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Learning contracts at Surrey County Council

The pilot programme


In July 2002 Surrey County Council introduced a pilot programme designed to improve the IT skills of staff working within the Sustainable Development Service (formerly known as Environment).

126 staff were chosen by a mixture of nomination by their heads of department, needs identified on their performance review, and self selection. All were give the opportunity to pursue the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL). This qualification enables people to demonstrate their competence in computer skills across seven modules.

Staff were supported in acquiring and demonstrating the necessary skills through a combination of CD Rom, supplied by a company called Electric Paper, access to ECDL reference material on the Intranet, in-house courses and a clinic/coaching session. ECDL testing was conducted by external consultants. The target for this initial group of 126 staff was 50 per cent to have completed the whole qualification and 50 per cent to complete at least four modules.

Producing a learning contract


A key part of the initial process was the production of a learning contract. This was signed by the individual and his or her manager and signified that both parties were supported to the pursuit of the qualification. Most importantly the manager would ensure that the participant was allowed at least two hours a week to pursue the ECDL.

This idea of the learning contract has been continued in the next phase of the Surrey County Council ECDL project. This phase will involve some 200 staff across the full range of Council activities. They will be chosen using the same approach; the learning opportunities will be similar, though the clinics/workshops will be limited, as they proved less popular with the pilot learners. Tests will be taken in-house and as a result the costs will be considerably reduced - for each participant department will be charged £145 as against £300 in the pilot.

John Adcock, the County ICT Training Manager, feels that learning contracts have significant benefits for this sort of programme. However, he also feels that some people in the pilot stage underestimated the time involved and failed to sustain the necessary progress. As a result the learning contract has been changed so that the milestones in terms of modules completed are made more explicit. In his view this will greatly assist in clarifying the responsibilities and commitments of all parties involved. Extracts from the contract are shown below.

Course Details


The European Computer Driving Licence will be the accepted standard for IT skills at Surrey County Council and is an internationally recognised Information Technology qualification. After successfully completing the course, candidates will be equipped with all the core applications for using a computer at work.

The candidate

  • I understand the nature and requirements of the course and the commitment needed to complete it
  • I undertake to complete a minimum of 2 modules every 3 months
  • I agree to inform my Line Manager if I can't continue.

Line Manager

  • I understand the benefits of this training to the candidate and agree to provide protected time per week to enable the candidate to complete the course. (2.5 hours protected time per week is recommended for full-time staff - this includes test time)
  • To inform the Test Centre Manage if the candidate is unable to continue.
 
 
 
 
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