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Progression and Promotion

What to think about when developing training

When providing training opportunities, it is important to ensure that opportunities are available to all staff.

• Training, development and qualification opportunities must be open to all, including those who work part-time, job share, or work flexibly.
• Schedule training, learning events and team meetings to ensure that all staff can attend, if they want to.
• Avoid holding training events or team building opportunities after work hours or at weekends, wherever possible. Staff with caring responsibilities may find these difficult to attend.

If a training event conflicts with a staff member’s caring arrangements, consider:

• Rescheduling the event
• Adjusting the staff member’s hours
• Paying the childcare or other care costs
• Provide payment or time off in lieu for any extra hours required to attend training

Flexible learning can benefit all staff but particularly those working part-time or those on maternity leave.

Open University courses, distance learning or online learning enable training to be undertaken flexibly. Pressure on budgets can mean that online training is a good option for smaller businesses. Allowing staff the time and resources to complete online training during working hours means that all staff will be able to participate.

Part-time, low-paid women are often the group of workers least likely to be offered training opportunities in the workplace, but they are also the most likely to be working below their skill level. It makes good business sense to ensure that all staff have an equal opportunity to develop and utilise their skills.

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