Background
The Inland Revenue is one of the largest employers in the UK. It employs over 80,000 staff at locations all over the UK. Like most large organisations it has a legacy of, and for some staff an expectation of, top-down training. Given the need to equip the workforce to meet the demands of an increasingly complex role, with more demanding customers, a new high-level policy for learning was developed in 2000 and reviewed in 2002.
This policy was called 'Learning Directions' and stated that:
'Learning is a necessary process for achieving business objectives and essential to improving organisational performance. It bridges the gap between the organisation's current capability and that needed to deliver the business results. From an individual point of view, it enables people to add to their stock of personal competences and develop their full potential.'
'However, learning is also a business process and must take place in the business environment in order to deliver the results that the Department requires.'
Sharing the plan
The policy has led to the production of a medium-term learning strategic plan (MTLSP), which is updated regularly. This is made available on the Inland Revenue's corporate intranet. The electronic presentation of the policy and MTLSP means that information can be made available to staff in different ways according to their role and responsibilities. For example, it answers the question, 'What does this mean to me if I am a manager?' At the heart of the approach is a set of simple principles:
- Learning is important
- Learning should take place in the workplace
- Knowing can be accomplished in a variety of different ways.
As the strategy puts it:
'If you are a manager Learning Directions says that:
- You should recognise that learning is what really counts, not training and development.
- You should understand that learning is a business process that will enable you to meet business needs, but that also needs planning effectively.
- You accept responsibility for helping to plan and support the learning of the people who work for you within a framework that includes local and national learning specialists.
- Learning will be provided 'just-in-time' before the performance changes it is intended to promote, are required.
- You will understand that most learning happens in the workplace and your role is to help plan and support that learning appropriately.
- Off-site learning will happen where it is the only way of meeting the learning needs or there are other benefits.
- Online learning will make an increasingly important contribution to meeting learning needs.'