Communities and Local Government

Personal Development Records & Recording Personal Development and Competence

This guidance describes the recording methodology that will complement the Integrated Personal Development System (IPDS). It provides advice that will facilitate the recording of personal development for all staff.

A robust methodology is required to withstand the scrutiny and rigour of audit. This will produce consistent records that will aid transferability within and across organisations. Records must indicate where and how competence has been achieved, identify role-related development needs and describe how these have been or will be satisfied. Recording systems that are non-bureaucratic save management time and encourage people to feel that they "own" their development. They also inform the performance management process on a personal, team and organisational level.

This document supports the principles of workforce development by outlining a methodology which promotes the use of individual personal development records (PDRs) for staff in the Fire and Rescue Service. The PDR is informed by the national occupational standards (NOS) and provides a consistent general framework for recording personal development activity and the demonstration of competence. In addition, the PDR will support continuing professional development.

The PDR is an instrument for enabling people and organisations to -

• Plan activity
• Implement activity
• Record activity
• Measure performance
• Audit personal development and competence

Please see attached downloadable file "The Overall Process".

The Personal Development Record (PDR)

Records provide people and the organisations with evidence of their learning and development achievements. This helps people to monitor, build and reflect upon their personal development. The PDR will guide and support people to learn through a process of self-reflection and focused action. It is not intended as a record of all tasks which people undertake at work. It is important that it is not perceived as a training record showing how frequently training is carried out. It should instead help people to observe, measure and record the outcome of learning, development and workplace activity and only record those issues relevant to the attainment, demonstration or maintenance of competence.

The PDR should be linked to and integrated with performance and development review systems. It will provide people with the opportunity to consider and carry out their own learning needs analysis, to manage their own learning and to apply the learning within the context of their organisation. There is a clear link between organisational strategy and individual personal development records and this must be recognised in the planning process. Organisations, teams and individual people all have to react to the internal and external risks which impinge on their organisation. People must be able to associate their role with the strategic objectives identified through the integrated risk management planning process.

At present many organisations have input based systems for recording training activity. Input based systems focus on measuring how many times training is carried out without much regard for measuring the outcome of these activities against an individuals role or the knowledge, skills and understanding required by the role. Whilst recording learning and development inputs is necessary, it is essential to observe, measure (assess) and record outcomes of learning, development and workplace activity. It is important to recognise that a PDR is not perceived as a 'training record'.

The PDP is central to the development planning process as it helps people to collect information highlighting their progress toward objectives. It will also enable line managers to monitor progress, and to provide help and support where necessary.

• A personal development plan should help people and their managers to:
• Identify current strengths and weaknesses
• Identify learning and development needs to improve performance
• Set an agenda for a personal development review meetings
• Record the objectives set at personal development review meetings.

1. See what their priorities are
2. Monitor their progress
3. Review their objectives
4. Devise a plan of action, and

• Provide evidence for the PDR

The PDR should satisfy the information needs of a range of users.

PDR's may also inform and support the decision making process within organisations in the following area's:-

Please see attached downloadable file "Users of Information".

Improvement of processes and procedures;

• Skills audit process;
• Training needs analysis;
• Career development and succession planning;
• The evaluation & validation of training and development;
• Defining & profiling role requirements.
• Workplace assessment
• APL and APEL

Whilst this document provides a framework and structure to assist organisations to develop their own records systems, it is recognised that an organisation may develop a bespoke system reflecting local needs. It is, however, important to ensure there is consistency in the approach taken to developing the format of the PDR to ensure that the required outcomes of this guidance are achieved.

The PDR must have the flexibility to record a person's progress through the three development phases of acquisition, application and maintenance/cpd.

COMPONENT PARTS

The following details the component parts of a personal development record:

Record of Development this will record:

• The individuals development plan
• Performance Review
• Assessment centre activity
• Key learning activity
• Learning and development needs and actions
• Mentoring and coaching activity
• Continuing personal development
• Awards and qualifications (record of achievement)
• -Acquisition of knowledge, skills & understanding e.g. through secondments, informal development, projects or short courses

Record of Assessment this will record:

• NOS for role
• Profile and job description for role
• Assessment decisions
• Assessor's comments (feedback)
• Individual comments

Record of Workplace Activity this will record:

• Significant work activity
• Application of learning, development and experience gained
• Evidence to support assessment

It is envisaged that there will be a constant flow of information between the sections contained in the PDR whilst individuals move between development phases as they progress through their careers. The diagrammatic representation of the system is purposely simplistic and does not take account of recording systems that at present are used by organisations.

The criteria for information that is required to be recorded within the PDR during the stages of development is shown in the table below.

Please see attached downloadable file " Relationship between the components of the PDRs"

Introduction

This document describes the phased development process of the Integrated Personal Development System (IPDS). It will explain how development takes place through the processes of acquisition, application and maintenance of the knowledge, skills and understanding which underpin competent workplace performance. The maintenance phase incorporates Continuing Personal Development.

IPDS is a quality system that provides a framework for personal development in the workplace based on National Occupational Standards (NOS). It satisfies good practice guidance on learning and development as contained within the HSE document "Successful Health and Safety Management" HS[G](65). It will also help people to meet local workplace performance requirements and the development needs of the organisation. The phased approach to development runs through every person's career.

The three phases of development do not occur in isolation and people can expect to be in more than one phase at any point in time. For example, a fire fighter may have demonstrated competence against unit one of the fire fighter role map (educating your community on safety matters) and will thus be in the maintenance phase for that unit. However, (s)he may not yet have consistently demonstrated competent performance against the requirements of unit 3 (save and preserve endangered life) and would thus still be in the application phase for that particular unit. Throughout the development process, people should be supported by the organisation which will help to promote a positive working environment for the benefit of all.

Development programmes must therefore support organisational objectives and must be implemented in a way that ensures people

• Receive fair treatment, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, social background, race, status, religion, ethnicity, appearance and work style.
• Are not disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justified.
• Are free from bullying or harassment.
• Contribute to sustainable development.

It should be remembered that development programmes must also support organisational objectives.

General Principles

The development process is structured to help people to meet specific workplace outcomes. In other words, it is designed to ensure that employees understand the role they are to play in achieving organisational goals and are provided with the skills and abilities to do so.

Effective development programmes target the personal needs of people within the context of their role in organisations. They should share a number of common characteristics as follows.

Acquisition of Knowledge, Skills and Understanding

The effectiveness of the acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding is reflected in how well a person is able to carry learning into the workplace and then apply it. This will be determined through the use of an assessment process (see guidance on workplace assessment).

Development programmes should allow people to reflect the modular programme of acquisition through practical application in the workplace as opportunities arise. Personal and organisational development needs may determine the availability of such opportunities. Line managers/assessors should, through the process of personal development planning, seek to ensure that these opportunities are made available in a systematic manner.

The key factors for this phase are

• People start the application phase with a clear awareness of their strengths and/or of their further development needs
• There is a proper handover between assessors/line managers as appropriate (to include review of relevant documentation eg the personal development review informs the personal development plan)
• There is a systematic application and review of knowledge, skills and understanding through the personal development planning process
• The personal development review is used to consider evidence and forms a basis for dialogue between a person and their line manager/assessor.

People who are working towards S/NVQs will be able to use evidence collected during this phase to contribute to the qualification process.

When individuals demonstrate competent application in the workplace as part of their ongoing continuing personal development, all relevant issues must be considered within their Review.

The achievement of competence in one role should not be considered the end of learning and development in that role. In situations where people remain in the same role, they will continue to need to demonstrate their ability to competently carry out the requirements of the role. This is referred to as the maintenance phase.

There may also be new areas of learning and development to be undertaken, for example if new equipment has been introduced or the role requirements have changed. Together with maintenance, this process is known as continuing personal development (CPD).

This means that the requirements of the role and the knowledge, skills and understanding of the person need to be kept under continuous review and this is best done through a formal system. This phase has the following key aspects

• The establishment of personal development needs (using personal development reviews and personal development plans) to meet organisational objectives
• The acquisition, application and maintenance of knowledge, skills and understanding is supported through a range of measures including informal and formal development opportunities based on the development modules database, secondments, project work and e-learning
• There must be clear evidence that the knowledge, skills and understanding gained has been applied in the workplace before it can be regarded as CPD to support the maintenance of competent performance

Organisations will need to ensure that opportunities are available for everyone to demonstrate continuing competent performance in role. The provision of development opportunities will need to be planned in accordance with organisational objectives. The personal development review and personal development planning supports this.

For CPD, some aspects of development may be informal ie acquired in places other than the workplace. For example, some employees may be school governors or voluntary sector workers and the skills applied in these fields may be transferable to workplace activity. This informally acquired development will need to be evidenced in the workplace as indicated above.

Development should be reviewed at regular intervals and on any other occasion that the person or line manager considers necessary. This will enable people and line managers to discuss performance and development needs and then agree the personal development plan (PDP). Individual, role based and organisational development needs should be considered in this process.

Reviews are based on a dialogue, the key considerations of which are that they should be

• Ongoing - given throughout the individual's career.
• Positive - to discuss achievements with the individual.
• Specific - relating to particular actions or targets, so the individual knows they are performing well or that further development is required.
• Constructive - to identify and agree development opportunities and barriers to progress.
• Recorded - for future reference
• An interactive process - to motivate and encourage the individual to take responsibility for identifying their learning and development needs.

Development Review Checklists

People and their line managers should ensure that adequate preparation is undertaken before each review. They should consider the contribution that personal performance has made to team and organisational objectives.

For the individual, points to consider include

Please see downloadable file "Development Review Checklist".

1. Key Skills, or Core Skills (Scotland) are defined as follows: Communication (verbal and written), Information Technology, Application of number, Problem solving, Working with others, Improving own learning and performance*

*Not included in Scottish Core Skills.

IPDS Guidance 11 December 2003

Development Activities

Introduction

The activities and functions of a Fire and Rescue Service are numerous and demands on the workforce can be unpredictable. The need for people to achieve competence within a realistic timeframe may therefore necessitate simulation of certain workplace activities. It is however important to remember that this is only true where no naturally occurring opportunities are available. The Development Activity model has been provided as an outline method and rationale for simulated events to be structured and recorded in order that people, teams and groups are provided with opportunities to demonstrate competence.

Definition

Development Activities are outcome focussed learning events, which can be used to develop and confirm role relevant knowledge, skills and understanding of people against the requirements of the relevant National Occupational Standards (NOS). People may be assessed individually or in teams and groups.

Development Activities can be used to address the needs of the organisation with regard to achieving their objectives whilst addressing the development needs of people. It is essential that Development Activities are risk assessed in accordance with the guidance provided in the HSE document HS(G) 65 - Successful Health & Safety Management.

Please see attached downloadable file "Development Activities" which shows the relationship between Development Modules, Workplace Performance and Development Activities in the IPDS model.

Creating Development Activities

This guidance sets out the process in a series of steps. It is essential that these are followed to ensure that the end product will meet the needs of Workplace Assessors and the person or people being developed. If the evidence gained through development activities is to be used in support of an award such as a Vocational Qualification then confirmation from the Awarding Body should be sought that this type of evidence will be admissible. Further guidance is available from the Emergency Fire Services assessment strategy document. It is imperative that advice on simulation contained within the NOS is acknowledged and complied with. Each Unit of the NOS contains guidance on acceptability of the use of simulated activities. It is imperative that this advice is acknowledged and complied with.

The following lists the Development Activities process.

5. Recognition
6. Construction
7. Implementation
8. Documentation
9. Review and return to construction

Development Activities

Recognition

Where a learning or development need exists (whether personal or organisational) and naturally occurring workplace evidence is not available the use of Development Activities may be considered. They can also be used to help satisfy the need of people to demonstrate competence within the role. Development Activities may also be considered for providing development opportunities to allow people to progress beyond the current role.

The first step in creating Development Activities is to recognise that the need for them exists.

The following lists the initial recognition process of determining whether there is a need for Development Activities.

• Look at the Competence requirement of a role map, NOS or Development Module
• Consider if real life development opportunities are available.
• • If not
• Create Development Activity by Identifying Development Module learning outcomes Assign event reference number Create outline of Development Activity Specify aim of simulation Specify development objectives Enact/ deliver Development activity
• • If they are
• Use naturally occurring evidence of workplace performance.
  
• The next stage is to assess the performance of teams, groups and individual people
  

Construction

Once the use of a Development Activity has been recognised as being appropriate, the type of event required should be determined. Events may take many forms, e.g.

• Practical exercises
  
• Tabletop exercises
  
• Role-play
  
• Group discussions
  
• Paper based exercises
  
• IT based exercises.

This list is not definitive or exhaustive and is provided as a guide to methods that may be considered.
When creating Development Activities all four elements of competence must be capable of being
demonstrated and assessed.

The Four Elements Of Competence

• Task Skills -the routine and largely technical components of a function
• Task Management Skills -the skills to manage a group of tasks and prioritise between them
• Contingency Planning Skills - the skills to deal with things that go wrong and with the unexpected
• Environmental Skills - interaction with environmental factors while fulfilling the wider role.

The four elements of competence can be simply explained:

The ability to slip and pitch a ladder can be regarded as a task skill. The task management skills involve the consideration of how to prioritise the ladder slip and pitch with all of the other tasks that need to be done. The contingency planning skills come into play when the planned sequence of events either deviates from that anticipated or cannot be achieved (the ladder may become unstable - what can be done?). Finally, the environmental skills dictate how conditions in the workplace e.g. weather, lighting, available space (for instance the ground underfoot may be icy, it may be dark or there may be insufficient room to achieve the pitch as planned, requiring an alternative plan), interactions with other people are taken into account to ensure that the planned intervention will have a successful outcome.

When constructing Development Activities full use must be made of the Emergency Fire Service Development Modules database. The database will assist in defining Development Objectives i.e. (skill and knowledge objectives, personal skills and methods and constraints).

Implementation

The event must simulate activities that would normally be expected to be undertaken within the role or simulate activities of the role(s) into which the individual, team or group are being developed.

With this in mind, it is essential that any Development Activity event is:

• Realistic (by contextualising the actual risk(s)
• Relevant
• Reliable
• Achievable
• And takes place in a controlled environment.

Assessment of personal skills must take place against the learning outcomes and the skills and knowledge objectives. They must utilise the methods and constraints detailed within the Units and Elements of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) and the Development Modules.

Documentation

After the event has been concluded, appropriate documentation must be produced to satisfy the organisation's evidence and audit requirements (and where appropriate, those of the Awarding Body). While it will be for each organisation to consider which type of Development Activity will best answer its needs, the following advice indicates the core information which should always be included when designing the documentation that supports them. An audit of current recording practice within organisations will determine the system best suited for recording the outcomes of Development Activities.

Core Information

• Event reference number - This provides a means of identifying the Development Activity for future reference and audit.
• Outline of Development Activity - This section must describe the range of activities that will be used to assess the four elements of competence relevant to the desired outcome.
• Aim of Simulation - This section must contain a concise and accurate aim for the Development Activity.
• Development Objectives (see Development Modules database)

Learning outcomes

This section must contain the learning outcomes that are derived from the Units, Elements and Development Modules identified as being relevant to the training or development needs.

Knowledge, Skills and Understanding

This section must contain the knowledge, skills (including any key/core skill) and understanding that will be derived from the Units, Elements and Development Modules identified as being relevant to the training or development need.

Bibliography

This section must contain a record of the specific points of reference used to construct the Development Activity.

Additional Information

In addition to the above information, organisations may choose to include additional sections to record other relevant information e.g. resource requirements and details of venue to be used such as risk assessments, etc.

The assessment outcomes of the Development Activity should be recorded in line with organisational procedure. They must be linked to development programmes or the personal development plans of individuals.

Review

In order to complete the process, the Development Activity must be reviewed by the people who created it to confirm that the original stated outcomes were achieved. The Workplace Assessor should obtain feedback and evaluation from those involved in the process to establish:

• Suitability of the Development Activity;
• If any improvement to the Development Activity is required;
• Benefits to the Individual, Team or Group;
• Benefits to the Organisation.

The aim of the review is to ascertain that the Development Activity served the purpose for which it was designed. Reviews should, therefore, be conducted in an objective manner in order to verify the use of the Development Activity or whether its use should be continued.

Related downloads