Corfe Castle Parish Council

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Introduction

Corfe Castle Parish Council recognises that one of its most important resources is its personnel. Corfe Castle Parish Council encourage the enhancement of knowledge and qualifications through appropriate training and development as well as being kept up to date with appropriate new legislation of its Staff, Councillors & Volunteers[i]

 The Benefits of Training, Learning & Development

By training its staff whether full or part time, temporary or fixed term, Councillors, and/or Volunteers it is believed:

• This will help deliver the highest level of service to parishioners.
• Enables the Parish Council to achieve its aims and objectives.
• Enable to Councillors to make informed and lawful decisions.
• Training ensures processes and legislation are duly and accurately followed.
• Training gives Staff, Councillors and Volunteers a sense of value and confidence.

Identifying, Meeting and Evaluating Training and Development Needs

The Clerk is responsible for providing new Councillors with a welcome pack including “New Councillor” training information from DAPTC, an electronic copy/ link to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) “The Good Councillors Guide”, & NALC “Being a Good Employer”

Ongoing training and development needs will be identified from a variety of sources:

• Induction and probationary periods
• One-to-ones
• Appraisal
• Workforce planning
• Team meetings
• Annual plan
• Change processes

In addition, the council will encourage Staff, Councillors and Volunteers to identify their own learning styles and will seek to provide a wide variety of appropriate learning and training methods, including:

• Attendance at conferences, seminars and short courses
• Online training
• Internal coaching
• Shared in-house learning resources (books, journals, DVDs etc.)
• In house training
• Work shadowing
• Time for self-directed research and learning

The Clerk will keep a Training Development Plan, listing training and qualifications gained along with identifying possible new areas for training and qualifications for the Clerks, and a record of all training attended, and qualification gained by Councillors and Volunteers. This will be presented to full council annually.

Consideration / Support

The Council expects, actively encourages, and fully supports the Clerk in undertaking a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in line with their role and the requirements of their professional bodies. Therefore, the Parish Council will consider a subscription to the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) and Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) each financial year. Corfe Castle Parish Councillors are expected to show a commitment to training / re-training and to partake specifically in training on areas that they are individually responsible for and for Conduct. To support this, a training budget will be set each year by the Council, depending on the anticipated requirements.

A number of factors will be taken into account when assessing a request from an individual.  Any financial and non-financial support to training and development is entirely at the discretion of the council.   All sponsored training and development must be appropriate to the needs of the Council, be relevant to the individual’s role, and is subject to the availability of financial resources.

For approved courses staff can expect the following to be sponsored if appropriate:

• The course fees
• Examination fees
• Associated membership fees
• Time off for training, study leave and examinations (Employees’ only)
• Resource materials
• One payment to re-take a failed examination.

You are required to inform the Clerk immediately of any absence, giving reasons. Failure to sit an examination may result in the Council withdrawing future course funding and/or requesting the refunding of financial assistance. Each case will be considered on an individual basis.

Any employee undertaking non mandatory qualifications funded by the Council must be aware that Corfe Castle Parish Council reserves the right to reclaim financial support where the employee:

• Fails to complete the training.
• Fails to attend training without good reason.

In order to ensure that the council is able to consistently evaluate requests, training and development opportunities have been organised into three categories according to the degree of importance each intervention has for different roles.

 Categorising training and personal development for employee’s

The three categories are as follows:

1. Mandatory

Mandatory training is legally required for the post-holder, or a qualification deemed to be so fundamental to the role, that the council makes it a mandatory requirement.  Any mandatory training or qualifications are to be stated on the job description. Where a qualification becomes mandatory for the role, the council will provide reasonable assistance for the employee to attain the qualification (see the section on Guidance for Support below).

Some mandatory training may be specific to a particular job role whilst other training may be a generic requirement.

2. Desirable

Desirable training is not legally required for the post, but it is directly relevant to the individual’s job. Any desirable training or qualifications are to be stated on the job description.

For desirable qualifications or training, an individual may be recruited without having previously attained the qualification or undergone the training but may be expected to attain the qualification within a defined period of time. The need for training may also be identified through one-to-one meetings or annual appraisals. A desirable qualification is likely to enhance the skills and reputation of the council. Examples may include:

Job specific

• Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA)
• Cemetery Legal Compliance
• Microsoft Excel

3. Optional

An optional qualification or optional training may not be directly linked to the individual’s current job. Optional training or development is generally more beneficial to the individual’s career than it is for the council. 

Personal development aimed at developing the skills or knowledge of an individual in order to provide a successor for an existing job is deemed to be optional. However, depending on the circumstances, training for succession may be ‘desirable’.

Job specific

• Community Governance
• Town Planning Technical Support – Level 3 Diploma

Study leave for Employee’s.

Where individual requires study leave to undertake mandatory training, they will be able to take all the leave within normal working hours.

Where individuals require study leave to undertake study which is not mandatory but part of the individual’s formal continuous professional development, the council consider on a case-by-case basis a contribute level.

Where individuals require study leave to undertake training which is not mandatory but part of the individual’s desire for career development, the council will contribute up to 3 days study leave per annum for courses which are directly related to the individual’s role.

Time off for study leave must be approved in advance. To make a request the individual is asked to write to the Clerk (or Chairman of the Council), setting out the details of the course of study, how it relates to their work, and the time being requested.

No study leave will be granted where individuals undertake study which is not required for their role, or not directly related to their role. However, the Clerk (or Chairman of the Council) will consider requests for flexible working to allow the study to take place, as long as the needs of the council can be met.

This is a non-contractual procedure which will be reviewed from time to time.

 

— policy ends here —

 

Notes

1. Green Book terms

If the council adopts Green Book terms and conditions of employment, staff attending or undertaking required training are entitled to payment of normal earnings; all prescribed fees and other relevant expenses arising. Employees are also entitled to paid leave for the purpose of sitting for required examinations. When attending training courses outside contracted daily hours, part-time employees should be paid on the same basis as fulltime employees.

2. “Being a good employer – a guide for parish and town councillors”.

The “Being a good employer guide” provides comprehensive advice and guidance around training and development, including what a policy might contain, identifying training needs, as well as information and guidance on appraisal.

[i] A volunteer is not an employee and will not have a contract of employment with the Parish Council.