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A shared learning programme for Rolls-Royce

Company background


Rolls-Royce is one of the UK's largest manufacturing companies and operates in four global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy. The company has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces and more than 2,000 marine customers, including 50 navies. It has energy customers in nearly 120 countries. The success of these products is demonstrated by the company's rapid and substantial gains in market share over recent years.

Rolls-Royce employs around 36,000 people, of which 22,000 are in the UK. Ensuring its people are equipped with the right skills and knowledge is vital to sustaining success. To achieve this the company has devised a professional development framework to indicate the training and learning opportunities available to staff in a number of functional specialisms. This includes human resources where some 500 people are employed in both operational, generalist and specialist roles.

A shared learning programme


In 1999 Rolls-Royce introduced an HR shared learning programme, aimed at developing professionalism in support of Rolls-Royce's HR strategy. The programme is intended for HR professionals, most of whom already have a relevant professional qualification or are in the process of gaining one. If a programme participant had joined Rolls-Royce through their graduation scheme, he or she would now typically be some three to six years into his or her career.

The shared learning programme lasts for approximately one year and usually involves between eight and 12 participants. These are identified through a mixture of expressed interest or nomination by the business. The programme proceeds through a series of modules. Each module usually lasts two days and up to six will be held over the course of the year. The first is an introductory module, which is facilitated by a member of the Rolls-Royce learning and development team. Participants are expected to agree their learning objectives and prepare a plan for the year. They also agree the parameters within which they will work and consider the implication of working as a team.

At the heart of the programme is the requirement that participants prepare a module which will be a significant learning event. A budget is available for this purpose and participants can seek advice from a programme sponsor who will be a senior member of Rolls-Royce's human resources function. The programme sponsor will be heavily involved in the introductory module - thereafter it is for the participants to determine the extent to which they request support or advice.

Hannah Betts, an Employee Development Manager, based in the combustion systems operation at Bristol considers the requirement to organise a learning event for their delegates to be a significant learning experience. The topic must reflect the programme participants' agreed learning objectives, and, as Hannah points out, the need to achieve a consensus means that those identified objectives are often content-rich, rather than focused on individual skills. Typical topics could be 'lean HR', 'organisational change' or 'succession planning and performance management. External speakers and facilitators can be invited to present or participate in the module, which will always include some practical activity.

The HR shared learning programme is best described as the establishment of an on-going learning set with a strong developmental focus. Because the participants are a mixture of generalists and specialists there is much sharing of experience. It is however, firmly anchored in the Rolls-Royce business strategy and develops participants within a professional context.

To date, four separate one-year programmes have been completed and the underlying model for learning has been accepted as valuable. The population eligible for the programme is currently under review to ensure the target group derive maximum benefit from the learning experience.

Nikki Thomas, Career Development Manager in the company's corporate headquarters, shares ongoing responsibilities for maintaining the programme with Hannah and recognises that team-working issues can arise. Participants can request an intervention to assist their move towards developing shared objectives and learning themes. Some programmes struggle to agree the objectives for future modules - an issue which itself enables participants to learn about team dynamics. Evaluation, during the final module demonstrates the benefits to individuals and the company.

Extending the programme


This model for shared learning, developed for HR professionals, has been extended to other disciplines. In 2003 the first shared learning programme for operations managers was introduced. Here the 12 participants were plant managers who are responsible for planning and manufacturing output and in some cases managing more than 700 people. The recognised value of learning from shared experiences was an important factor in successfully establishing this programme.

It was also recognised that people with demanding roles need to have the opportunity to reflect if learning is to be thoroughly absorbed. Rolls-Royce has found that a learning set using this approach offers this 'protected' time for learning.

 
 
 
 
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