour that supports performance improvement.
The need for learning and development can be determined by the following;
Learning & development need = required (expected) performance - actual
performance
3.15
Learning activity - any group or individual activity that imparts knowledge and/or
skills or influences positive employee behaviour.
3.16
In-house learning event – for the purpose of this policy, an in–house learning event
is any learning activity defined as:
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3.17
External learning event – is a learning activity that is:
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3.18
A sportscotland hosted learning activity that is wholly managed by HR (L&D) or
managed by others on behalf of HR
An event facilitated or led by a sportscotland employee or delivered by an
external learning provider contracted by sportscotland
An event specifically delivered to sportscotland employees or to others invited by
sportscotland
An event conducted on sportscotland premises or in premises hired by
sportscotland for the purpose of learning.
Arranged by an employee with the support of their line manager
Where an employee is likely to receive financial support from sportscotland to
attend
Likely to be delivered by an external learning provider at their own premises or in
premises hired by them for the purpose of learning
Accessible to non-sportscotland employees.
Academic or Professional Qualifications – is a learning activity that leads to an
academic or professional qualification. This type of event will generally lead to;
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A formal educational award gained at a Higher Educational establishment
(University). These awards include Post Graduate Certificates and Diplomas,
Ordinary Degrees, Masters Degrees, Doctorates, etc.)
A vocational and/or occupational qualification gained at a Further Education
establishment (college) or other training provider (such as Scottish Vocational
Qualifications (SVQ’s), National Certificates and Diplomas, Professional Body
qualifications (e.g. CIPD, CIPFA, CIMSPA, CIPS, CIM, IOSH, etc.)
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3.19
Education Awards Panel – employees wishing to study for a Higher Education
(Degree level or equivalent) qualification and seeking sponsorship from
sportscotland are required to submit their application via their line manager and
prepare a justification to a panel of sportscotland senior managers before approval is
granted. See the ‘Academic and Professional Qualifications’ Policy for further
guidance.
RESPONSIBILITIES
3.20
3.21
Employees have the responsibility to:

Manage their own learning; this includes:
o Being prepared and able to discuss individual and (where appropriate)
team learning needs at the annual PDR meeting
o Adequately researching any proposed learning activities (this will include
any learning opportunities identified out with the PDR meeting)
o Asking themselves “…can this learning need be satisfied using existing
sportscotland resources. Can it only be met by an external provider, and
if it is through external resources, how can I get best value for
sportscotland’s money?”
o Ensuring the arrangements for attendance at any planned learning activity
is confirmed prior to attendance (e.g. activity fees, travel and
accommodation costs, etc.). Employees should liaise with their local
administration team to ensure the appropriate arrangements are in place.
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Forward plan any learning activities. At least 3 months notice of attendance prior
to a proposed learning activity that has costs or other resource implications (e.g.
time away from the place of work, etc.) should be given and where this is not
practical, as much notice as possible should be provided.
Line Managers have the responsibility to:
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3.22
Encourage employees to adequately research proposed learning activities prior
to the annual PDR meeting
Support employees in achieving their learning needs as agreed in their PDP’s
Ensure any proposed learning activity can demonstrate a value to sportscotland
as well as to the individual
Heads of Service/Principals have the responsibility to:
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Oversee requests to attend learning activities where there is a high cost or other
resource implication
Properly authorise requests to attend any learning activity that has total costs in
excess of £1,000
Promote and encourage forward planning by employees and line managers to
avoid short notice or retrospective requests.
3.23 Directors have the responsibility to:
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Maintain an overview of Service spend in relation to employee participation at
learning activities delivered by external providers.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
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3.24
There are many ways in which we can learn; learning need not always require sitting
in a training room. A small selection of opportunities can be seen below:
3.25
How an employee and line manager select an activity to help the employee learn will
depend on:
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The employee’s preferred learning style
The urgency of the learning need – some activities can produce quicker results
than others
The cost and availability of the learning activity – consideration must be given to
the most cost-effective method of achieving the need.
FULFILLING LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS
3.26
It is the personal responsibility of every employee to manage their own learning. The
line manager has a responsibility to support employees and help them achieve
their learning and development needs as agreed in the PDP.
3.27
Learning activities will only be successful if there is a clear understanding of the need
to participate in them and what needs to be achieved. Line managers therefore have
the responsibility to meet with their employees prior to them participating in any
learning activity to discuss the learning opportunity and the learning expected to be
achieved. The Learning Reflections Form (L&D Form 3), Part One should be
completed by both parties prior to participation in any agreed learning activity.
3.28
Once the learning activity has been completed, The Learning Reflections Form (L&D
Form 3), Part Two should be completed. This will help understand what was
expected to be achieved (learned) and what was actually achieved. Any difference
will identify further learning and development needs. The completed document
should be forwarded to HR for quality monitoring purposes within 10 working days of
the return of the employee from the learning activity.
3.29
HR should also be informed of all scheduled learning that has a financial cost, prior
to participation, to ensure timely payment is made, as well as for record keeping,
budget management and KPI reporting purposes.
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LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT BUDGET
3.30
The L&D budget is held centrally with HR and is reviewed annually. To ensure all
L&D requirements are within the annual budget it is important, where possible, to
capture all requirements for the coming year at the start of the PDR process in April
each year.
PROFESSIONAL FEES
3.31
Professional fees will be paid by sportscotland where it is essential for an employee
to be a member of a professional body in order to carry out the duties of their post.
This will normally be for one professional membership per year, however, where
multiple memberships are a requirement of the role; consideration will be given to
additional reimbursement. Reimbursement will be processed upon receipt of proof of
payment by HR which must be passed within three months of payment. For further
details, please speak to a member of the HR team.
4.0
Compliance
4.1
Employees who do not support this policy and procedure may be subject to
disciplinary action.
4.2
Compliance with this policy will be monitored by the Senior Management Team.
sportscotland HR Toolkit – Learning & Development Policy
Last Reviewed: October 2012 – Version 0.1