Tag: 2015

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on training in each of the last three financial years.

Mr Francis Maude

We want to ensure that the Civil Service is ready to meet the challenges of the twenty first century.

Through our programme of Civil Service Reform the Government is working to address long-standing weaknesses in four key skills areas: commercial, programme and project delivery, digital delivery, and leading and managing change across the Civil Service.

Civil Servants are encouraged to take at least five days learning a year but the key point is to ensure that civil servants have the particular skills they need to do their jobs well. The Functional Heads, most of whom report to the Chief Executive of the Civil Service, will set the learning curricula for their functions.

Most learning is now provided by Civil Service Learning.

Complete central records are not held on the number of days training, training budgets or training expenditure.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to its managers on how many days training should be made available to staff.

Kris Hopkins

All civil servants are encouraged to undertake a minimum of five learning and development days a year. This includes formal training, e-learning, job shadowing, mentoring, coaching and various other development activities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance his Department provides to its managers on how many days training should be made available to staff.

Anna Soubry

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to helping all employees realise their full potential. This is why all civilian staff are strongly encouraged to take up the offer of completing five days training each year. I am pleased to report that the Department is investing an additional £10 million to develop the skills of our civilian personnel.

The MOD does not hold information centrally on the average number of days training of full-time equivalent staff. Some data is available from Civil Service Learning for the period July 2012 – June 2013. This showed that the average number of days training of full-time equivalent staff via Civil Service Learning was 1.3 days per head.

However, this is not a true indication of the total number of days training staff have undertaken, as staff may receive training through a variety of other measures. The Defence Academy undertakes training and development which is specific to Defence, including command and staff courses, languages, acquisition and technology training for military and civilian personnel. It also has a considerable range of leadership, management, project management and commercial training which is specific to Defence.

The Defence Learning Portal hosts e-learning including a wide range of military and technical training, and mandatory training for civilian and military personnel. This is complemented by a range of learning and development opportunities available to predominately civilian staff, through Civil Service Learning.

There is also a range of other activities such as coaching, mentoring, shadowing and 360 degree feedback which count towards five training days a year, but may not be recorded officially.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the average number of days training of full-time equivalent staff employed in his Department was in each of the last three financial years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The average number of hours staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have spent participating in learning and development, during the last three financial years were:

2013/14 – 51.7 hours per person
2012/13 – 43.6 hours per person
2011/12 – 43.7 hours per person

We record participation in hours because the length of learning and development varies considerably. This data refers to UK Based Staff development activities only. We do not hold data centrally on the learning and development undertaken by Local Staff employed overseas. To obtain this would incur disproportionate cost.