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Developing skills in a large organisation through training and development

CURRICULUM TOPICS • Workforce planning • On-the-job/off-the-job training • Competencies • Personal development

Introduction National Grid is one of the world’s largest utilities. It focuses on the delivery of energy (gas and electricity) safely, reliably, responsibly and efficiently. The networks include: • around 4,500 miles of overhead power lines • 340 electricity substations • 4,300 miles of high pressure gas pipelines • around 80,000 miles of distribution pipes delivering gas to 11 million meters. The skills of National Grid employees are at the heart of its success in reaching world-class safety, operating and financial performance. Many of the company’s roles are complex, requiring both a wide range and depth of skills. Some examples of activities carried out in various job areas within the company include: Engineering

e.g. building and maintaining overhead power lines and gas pipelines

Commercial

e.g. forecasting supply and demand of gas and electricity

Finance

e.g. recording and reporting the accounts

Human Resources

e.g. recruiting and developing employees

Supply Chain Management

e.g. purchasing and delivering materials

Information Services

e.g. providing IT support

Legal

e.g. providing information on changes to legislation that will affect the company

Communications

e.g. creating company publications and dealing with the media

Safety, Health, Environment and Security

e.g. creating and managing safer ways of working and seeking new ways to minimise the environmental impact of activities

GLOSSARY Utilities: a company that maintains the infrastructure for a public service, like water, gas, electricity. Training: enabling employees to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to carry out the work needed to meet an organisation’s objectives. Development: improving an individual in line with the requirements of that individual. Workforce planning: a plan setting out the future employment skills required for an organisation.

This case study focuses on how National Grid manages training and development within the organisation.

Workforce planning and identifying training needs

National Grid recognises that about 40% of its current workforce will reach retirement age over the next 10-15 years. Combined with the trend over the last decade of fewer students studying engineering at university, this is likely to result in a skills shortage. To combat this, National Grid is actively involved in a number of educational initiatives aimed at students beginning from age nine. These initiatives seek to help increase the number and diversity of young people interested in engineering careers. This ultimately creates a greater pool of skilled talent from which National Grid can recruit.

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Workforce planning involves making sure that the organisation has the right skills to meet its current and future needs. For example, this might include identifying how many highly qualified engineers National Grid needs in the period 2007-2010. It is then possible to identify whether the company needs to recruit additional specialist engineers from outside the organisation or train those already employed.

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GLOSSARY On-the-job training: instructing employees at their place of work while they are carrying out their normal work-based activities. Mentor: someone who acts as a guide and support to a less experienced trainee – giving them advice and encouragement.

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Two such educational initiatives in which National Grid participates are the Engineering Education Scheme (EES) and Headstart. EES (www.thescheme.org.uk) involves the company’s graduate trainees working with sixth form students. The focus is on providing real-world engineering projects for them to work on. Headstart (www.headstartcourses.org.uk) is a programme run at the end of year 12 for students to learn more about engineering. It is a four-day course held at 24 universities and involves hands-on experiences. There are also courses run specifically for young females interested in the field of engineering. National Grid has also invested in work placement programmes for university students. These experiences help the students learn more about National Grid as both a business and an employer. It also enables students to bring to life the theory from their coursework. Additionally, the company runs programmes for foundation engineers, graduates and apprentices. All of these schemes provide important training and development needed to build and sustain National Grid’s workforce. Training is the process of equipping people with skills that meet the needs of an organisation. Development focuses on identifying and meeting the work-related needs of employees. National Grid is committed to both training and development. There are two main forms of training and development:

Training and Development On-the-job

Off-the-job

Workplace-based: learning while you are working.

Learning away from the immediate job environment – for example, at a training centre.

On-the-job training On-the-job training is valuable where realism is essential. It is a particularly good way of developing technical skills. During on-the-job training, a colleague or supervisor guides the employee through tasks and processes so that the employee knows how to perform the task and to what standard. Typically, the supervisor observes the trainees while they perform their duties. After observation, the observer provides the trainees with feedback on their performance. All of National Grid’s schemes provide extensive on-the-job training and have received several accolades and awards. The Graduate Development Programme is open to applications from graduates with a 2:1 degree or above in an engineering or commercial subject. About 40 graduates will be employed in 2007. About three-quarters of these join the engineering programme and the remaining quarter join the commercial and finance programmes. The foundation modules of the programme last 18 months, during which time graduates are provided with three, six-month placements. Two of these are with a future job in mind and the other one is to broaden their perspective and give them more insight into the company. During each placement, graduates have real, on-the-job projects to complete. They also work with a mentor, who provides guidance and support. National Grid is among the top employers in Britain for its Advanced Apprenticeships. An apprenticeship provides a recognised qualification and a technical role in the company. National Grid has apprenticeships ranging from 24 to 36 months, all of which contain substantial elements of on-the-job training.

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Year 1 4 Months

Year 2 4 Months

Year 3 8 Months

Year 1 Foundation

Off Job Training Year 2 Specialist Skills & NVQ Assessment

Year 3 Specialist Skills & NVQ Assessment

Keyskills Technical Certificate NVQ Level 3 Accredited Technical Training

Completion of Training Qualified Craftsperson

Induction & Safety

Recruitment & Selection Competency Based

On Job Training (NVQ Driven)

Closing Workshop & Review

36 Months

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Employees on Advanced Apprenticeships are typically aged 16 and over, have at least 4 GCSEs and have an interest in technical operations. 88 apprentices will be appointed in 2007.

Off-the-job training This is any form of training which takes place away from the immediate workplace. Off-thejob training includes more general skills and knowledge useful for work, as well as jobspecific training. Training may be provided by specialist trainers working for National Grid or by an outside company hired to help with training. Off-the-job training is particularly effective for non-technical skills, as employees can use these across different areas of the company. Both apprentices and graduates receive induction training. One of the induction modules for graduates is a project that aims to accelerate their understanding of the whole company and introduce them to the behaviours required for working in business teams. It provides many opportunities to learn about and explore four core competencies: 1. Managing oneself. Trainees learn tools and techniques to help their self-development through managing their time effectively, meeting deadlines and targets and building other personal capabilities. 2. Working with others. Trainees develop leadership and influencing skills, learn to better listen to and respect others, build team spirit and understand personal differences within the team. 3. Business and strategic awareness. Trainees learn and analyse the company’s strategy and the commercial environment in which it operates. 4. Planning to achieve. Trainees improve their skills in data gathering and interpretation, project management and creative problem solving.

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GLOSSARY Off-the-job training: training not specifically related to carrying out a work-based task. Induction: the initial process of learning to fit into an organisation. Culture: the typical pattern of doing things in an organisation.

In addition, Health and Safety is an essential part of training at National Grid, whether employees perform their work in an office or outdoors in the field. The company constantly emphasises the importance for all employees to ensure their own safety, the safety of their colleagues and the public as well as the safety of the company’s networks. National Grid passionately believes that all workplace injuries and incidents are preventable. The company’s Road to Zero programme is in place to help the company achieve its target of zero injuries every day. National Grid's Golden Rules are a fundamental building block for its Road to Zero. They focus on critical areas of the business where safe behaviours are essential to safeguard employees and the public. They cover behaviours that will prevent the most serious injuries.

Development Development is the process of supporting the improvement of a person in line with individual needs and business requirements. At National Grid, development does not end when a training scheme ends. National Grid’s culture promotes the continuing development of its staff.

For example, an employee might state that he or she would like to improve his/her Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and public speaking skills in order to more effectively develop and deliver business presentations. This need could be fulfilled using on-the-job or off-the-job training, or a combination of both. For example, the employee may work with a colleague who is preparing and delivering a presentation. Alternatively or additionally, the employee may attend a classroom-based training course. Once discussed during the development review, the development needs and associated training and development necessary to fulfil them are set out in a document called a personal development plan (PDP). The PDP is reviewed for progress at points throughout the year. The following profile provides an example of how National Grid supports the training and development of its people.

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During the year, employees have development reviews. A development review involves an individual sitting down with his/her manager to talk about what development the employee needs and what support the company can provide to assist the employee in fulfilling the need(s).

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Johnny Johnston (top left photo) www.thetimes100.co.uk

GLOSSARY Secondment: employee goes to another workplace for a temporary period.

My relationship with National Grid has been going on for some time. After I completed my A levels, I joined National Grid as a Year in Industry student. I was 18. I knew very little about this business. But the whole experience opened my eyes to the size and scope of National Grid. I was sponsored through university, coming back to a different area of the company each summer for an eight-week placement. After I completed my master’s degree in engineering science, I joined the company’s Graduate Development Programme. As an engineering graduate, my development was made up of 50% technical and 50% commercial training. I also received competency-based training that has come in very useful in the real working environment. It was a pretty intense 18 months since we covered a lot of ground, but it is well put together and really enjoyable. I have worked in various departments and locations throughout the company. One of my placements on the graduate scheme was in the corporate centre in London, which gave me high-level exposure to projects. I spent two great years on a secondment to the US working on the electricity side of the business, developing as an economics expert in transmission operations. I’ve also had experience on the gas side of the business, managing projects in gas distribution. Last year, I completed the company’s Emergent Leaders’ Programme, in which we as delegates got to sink our teeth into a high profile business project. Our project revolved around the power line and pipeline diversion in East London that’s part of the city’s preparation for the 2012 Olympics. It was a challenging piece of work, but also a great opportunity to use and build upon the skills I’ve developed here through the years. I love the variety of work and development opportunities on offer at National Grid. I came out of university as an electrical engineer and yet have found myself dealing with politicians in corporate affairs, involved in both the electricity and gas sides of the business and working on ground-breaking economic forecasting studies in the US. I look forward to taking on even more challenges and responsibility in the future.

The Times Newspaper Limited and ©MBA Publishing Ltd 2007. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information, neither the publisher nor the client can be held responsible for errors of omission or commission.

Conclusion

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National Grid is a large organisation that plays a vital role in transporting energy to every home and business in Britain. It needs new people and needs to develop its existing people to meet the challenges of the energy industry. Workforce planning involves identifying the skills the organisation requires both now and for the future. Training and development plays an important part in helping to build the right skills in new and existing employees. On-the-job training is particularly useful for building technical skills. Off-the-job training and development planning are also necessary to develop more general competencies.

Questions 1. Describe one training and development scheme that is offered by National Grid. Who is it for? How long does it last? What sorts of things does it cover? 2. Explain the differences between training and development. Why are they both important for new employees? 3. How will training and development programmes enable National Grid to meet its workforce plans? 4. What are the four general competencies National Grid develops in its staff? How do they support the business objectives?

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