professional development in out-of-school settings consists of more than NVQs and Playwork certificates. Here we take a look at more general training available in bite-sized chunks, which can improve staff performance, loyalty and overall quality of service.
STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
In your recruitment material and at interview, discuss training as an integral part of employment. Create the expectation of continual learning in your workplace, reinforce it through appraisals and set aside a small training budget per employee, as little as 200 per year. Where possible, reward achievement with pay increases and publicise these.
SUPPORTING A LEARNING ETHOS
Your bookcase should contain a good selection of reference titles, while posters displayed around the setting encourage high standards. Some essential publications for your professional library include: * A Survival Guide for Working with Humans by Gini Graham Scott (Amacom)
* Essential Volunteer Management by Rick Lynch and Steve McCurley
(Directory of Social Change)
* The Manager's Toolbox by John Mitchell (Big Time Press)
* S/NVQ3 Playwork Workplace Resource File by Tina Farrow and Geraldine Chaffe (Heinemann Educational)
* S/NVQ Level 2 in Playwork: Student Handbook by Tina Farrow, Valerie Stephens and Susan Stanley (Heinemann Educational)
* First Aid Manual edited by St Andrews' Ambulance Association and the British Red Cross/St John Ambulance
* Out of School magazine (for back issues and subscriptions call 0870 444 8628)
* Local Play Association and EYDCP publications.
People have different learning preferences, and books and magazines are not the only effective medium. Children's development and behaviour is currently top TV viewing in programmes such as 'Little Angels', 'Child of Our Time', 'Teen Angels' and 'Tiny Tearaways'. While it is illegal to record these for re-showing, you can encourage your staff (and parents) to watch the programmes and use key moments for discussion.
You could help staff subscribe individually to relevant sector magazines, such as Out of School, and stimulate discussion on particular topics as they arise. This is an ideal way for employees to keep their knowledge fresh.
Get involved in national debates, encourage your staff to give their opinions through surveys and bring big subjects in-house as they appear in the press - for example, whether or not a CRB check would have prevented Ian Huntley from working in a play setting, or the interest in children's healthy eating sparked by the Jamie Oliver school dinners programmes.
Purchase training videos or DVDs on subjects that you know come up repeatedly, like customer service or managing appraisals. The best we've seen are from Videoarts, with comedic sets from the likes of Dawn French and John Cleese but at more than 800 per title, it is worth looking at their special offers on old titles and claiming their charities discount if possible. Gower Publishing offers a wide range of 15-minute videos for 75 each in their 'Take Away Training' range. This training can be delivered when, where and as often as you choose.
WHO NEEDS WHAT?
A focused two-hour session spent with your staff to devise their individual Training Needs Analysis (TNA) will save time and money, motivate your employees and introduce areas of development that you may not have considered possible. Use closed questions to determine the type of training you are able to offer, but always ask for suggestions.
Devise a form with question and answer choices, such as: * What areas listed below would you like to take training in? List subjects such as child protection, customer service, first aid, conflict management, child psychology, management and supervisory skills.
* What times are convenient for you to attend training? Mornings, afternoons, evenings and/or weekends.
* Which of the following would influence you taking up training? Location, credits towards NVQ, length of programme are examples.
* Which methods of training do you think are most effective? Classroom, video, workplace coaching, individual mentoring, distance learning.
* Please give suggestions on how we can better support the delivery of a quality service through training.
A TNA quickly puts professional potential and ambition on the same page and is the first part of constructing an Individual Learning Plan (ILP).
Unless given the opportunity to consider other options, potential trainees will see all learning as the same. People whose compulsory educational experience was unsatisfactory to them will be anxious to avoid it again. An ILP is a custom-designed learning plan based on employee-established goals that incorporates, but is not limited to, the workplace. The ILP should combine preferred learning styles with areas of particular interest and professional need worked into short-, medium- and long-term outcomes.
One-day workshops help the reluctant learner to build confidence and the employer to gauge their commitment and ability. Trainees who are aware of the costs of training are more likely to value the opportunities (See grid).
PREPARING FOR MANAGEMENT
Management training is easy to find, but is it appropriate to the pressures in your workplace? The answer is largely yes - managing people, conflict management, meeting deadlines and so on apply no matter what business you are in. What is often omitted is the need to practise these skills in order to gain confidence in using them, and someone to guide.
Vince was new to the role of deputy manager and although he had all the right qualifications, he was struggling with using his new authority in consistent ways. The TNA flagged up that he needed opportunities to experiment with ideas in his role, in a workplace and with a mentor. It was arranged that he swap with a deputy from another workplace for a fortnight.
Both benefited greatly from the exchange.
MENTORING
Anyone who endorses and implements good practice methods in their workplace can become a mentor. In order to demonstrate their successful techniques effectively, the mentor needs just ten hours on a Train The Trainer course (see box) to give them the understanding about different learning styles.
Key skills for effective performance The sector requirements around working with children are pretty clear.
Besides management generally, it is often key skills that need addressing.
Communications should be clear and effective, and people from all backgrounds benefit from training in written and verbal communications at an appropriate level. The use of technology in place of manual functions releases energy for other tasks. Help your staff to become confident computer users through the many local inexpensive courses available in ICT.
NVQs
Your EYDCP and local college will have information on NVQs. A NVQ level 3 can be completed by an experienced practitioner in 42 hours - that's just two hours a day for three weeks. You must be observed and have your work assessed by a qualified assessor at a registered training establishment, where costs vary. Why not turn your workplace into a training centre, assess your own staff in NVQs and generate income by offering your expert services to others? It is easier than you think.
Training means all sorts of things to different people. Much depends on a person's previous experience and how valued the training is. Developing a training programme for your staff will pay dividends on the investment you make, and it needn't cost the earth - what are you waiting for?
Jackie Nunns is a founding member and director of the Trojans scheme, a charity running out-of-school services in south London
Further information
* For a free preview of video resources before you buy, plus great ideas to stimulate thinking: www.videoarts.com, tel: 020 7400 4800 and www.gowerpub.com, tel: 01252 331551 * National Extension College provides distance learning courses on a wide range of subjects, from basic reading to management: www.nec.co.uk, tel: 0800 389 2839 * Levelheaded public and commissioned training to the non-profit sector: www.levelheaded.org, tel: 020 7538 9387 * Train the Trainer courses: www.dsc.org.uk, tel: 020 7391 4800 * Trojans Playwork Training Centre: www. trojansscheme.org.uk, tel: 0208 683 9606
