Worksheet4 Help with HR and training
Help with training and HR | 4.3
training
The starting point is to build up a picture of what training events the members of the cluster are already running or taking part in. There might be scope for sharing – for example, one of the first things the Bolton Collaborate group did was to set up a shared induction module for staff of all six organisations focusing on an introduction to local services.
The Collaborate Training Questionnaire provides a way to pull together this information, as well as details of training providers in the area who deliver free or good value courses. Put it on Dropbox and get all cluster members to fill it out.
This should provide the group with the raw material to put together a core curriculum, look at how gaps could be filled, and which elements could be shared between members.
It is worth exploring whether your cluster might qualify for help under the Train To Gain initiative. This is a government programme targeted at small businesses to provide help with identifying and addressing training needs, and can in some circumstances help with access to funding. It is provided through Business Link – contact your local Business Link adviser to find out more.
HR
A number of small/medium voluntary organisations use the services of commercial personnel support operations such as IQ and Peninsula. These packages generally include review and updating of personnel policies and procedures, a telephone helpline and insurance against Employment Tribunal awards, provided their advice is followed on handling the case. It should be clear from the purchasing survey whether some or all of your members subscribe to such a service. Experience suggests that there can be quite wide variations in levels of charges – not necessarily linked to levels of service – so shopping around is advisable. Note that it is possible to negotiate quite substantial reductions for groups of organisations.
A commonly-reported drawback to these services is that they can be very conservative and procedure-bound in their approach to the management of problem cases. Two charities which provide a similar range of services – without the insurance cover, but with a much more HR-based approach – are:
- The Work Foundation – a charity which exists to improve employee relations across the UK; it has in the past been prepared to offer special terms for group membership to consortia of voluntary organisations; and
- Beyond A Helpline – an award-winning social enterprise run by the homelessness agency Broadway which over the past couple of years has been funded to offer free or reduced rate HR services to homelessness organisations taking part in CLG’s Places of Change programme.