Regional Training Unit

REGIONAL TRAINING UNIT

STAFF COLLEGE SURVEY

RESULTS

MARCH 2009

1

REGIONAL TRAINING UNIT
STAFF COLLEGE SURVEY
MARCH 2009
Page

1. Introduction

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1. Summary of Main Findings & Survey Results

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2.1Demographic information / 6
2.2StaffCollege Provision / 8
2.3Responsiveness and Reliability of the StaffCollege Staff and Associates / 9
2.4Accredited Course Provision / 10
2.5Overall Training Provision / 12
2.6The Management Resource Centre (MRC) / 13
2.7Key Features of the StaffCollege Provision / 15
2.8Survey Review / 20

1. Strengths and Areas for Improvement

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4. Appendices
Sample questionnaire
StaffCollege Survey Results by Graphs

1. Introduction

1.1Background

The first Regional Training Unit (RTU) Staff College Survey was carried out during November/December 2008. This was the first Survey of this type to be commissioned by the RTUStaffCollege. For this survey thesample was chosen from those members of staff from partner organisations who had availed of Staff College Provision from January 2007 to October 2008 and included those staff members who had participated in Staff College sponsored provision including:

• Accredited Course Provision including ILM level 3 and level 5 and CMI level 7 programmes;
• An introduction to Competency Based Recruitment;
• Selection Interview Skills training for Board Officers;
• Professional Certificate in Investigative Practice;
• OLTE Programmes;
• ASPECT provision;
• Building Skills and Capabilities for Change.

The questionnaire was distributed by means of a postal questionnaire to 648 members of staff. Research indicated that of the 648 staff members, more that 85 per cent had attended more than one course provided by the RTUStaffCollege during the last 20 months. All recipients were asked to base their responses to the survey on the most recent course attended. To ensure the independence of the survey, the results were analysed by staff from the Central Management Support Unit, based in the Southern Education and Library Board.

130 members of staff responded to the survey, which made the response rate a disappointing 20 per cent. Of the 130 respondents 57 per cent (74) indicated that they had participated in accredited programmes, 22 per cent (29) had attended the Building Skills and Capabilities for Change programme; the remaining 21 per cent (27) respondents had attended other courses as outlined above.

1.2 Aims and objectives

The main objective of the survey was to assess currentopinion regarding all aspects of Staff College Provision and to assist the College in setting standards; developing performance information; assist with future proofing and establishing baseline data in respect of continuous improvement in service delivery, in relation to:

1. The tangible aspects of Staff College Provision including: - the quality of information contained in the Prospectus/RTU Web Site; pre course information; quality of administrative arrangements; quality of handouts; visual aids and the quality of the venues used and the catering provided.

1. The Responsiveness and Reliability of the Staff College Staff and Associates including: - the punctuality and dependability of course facilitators; the level of response by Staff College Staff to telephone calls, e-mails and letters and the ability of course facilitators to put all participants at ease during the learning experience.

1. Accredited Course Provision: - seeking feedback regarding the subjects studied and applicability to present job; quality of facilitator’s knowledge in the subject area; the subjects studied and their applicability to posts staff may wish to apply for in the future and the length of time between completing the coursework and receiving the final result.

1. Overall Training Provision: - including the overall quality of provision, in particular the relevance of the training material; the duration and frequency of courses; whether attendance was a good use of time; and whether attendance has assisted in the development of leadership capacity, managing and facilitating change, improving communication skills and managing conflict.

1. The Management Resource Centre (MRC): - the inclusion of this section sought to determine awareness of this resource and the extent of usage among those staff.

1. Elements of the survey were loosely based on the SERQUAL model (Parasuraman et. al., 1988) which is a technique which can be used for performing a ‘gap analysis’ to improve service quality in an organisation. The scale decomposes the notion of service quality into five constructs as follows:
   * Tangibles - physical facilities, equipment, staff, appearance, etc.
   * Reliability - ability to perform service dependably and accurately
   * Responsiveness - willingness to help and respond to customer need
   * Assurance - ability of staff to inspire confidence and trust
   * Empathy - the extent to which caring individualised service is given

For example:

1. The ability of the RTUStaffCollege to perform the promised service dependably and accurately.

1. The appearance of the facilities used by the RTUStaffCollege, including venues, quality of food, handouts, equipment, personnel and communication materials such as the Prospectus and the RTU Web Site.

1. The RTUStaffCollege willingness to help candidates and provide a prompt service.

1. The knowledge and courtesy of the RTUStaffCollege, staff, and their ability to convey trust and confidence.

1. The caring, individualised attention the RTUStaffCollege provides for its candidates.

Respondents were asked to rate which of the above factors, they considered to be the most and least important.

1. In addition, respondents were provided with the opportunity in a ‘Survey Review’ Section to comment on the survey methodology to help inform the structure, timing and content of future Staff College Surveys.

At the end of the questionnaire,respondents were invited to make comment about any aspect of StaffCollege provision. The responses comprisedalmost 1500 words. Examples of the comments, both positive and negative, have been included in this report. The full results of the survey in graphical format are presented in an appendix to this document.

2. Summary of mainfindings

2.1 Demographic information

2.1.1 The responses to the survey were from the following partner organisations:

Table 1

Frequency / Percent
BELB / 29 / 22
CCEA / 2 / 1
CCMS / 9 / 7
CnaG / 2 / 1
NEELB / 31 / 24
NICIE / 1 / 1
SEELB / 18 / 14
SELB / 21 / 17
WELB / 15 / 12
Other / 2 / 1
Total / 130 / 100

2.1.2 About 18% of staff who completed the survey indicated that they had been in post for over 26 years. The length of service for all respondents was:

Table 2

Length of Time in Post

Frequency / Percent
0-5 years / 16 / 12
6-10 years / 29 / 22
11-15 years / 17 / 13
16-20 years / 25 / 19
21-25 years / 18 / 14
26 years+ / 23 / 18
No reply / 2 / 2
Total / 130 / 100

2.1.3The age breakdown of respondents was:

Table 3

Age Profile

Frequency / Percent
21-30 years / 8 / 6
31-40 years / 25 / 19
41-50 years / 57 / 44
51 years+ / 38 / 29
No Reply / 2 / 2
Total / 130 / 100

2.1.4 The results indicated a gender bias – over 60% of respondents were female.

Table 4

Gender

Frequency / Percent
Male / 48 / 37
Female / 82 / 63
Total / 130 / 100

2.1.5 Most (96%) were employed on afull-time basis; 3%part-time and 1% indicated ‘other’.

Table 5

Status

Frequency / Percent
Full Time / 125 / 96
Part time <20 hrs per week / 4 / 3
Other / 1 / 1
Total / 130 / 100

2.1.6 11% of respondents earned less than £20,000

60% earned more than £20,000 but less than £40,000

29% more than £40,000 per year

2.2 StaffCollege Provision

2.2.1 78%rated the quality of information about Staff College Provision in the RTU Prospectus as excellent/good with 70% indicating that they believed the quality of information provided via the Web Site to be excellent/good. With regard to accuracy, clarity and timeliness of course joining instructions over 80% stated that they were excellent/good also. High ratings (>80% excellent/good) were also received in respect of other tangible aspects of provision including: quality of administrative arrangements; appropriateness of learning objectives; quality of handouts and other materials and the quality of visual aids. 40% of respondents rated the facilitators’ ability to engage with participants as excellent with 46% rating the knowledge of the facilitators in the subject area also as excellent. The ratings in respect of venues used; cleanliness and quality of the catering supplied were >95% positive satisfaction (excellent, good, fair). Various comments were received in respect of this section of the survey. These included:

• Would welcome an email to all users letting us know that the booklet for forthcoming year is on internet for every one to access.
• Presenters very knowledgeable and supportive. They provided support materials and face to face training which was most valuable. Keep doing what you do so well! Your tutors are excellent. (Level 7 CMI Dip Mgt)
• Death by PowerPoint, too many handouts, not enough discussion.
• Quality of in-house staff excellent, some part-time staff poor. There is an issue of staff being used who have always been used not because they are good enough.
• I felt that the information about applying and joining the course was very straightforward when I applied, but was not so clear when a colleague was interested. The entry process had changed and was actually less complicated but we couldn’t find the relevant information in the prospectus or on-line.
• Board officers should be made aware of courses available which may be of benefit.
• Excellent course, friendly staff, location good. Course worthwhile.

2.3Responsiveness and Reliability of the StaffCollege Staff and Associates

2.3.1 The results from this section indicate a high level of satisfaction regarding aspects of reliability and responsiveness of Staff College Professional Development Officers and Associates. This included the punctuality and dependability of facilitators

(96% agreement) and their ability to behave with integrity, and display a commitment to their work (92%).

2.3.2Overall, the results highlight that course facilitators are polite, respectful and considerate, successful in their role as trainers of adults and deliver the service in a professional manner. As part of this section, respondents were asked to consider the provision of information concerning how to contact facilitators and to comment on ‘ease of contact’ and responsiveness to: requests for information; and to e-mails. The results in this area although still high (>65% agreement) indicate that there are potentially some difficulties and highlight an area for improvement.

Comments received include: -

• “Contacting personnel in RTU impossible, messages are never acted on and rarely is an e-mail replied to” (ILM level 3 Candidate)
• “Staff sick leave was noticeable during my course and made the completion of the course more difficult” (ILM level 3 Candidate)

2.3.3It is clear that a greater emphasis should be placed on raising awareness to candidates of the availability of on-line materials from the RTU Web-Site including if applicable via ‘Blackboard’.

2.3.4 It is pleasing to observe that >90% of respondents agreed that course facilitators endeavour to create a ‘safe’ learning environment, put candidates at ease and demonstrate consideration and patience to all participants.

2.4 Accredited Provision

2.4.1This section was completed by those candidates who had participated in one of the Accredited Courses offered by the RTU (54% of the respondents):

• ILM level 3 Award/Certificate;
• ILM level 5 Diploma
• CMI level 7 Executive Diploma

2.4.2> 85% of respondents indicated that the subjects studied during the course were applicable to their present job and that they were useful for posts which they may wish to apply for in the future. The results indicate however that some candidates have experienced difficulty in using work related examples for written assignments. High ratings (> 85% Excellent, Good, Fair) were received in respect of the quality of facilitators knowledge in the given subject area, achievement of course objectives and the quality of visual aids e.g. PowerPoint.

2.4.327% of respondents who had participated in an accredited programme rated the length of time between completing the required coursework and discovering the final outcome (pass/fail/more work to complete) as ‘poor’.

2.4.488% of respondents stated that it was important to them to complete a course which has been externally verified by such bodies as the Chartered Management Institute CMI and the Institute of Leadership and Management ILM.

2.4.5During the completion period for the survey, those who had participated in accredited programmes indicated that: -

• 8% did not complete the course, reasons given included:
• Job change and lack of commitment from trainer.
• Due to personal family circumstances I was unable to complete ILM course.
• Very hectic workload at work so not able to take time-out to attend course.

• 45% completed the course and submitted all necessary coursework

• 20% have completed the course but have not yet submitted all coursework, reasons given included:
• Difficult to fit write up of project into work time.
• Job changed half way through the programme and I found it difficult to get the time to complete assignments
• Too many other pressures both in work and outside. Hope to complete last 2 assignments very soon.

• For27% of participants the course had not yet finished.

2.4.6Participants were asked how their training need for participation in an accredited course of study was identified:

Table 6

Identification of Training Needs

Frequency / Per Cent
By Line Manager / 31 / 41
Via Appraisal / 20 / 26
RTU Web-Site / 5 / 6
Other / 19 / 25
RTU Circular / 1 / 2
Total / 76 / 100

These results indicate that the majority of training needs are identified with assistance from Line Managers.

2.4.7Participants were asked to indicate how they found out about the course they participated in, the results indicated:

Table 7

Frequency / Per Cent
RTU Prospectus / 18 / 22
RTU Information Session / 3 / 4
RTU Web-Site / 1 / 1
From Line Manager / 20 / 26
From Training Manager / 13 / 17
From RTU Staff / 7 / 9
From a Colleague / 6 / 8
More than one of the above / 5 / 7
Other / 4 / 6
Total / 77 / 100

The RTU Prospectus and Line Managers are key in informing potential candidates about accredited course provision.

2.5 Overall Provision

2.5.1This section seeks to encompass the views of all respondents regardless of the course they attended and relating to their ‘entire experience’ of the programme, hence the title ‘Overall Training Provision’. Many of the results from this section have been reinforced by similar questions asked in previous sections e.g.

• Relevance of training material – 95% positive
• Use of ‘up to date’ materials – 90% positive
• Facilitators knowledge of subject matter – 98% positive
• Training venues used were fit for purpose 98% positive

2.5.2A high proportion of respondents indicated that they have been able to apply the learning from the course to their work (89%). 6%indicated that this was not the case. Reasons given for this included:

• Would have preferred to receive guidance or advice on how to deal with more down to earth issues e.g. legal issues, HR or problem solving.
• Did not attend course long enough to apply to present post.
• Course content not relevant to specific work area. Too general. Although staff were from same ‘business area’.
• Changed jobs – have not completed the course.
• Hope to do so as RPA situation clarifies.
• Often the course content was not applicable to my area of work, it was more business related. I have been able to apply some aspects but not all.

2.5.378% indicated that would recommend the course to a colleague and indicated that their attendance at the course was a good use of their time.

2.5.4In line with recommendations form the Public Service Commission guidance in relation to training for staff during a period of change, questions relating to the effectiveness of training in respect of:

• The development of leadership capacity
• Improvement of communication skills
• Improving skills in managing conflict and
• Enabling and facilitating change

were included. The responses were all positive with >70% in agreement. It is apparent however, that further consideration must be give to the inclusion of these 4 elements when designing and developing future courses prior to and during the establishment of the Education and Skills Authority.

2.6 The Management Resource Centre

2.6.1The Management Resource Centre (MRC) which is located at the RTU aims to provide all education staff in Northern Ireland with the resources to support corporate and personal management development. The MRC gives Province-wide support to all education staff by providing access to published paper and electronic resources. The business of the Regional Training Unit is offering high quality staff development, and the collection within the MRC supports this. The collection is management based: management processes and theories, and education management and theories.

2.6.2The following range of services and materials are on offer:

• Books, periodicals and audio-visual materials
• Access to online resources, and multi-media discs
• Study facilities with access to computers
• Information provision (either by telephone, e-mail or in person)
• Photocopying facilities at 10 pence per sheet (and done under rules of copyright)
• Requests for books and journal articles not currently in stock will be serviced through a wide range of sources, including the British Library.

Staffmay request and borrow books, use the library for studying, or use the librarian to source information.

2.6.3The results from the survey highlight that only 58%of respondents were aware of the materials that are available at the MRC, only 31%had visited the MRC and 43% were aware of the process to enable them to borrow/access resources. 15%of those who replied indicated that they had borrowed resources from the MRC.

2.6.4The results indicate that overall <20% of respondents have received assistance in respect of research and have used the on-line facility at to search the MRC library. 72%of respondents indicated that they ‘didn’t know’ whether the resources available in the MRC were up to date and relevant for their course of study.