8 Designing and delivering learning and development

National Occupational Standards define the standards of performance required to meet organisational objectives and also specify the skills and knowledge required to work to these standards. They therefore help to ensure that learning and development is clearly linked to organisational performance and provide a complete curriculum of the knowledge and skills staff need to work effectively.

Those involved in the design and delivery of training will need to refer to the Learning and Development Standards from the Employment National Training Organisation (ENTO), particularly the following units which outline what is expected of them:

  • L4 Design learning programmes
  • L6 Develop training and sessions
  • L10 Enable learning through presentations
  • L11 Enable learning through demonstrations and instruction

Steps to take:

Step 1 Specify the learning outcomes
Use the National Occupational Standards to help you specify the results you want from the learning activities.

For example, at the end of the learning programme, learners might need to be competent to Provide information to clients as defined in unit LA5 of the Legal Advice Standards.

At the end of their learning, learners need to provide opportunities for them to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills they require and apply these under supervision until they are competent in this area.

At the end of a theory learning, learners will need to know how to help clients express themselves, how to identify their information requirements, the range of information available, different formats for presenting information to clients, how to check clients’ understanding of the information and how to deal with any problems that may arise.

At the end of the practical learning, learners will have had the opportunity to develop their skills in questioning, active listening, presenting information, checking understanding, summarising, reviewing and reflecting.

After a period of supervised practice, learners will have developed their competence in providing information to clients and they will consistently perform in line with the statements of effective performance in the unit.

Step 2 Design the programme
Design the training or development programme to meet the learning outcomes required, taking into account learners’ abilities and styles, and the resources available.
There might be a number of different learning or development activities required to meet the learning outcomes in full. For example, a programme could involve the following:

  • Background reading on the area
  • Classroom sessions to ensure learners develop the necessary knowledge and skills
  • Simulated activities to help learners practise their skills and develop their confidence
  • Practice in real conditions under the guidance and supervision of a competent professional
  • Group work with other learners to discuss and learn from experiences
  • Assessment of competence against the National Occupational Standards through observation, a personal report and additional evidence
  • E-learning
  • Mentoring
  • Partnership training with colleagues from other agencies
  • Coaching

Step 3 Deliver the programme
Deliver the training or development programme according to the agreed plan but be flexible in order to meet the needs of learners and contingencies along the way.

At the end of the programme – and at the end of each session – evaluate whether the overall and specific learning objectives have been met, by testing learners’ knowledge, observing their skills, assessing their competence and using feedback questionnaires. Use your findings to help you refine future training and development programmes.

Checklist

  • Do you use National Occupational Standards to define the required outcomes of training and development programmes?
  • Do you use the Learning and Development standards to help you design and deliver training and development?
  • Do you evaluate the effectiveness of training and development and use the results to help refine future programmes?

More detailed guidance is available in A Guide to Learning and Development of Education and Training using National Occupational Standards, which is available to download from the ‘Publications’ section of www.skillsforjustice.co.uk.