Context
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is a ministerial department of the UK Government, with responsibility for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. In administering the UK’s state pension and providing a wide range of benefits and services to more than 20 million claimants and customers, it employs more than 80,000 full-time equivalent staff and spends more than £275 billion annually (2023-24).
Requirement
Following design and delivery of the successful Jobcentre Plus (JCP) programme in Scotland and the JCP National CMI Diploma Programmes throughout the UK over a 4 year period, Eliesha was awarded a further 51-month contract for national delivery of accredited leadership and management qualifications to DWP staff, as well as accredited coaching skills training for DWP managers who acted as internal coaches to Diploma-level students.
DWP required a focused leadership and management development programme that would have an immediate impact upon the business performance of those staff undertaking it, providing a number of specific objectives and outcomes:
- Training interventions to be tailored to the specific needs of the business
- External accreditation through a widely recognised professional qualification
- National recognition
- Up-skill senior and middle managers
- Improve business performance as a direct result of individual development
- Minimum disruption in terms of release from the business to complete training
In continuation with an existing accredited strategy, we proposed to deliver the CMI Level 5 qualification in Management and Leadership at both Certificate and Diploma levels. For those internal coaches who wished to achieve an accreditation, we were also able to offer the Level 5 ILM Coaching Diploma (an option eventually taken by 30 staff)
DWP required a supplier with significant delivery capacity and a flexible approach, allowing them to launch, annually, up to:
- 23 Certificate programmes (Programme 1)
- 12 Diploma programmes (Programme 2)
Solution
Eliesha’s specialist consultants designed, tailored and updated the existing CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership to ensure that DWP policies, key messages, organisational and strategic changes were integrated.
The programme was delivered in three separate parts:
- Programme 1 – ‘Manage the Business’ was accredited by CMI as a Level 5 Certificate in Management and Leadership. This is a core programme focusing on DWP business aims and priorities
- Programme 2 – Accredited through CMI at Level 5 Diploma level
Both levels of the programme consisted of:
- Tutor led workshops
- Focused work-based assignments
- Management project
The workshops, mixing core and optional units, were separated into two and three day blocks to ensure minimum disruption from operational delivery. Each workshop could be a single delivery to 10 delegates or co-delivered by two tutors to 20 delegates. Each tutor supported 10 delegates, assessing and providing written and verbal feedback on their assignment work. Time was also provided for further support via email or telephone as necessary.
Eliesha attended 2-3 monthly progress review meetings with DWP. Tutors and Contract Managers also attended “celebrating success” events where delegates were presented with their CMI certificates or diplomas.
Outcome
The ROI criteria for the programme were client driven. Feedback from DWP senior managers and candidates showed that the learning outcomes and new skills learned were being fully utilised back in the workplace.
“Working relationships and understanding of each other’s organisational issues and constraints are excellent. In short, it is a pleasure doing business with Eliesha Training.”
– Organisational Development Manager, DWP
