Enterprise learning & development practitioners understand that an effective Learning and Development system must be aligned with organisational objectives, strategic goals and business outcomes. Many organisations make the mistake of cutting back their learning and development in times of economic downturn, however, the learning organisation will maintain and often increase learning during these times to ensure the organisation has the edge now and is prepared for future growth. Learning organisations understand that it is critical that learning and development is designed to fit the specific needs of the organisation with the flexibility to grow and develop as the business grows and develops.
So, how does an organisation embrace and develop a learning culture?
First, there has to be an understanding that learning happens all the time by everyone in the workplace and not just to gain a qualification whether vocational education and training (VET) or higher education (HE). In fact accredited qualifications often only form a small part in the learning culture of th the learning organisation.
The organisation needs to systematically change the way that learning is structured and presented within the organisation, so let's have a look at the The Enterprise Learning and Organisational Development Capability Model, developed through research conducted by ERTOA (Enterprise Registered Training Organisation Association). This process re-defines learning within the organisation and redirects it into the workplace where all job role performance strengthens knowledge, skill and attitude acquisition that becomes a learning culture within a learnng organisation.
Explanatory Notes:
1.The corporate goals and objectives, underpinned by the corporate values and vision, determine the strategic needs of the enterprise and provide a strategic foundation for business operations.
2.The first phase of the Training Needs Analysis (TNA) commences with an understanding and mapping of corporate initiatives, business operations including business outcomes, any legislative and compliance requirements, policies and procedures, position descriptions and work level standards and instructions.•Work instructions detail the tasks and activities required to carry out particular work components. The work instruction is the source document for identifying the job skills (competencies), knowledge, and where appropriate the physical attributes required to carry-out the work.
•Many of the business operations within an enterprise will share common skills and knowledge requirements. The enterprise work instructions are the source documents for the development of position descriptions and sign-off processes that ensure that the needs of key position description stakeholders (including training and development) are reflected.
•Policies, procedure manuals and position descriptions are the source documents for the development of specific training and development programs. Each position will be associated with an appropriate training program and each employee assigned to a given position will have a training requirement that reflects the associated training program
3.The final phase of the TNA is the authenticating and mapping of actual workplace practices and workplace performance levels. Mapping to national competencies is also undertaken within this phase, along with individual and team training needs analysis (TNA) to determine recognition of current competency toward recognition of prior learning (RPL). •Actual workplace practices and performance levels should align to the first stage of the TNA. Most particularly business operations, work level standards and work instructions, Policies and procedures, and position description requirements.
•If non-alignment is determined, then interventions may need to be developed to re-align workplace practices, organisational documentation, strategic goals and business outcomes.
•Workplace skills, knowledge and attitudes identified within the TNA are mapped to training package units of competency to quantify and qualify workplace complex skills sets against national competencies.
•Also within this phase, the skills and knowledge of an employee assigned to a particular position are assessed against the defined requirements of the position using an agreed standard process and template (i.e. an individual training needs analysis).
•Current skills and knowledge relevant to the position are formally recognized (RPL) and the employee undertakes only those components of the training program designed to develop the skills and knowledge found to be lacking, i.e. individual and team training plan (6).
4.Design of learning content, training support and assessment materials can now be undertaken with an understanding of the organisation’s strategic gaol and business objectives and the results from the training needs analysis.•Enterprise instructional design utilises the Formative Learning and Assessment Methodology. That is, workplace-based learning where the employee is supported, encouraged, motivated, provided feedback and opportunities to consolidate learning and assessment of actual performance over a period of time and in various situations.
•Previously mapped units of Competency, performance criteria, are included in the design of learning content and assessment criteria included assessment materials.
•Within formative learning and assessment processes, workplace coaching is formalised and structured. However, workplace coaching is encouraged to become an informal structured process supporting the learning culture of the organisation. Hence informal coached learning becomes a standard workplace process.
•Off-the-job learning only takes place when no other viable workplace option is available. It is preferred that off-the-job learning be utilised only for critical knowledge acquisition, as facilitated group work rather than traditional classroom-based lecture type learning and undertaken within an onsite training facility.
•This instructional design model is utilised to produce holistic training programs that supports the development of a workplace learning culture and the Learning Organisation. Equally, the same instructional design model is utilised to produce organisational development interventions that supports change management.
•The final stage of instructional design is to build into the materials appropriate Training Evaluation measures and Return-on-Investment measurements.
5.The work instructions, procedure manuals, skill and competency register and position description documentation can provide valuable source data for other HR processes including workforce planning, recruitment, performance management and succession planning. These Human Resource documents must be included in the TNA.
6.Team & Individual training plans; within the final phase of the TNA, a Gap Analysis is undertaken to determine team and individual current competencies and what further training needs to be completed. Individual employees have had their current competencies recognised (under RPL) and only undertake those sections of the training program that provide them with the competencies they need to complete to perform at the required level within their functional job role.
7.Planned training and development programs are delivered and the training outcomes assessed as appropriate. Assessment processes that are applied to training and job performance are robust and valid and satisfy AQTF 2010 quality standards and are mapped to relevant Training Package performance criteria. If needed, the assessment outcomes can be used to confirm the achievement of Training Package competencies and the issue of nationally recognised qualifications to employees.
8.Unlike private and institutional training providers (RTO); training package competencies and qualifications are not the raison d'etre for learning but rather a by-product of the training needs analysis of functional job roles. Mapped units of competency, assessment outcomes and the issue of qualifications is a side effect of enterprise learning and not the reason to undertake learning. In this process, the enterprise RTO or contracted private or institutional RTO only verify assessment outcomes and issue qualifications.
9.All training programs and organisational development interventions are evaluated to provide feedback for continuous improvement to materials design and the training needs analysis, and also measured to calculate the value of return-on-investment.•The enterprise strategy for the evaluation of training is implemented and provides feedback through the agreed and understood quality assurance and risk management processes to ensure continuous improvement.
•Training evaluation feeds directly into design and as a back loop into the Training Needs Analysis so that training programs, learning materials design and functional job role requirements maintain alignment and provide immediate response to continuous improvement.
•Return-on-Investment (ROI) measures are built into all training program; training is evaluated in one of five ROI levels culminating in calculation on business impact and dollar value supporting the organisational goals and business outcomes.
•As there must a positive value to the enterprise in providing enterprise based learning to its employees, the five evaluation levels of Return-on-Investment are provided to the Human Resources and Business Operations departments. Invariably these are used to justify training budgets and the value of various training programs supporting organisational goals. Many organisations utilise ROI evaluation to determine how a new program will be adopted and implemented.
