Learning and development policy

Date approved: September 2026
Review date: September 2029

See below for the full policy, but please be aware this may include acronyms or technical jargon used internally within Raven. If you have any questions, please contact us.

1. Purpose of the policy

1.1. At Raven, our purpose is to ‘Build Homes and Change Lives’. We can only realise this purpose, and achieve our ambitions, if our colleagues, contractors, and those delivering services on our behalf have the appropriate knowledge, skills, experience and behaviours to do their roles effectively and deliver safe, high-quality services to our customers.

1.2. As such, we believe that ongoing learning and development is a necessity for all colleagues so that we can keep pace with evolving expectations, utilise changing technology, and meet regulatory requirements, thereby continue to meet our customer needs effectively and efficiently.

1.3. In keeping with this, we aim to foster a ‘growth mindset’ whereby all colleagues are supported to be the best they can; given relevant opportunities to develop; and feel confident building a career at Raven in the way that’s right for them.

1.4. Inclusion is a core aspect of our One Raven culture. Therefore, we put reasonable adjustments in place so that all colleagues can effectively access opportunities and activities, we endeavour to remove unfair disadvantages, and we work to ensure a fair approach across the learning & development journey.

1.5. To ensure professionalism across all aspects of our service, we obtain assurance from applicable contractors and suppliers that they have a similarly robust approach so that staff working on behalf of Raven have the appropriate knowledge, skills, experience and behaviours.

1.6. This policy complies with all relevant legislation and regulations including the Employment Rights Act 1996, Equality Act 2020, and the Competence & Conduct Standard for Housing. It does not form part of the contract of employment and is reviewed from time to time to ensure it reflects Raven’s legal obligations, regulatory requirements, and business needs.

2. Scope of the policy

2.1. This policy outlines our overall approach to learning and development and should be read in combination with other applicable policies and frameworks as listed at the end of the document, as it is through a combination of these that we maintain a skilled and professional workforce and gain assurance of the same from relevant contractors and suppliers.

3. Roles and responsibilities

3.1. Colleagues

Colleagues are expected to act professionally, ethically, and in accordance with Raven’s Culture Framework and Code of Conduct at all times, consistently demonstrating our key behaviours, along with any applicable professional codes of practice.

Colleagues must hold and demonstrate the essential knowledge, skills, and experience for their roles as set out in their job descriptions and are expected to complete mandatory training by required deadlines; actively participate in Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me conversations; Get Me Back on Track processes; attend training sessions; and collaborate with colleagues to continuously improve our services.

In keeping with our ‘Always Be Curious’ culture statement, colleagues are also expected to take a proactive role in their own learning and development, utilising our Strengths Matrix and People Management Matrix as guides for what good looks like across the organisation at differing levels.

3.2. Line Managers

We expect line managers to:

• Proactively implement our recruitment processes and tools (see Resourcing Policy and Procedure) to ensure appropriate assessment of essential and desirable knowledge, skills, experience, and behaviours ahead of employment.
• Regularly review the job descriptions for positions in their teams to ensure the essential knowledge, skills, and experience required for those roles are up to date.
• Meet the expectations set out in the Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me framework to ensure effective performance and development conversations.
• Utilise our Strengths Matrix and People Management Matrix to support skills gap analysis, development planning, and career progression activities.
• Utilise our Get Me Back on Track framework to support performance improvement, applying or progressing to our formal Capability Procedure as appropriate.
• Take an active role in the identification of individual and team training needs.
• Proactively implement our structured induction programme.
• Monitor and uphold compliance with mandatory training within their teams.
• Contribute to the identification of corporate training needs.
• Contribute to the identification of business-critical roles and succession plans.
• Proactively engage with the manager development programme.

3.3. People Team

Assistant Director of People & Culture: oversight of learning and development approach and ownership of corporate policies, frameworks, processes, programmes, and budget.

People & Culture Business Partners: provision of guidance and support to managers regarding implementation of corporate policies, frameworks, processes, and programmes; ownership and delivery of operational management training.

People & Culture Assistant: collation of corporate and team-specific learning needs; creation and up-keep of annual learning schedule and mandatory training matrix; support to Head of People & Culture and People & Culture Business Partners with sourcing of corporate learning interventions and coordination of training arrangements; administration of mandatory training courses, compliance reports, and learning agreements.

3.4. Procurement Team

The Procurement Manager is responsible for embedding within the procurement procedure the effective and timely collation by contract owners of appropriate assurances from applicable contractors and suppliers that staff working on behalf of Raven have the appropriate knowledge, skills, experience and behaviours to do their roles effectively and deliver safe, high-quality services.

The Procurement Officer is responsible for collaborating with contract owners to maintain an up-to-date list of contractors and suppliers to which the Competence and Conduct Standard for Housing applies and ensuring that the appropriate assurances of compliance have been collated by contract owners.

4. Detailed policy content

4.1. Learning & Development Journey

The learning and development journey at Raven begins even before an offer of employment is accepted and continues throughout employment. It consists of a blend of activities that can take various forms depending on stage of the journey, desired outcomes, and individual needs. Elements will incorporate:

Assessment: such as application forms, interview questions, presentations, group activities, online or desk-based assessments, and psychometric tests.

Self-directed learning such as accessing articles and videos; using internal procedures; attending networking events; and outside-of-work activities.

On-the-job learning such as taking on new activities; work shadowing; secondments; mentoring colleagues; joining focus groups; and supporting with community events.

Facilitated learning such as delivered training sessions and courses; apprenticeships; mandatory e-learning modules; and professional qualifications.

4.2. Stages of the Learning & Development Journey

• Recruitment: during the selection process we assess for essential knowledge, skills, and experience as contained within job descriptions, as well as our key behaviours and desired elements of our Strengths Matrix and People Management Matrix. Where gaps are identified amongst desired elements, this will inform the ongoing process and where appropriate will be built into the induction programme for successful candidates.
• Onboarding: once an offer of employment is verbally accepted, colleagues receive a new starter pack including our Code of Conduct and some of our key policies. The new starter pack may also include short self-assessments so that appropriate training can be arranged for the colleague’s induction period.
• Induction: during the first 3 months of employment, colleagues follow a phased induction programme tailored to their position and business area, which includes locally and centrally delivered training and activities.

For those on fixed term or temporary contracts, the induction programme may be shorter, depending on anticipated duration of employment.

For agency workers, bank staff, and contractors, a shortened induction covering key information about the organisation and the duties to be performed is provided, with duration and content determined on a case-by-case basis by the line manager.

Throughout the induction programme, line managers meet regularly with new employees, and this is an opportunity to discuss any learning and development needs that are not covered within the programme. In addition, probation review meetings are held to assess performance and highlight development areas.

Please see the Settling-In Policy for further details.

• Mandatory Training: all colleagues including agency workers, bank staff, and contractors are required to complete mandatory training courses as defined within our Mandatory Training Matrix, available on SharePoint. These courses are mandatory due to legal or regulatory requirements and/or because they support our business objectives and culture.
• Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me Conversations: these form the basis of our performance & development framework. The contents, expectations, and frequency of the conversations are set out in the Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me cards on SharePoint, which also contain guidance for managers and team members.
• Get Me Back on Track Conversations: these take place when colleagues are not meeting performance expectations as set out in job descriptions, our culture framework, code of conduct, applicable policies and procedures, or as agreed during Focus Me conversations and other relevant meetings where actions are agreed. This approach forms the informal stage of our Capability Procedure and further information is provided in the Get Me Back on Track cards on SharePoint, which also contain guidance for managers and team members.

Please also see the Capability Policy for details of the formal approach that may apply.

• Corporate Learning & Development: training that is applicable to the whole organisation or across several teams or functions, which aligns with operational business needs and/or organisational strategy.
• Team or role-specific Learning & Development: training that is required to maintain or update knowledge and skills for a specific activity or position.
• Continuous Development: colleagues’ individual learning and development needs as identified and discussed during Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me conversations and which may be required as part of professional accreditation.

4.3. Learning Needs Analysis

4.3.1. Annual Learning Needs Analysis

We carry out a structured learning needs analysis exercise once per year to assess the extent to which colleagues hold and consistently demonstrate the knowledge, skills, experience, and behaviours applicable to their roles. This annual exercise sits alongside on-going assessment throughout the year as described below.

Essential Knowledge, Skills, Experience, and Behaviours:

The job-specific knowledge, skills, and experience, including professional qualifications, which we deem essential for roles to be done effectively are set out in our job descriptions, whilst our key behaviours are contained within our One Raven Culture Framework and Code of Conduct, which incorporate customer input and sector standards.

Colleagues are expected to hold and demonstrate these essential knowledge, skills, experience, and behaviours at all times, with structured assessment taking place at interview stage and when we carry out our annual skills gap analysis exercise.

On-going assessment takes place as part of our Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me framework, with inputs to this process including feedback from customers and colleagues, self-reflection, review of objectives and outcomes, case audits, on-the-job observation, training completion data, and qualification checks.

In cases where structured or on-going assessment indicates a gap in essential knowledge, skills, experience, or behaviours, urgent remedial action will be taken, and our Capability or Disciplinary Policies may be applied as appropriate.

4.3.2. Desirable Knowledge, Skills, Experience, and Behaviours:

Our Strengths Matrix and People Management Matrix set out what good looks like across the organisation and are contained within our One Raven Culture Handbook.

All positions are allocated a level on one or both matrices, and as part of our recruitment process and our annual skills gap analysis exercise, we assess the extent to which potential and existing colleagues hold and demonstrate the desirable knowledge, skills, experience, and behaviours applicable to their allocated level.

Any gaps and associated learning needs that are identified as part of these structured processes are used to inform the induction programme for new starters, personal development plans for existing colleagues, and our annual learning plan (see 4.4 below).

Ongoing assessment takes places during performance and development conversations as part of our Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me framework and contributes to personal development planning and career progression activities.

4.3.3. Corporate Learning & Development Needs:

Ahead of the budget-setting process each year, the Assistant Director of People & Culture, with support from the People & Culture Business Partners and the People & Culture Assistant, works with senior managers to identify corporate learning requirements for the upcoming financial year that align with business needs, corporate strategy, and relevant external factors, utilising insights from the annual learning needs analysis exercise.
The associated learning activities are sourced and coordinated centrally by the People Team in collaboration with subject-matter experts in the organisation and in partnership with external suppliers as applicable. Budget for these corporate learning activities is held by the Assistant Director of People & Culture.
The way corporate learning interventions are delivered will depend on specific topic, need, cost, and desired outcome. In some cases, a consistent approach is applied across the organisation and in other cases is tailored to specific parts of the business.

Colleagues may be required to complete pre-training assessments so that learning interventions can be appropriately tailored to different skill levels and needs.

4.3.4. Team or role-specific Learning & Development Needs:

Managers will identify team and role-specific learning and development requirements as part of Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me conversations, regular monitoring of performance metrics, and the annual learning needs analysis, in keeping with their responsibility to maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, industry regulations, and best practice.

Budget for team and role-specific training is held and managed locally, but requirements will be discussed with managers by the People & Culture Business Partners as part of the annual budget-setting process, to avoid duplication of learning activities across teams and ensure suitable amounts are budgeted. Underspend from the previous financial year will also be discussed to identify reasons for this, and implications for the new budget.

Learning needs will also arise when processes and systems are updated. The responsibility for identifying these needs normally sits with the designated system or process owner in collaboration with the Project Manager (where the change relates to a strategic project) and/or the Digital & Technology team (where the change relates to a system enhancement), with input from the relevant People & Culture Business Partner.

4.3.5. Individual Development Needs:

Managers will support team members to identify individual learning and development needs as part of Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me conversations, based on factors including:

• the extent to which agreed outcomes are being successfully delivered
• specific challenges or obstacles the team member is facing in their role
• skills gaps that have arisen due to changes to processes or systems
• the behaviours that the team member is demonstrating
• feedback from the team member’s manager and colleagues
• the team member’s career aspirations

Managers will also use the output from the annual learning needs analysis to identify needs that are specific to an individual or small group of colleagues within their teams and are therefore not contained within the corporate learning plan (see section 4.4).

Specific learning interventions are agreed between manager and team member, with support from the People & Culture Business Partner as needed. These are recorded in a personal development plan that is regularly updated throughout the year.

In situations that a professional qualification is needed, please see section 4.4 below.

In some cases, colleagues may have a development plan that is agreed when they transfer or are promoted to a new role and which includes phased pay increases linked to the demonstration of knowledge and skills; please see the Pay Policy for further detail.

There may also be situations where a colleague is consistently falling below expected standards of performance, in which case the ‘Get Me Back on Track’ process may be followed; please see the Capability Policy for further details.

Budget for individual learning interventions is held and managed locally, but requirements will be discussed with managers by the People & Culture Business Partners as part of the annual budget setting process, to avoid duplication of learning activities across teams and ensure appropriate prioritisation of learning needs in keeping with section 4.13.

4.3.6. Annual Learning Schedule

Using the requirements collated ahead of the annual budget-setting process, including the findings from the learning needs analysis, the Assistant Director of People & Culture with support from the People & Culture Business Partners will develop a corporate learning plan and the People & Culture Assistant will produce a learning schedule that sets out expected dates and durations for corporate and team-specific learning activities.

This is a live document that is updated throughout the year and managers are required to access it regularly to ensure suitable resourcing and/or time is allocated in work schedules.

Anticipated learning interventions being arranged by managers and/or subject matter experts must always be discussed with the relevant People & Culture Business Partner and notified to the People & Culture Assistant before being arranged, to ensure suitability of approach and avoid clashes with other training activities.

4.4. Performance Ratings

We do not use performance ratings to inform pay increases or other terms and conditions of employment. However, we believe it is important for development purposes for colleagues to understand how their current performance level is viewed by their line manager so that relevant actions and training requirements can be agreed.

As part of the annual learning needs analysis exercise, managers are required to assign a ‘Red, Amber, Green’ (‘RAG’) rating to each team member as follows, in relation to each of the essential and desirable knowledge, skills, experience, and behaviours for their roles:

Red: Rarely or never demonstrates the knowledge/skill/experience via actions, behaviours, and during work activities – significant development needed.
Amber: Sometimes demonstrates the knowledge/skill/experience via actions, behaviours, and during work activities but does so inconsistently – development needed.
Green: Consistently demonstrates the knowledge/skill/experience via actions, behaviours, and during work activities.

These ratings are based on input from the colleague, the line manager’s own observations, feedback from others, contents of Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me conversations, and training records. They are confidential to the manager and team member but shared with the People Team, Business Management Team, and Leadership Team for identification of corporate learning and development needs, supporting managers to identify team-specific training needs, ensuring appropriate actions are in place as part of team members’ personal development plans, and to effectively manage performance concerns.

Where applicable, the ratings will contribute to estimates about a colleagues’ readiness for other roles as part of the central succession planning approach outlined below.

4.5. Professional Qualifications and Memberships

4.5.1. Mandatory qualifications and memberships:

Some positions require a specific qualification and/or professional membership from a legal, regulatory, or best practice perspective and this is stated on the job description.

In most situations we will only offer roles to individuals have already have the required qualifications and/or professional memberships. However, there may be times when it is not possible to source a qualified candidate and/or we agree to sponsor an existing employee to undertake the qualification whilst in role.

To ensure consistency across the organisation and appropriate allocation of budget and resources, approval to sponsor a new or existing colleague to undertake a required qualification must be obtained from the Assistant Director of People & Culture and relevant senior manager via the form on SharePoint, prior to any offer being made to the colleague.

Where we have agreed for an employee to complete a required qualifications whilst in role, we will normally pay for this from the central learning budget and allow study time during working hours equivalent to half the number of study hours the course is estimated to require by the course provider.

Specific timings for starting the qualification will be determined by the relevant manager and Assistant Director of People & Culture based on legal or regulatory requirements, business needs, operational feasibility, and the colleague’s personal circumstances.

Where it has been determined that Raven will sponsor a new employee to complete a qualification when they join the organisation, the employee will need to successfully complete their probationary period before starting the qualification.

All employees being funded by Raven to complete qualifications will need to sign a learning agreement whereby the course costs are repayable on a sliding scale if they choose to resign from Raven or are dismissed due to conduct or performance during a stated period. This is also stated in the contract of employment.

Costs are not repayable in the case of redundancy or ill-health dismissal.

For qualifications that are completed via an apprenticeship, we will comply with specific requirements of the apprenticeship course in terms of study time and repayment of fees.

4.5.2. Optional qualifications:

As part of continuous professional development or career progression, colleagues may wish to undertake optional qualifications or formal courses that are relevant to their role or career aspirations but are not mandatory for their role. We encourage colleagues to discuss these with their manager during Grow Me conversations so that managers can consider applicability to existing role, business benefits, any impact on operations, and the potential allocation of budget in the current year or during the next budget-setting round.

To ensure consistency across the organisation, approval for colleagues to undertake optional qualifications must be obtained from the Head of People & Culture and the relevant senior manager via the form available on SharePoint.

Study time allowed during working hours for optional qualifications or formal courses is not guaranteed and will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the length of course, the number of hours the course is estimated to require by the provider, and capacity within the colleague’s role as well as the wider team.

If the qualification or course is approved, colleagues will need to sign a learning agreement whereby the costs are repayable in a phased manner over a stated period if they choose to resign from Raven or are dismissed due to conduct or performance. This is also stated in the contract of employment. Costs are not repayable in the case of redundancy or ill-health dismissal.

4.5.3. Funding of professional memberships:

As part of our contract of employment, Raven will pay the annual cost of 1 professional membership that is relevant to the employee’s position, providing the employee has passed their probation period and is not working their notice period after resigning.

In the case of roles that require more than one professional membership from a legal, regulatory and/or best practice perspective (for example, membership of both RICS and CIH), this will be stated on the job description, and Raven will fund the cost of a maximum of 2 professional memberships.

For employees on temporary or fixed-term contracts that are due to run for less than 12 months, Raven will cover the pro-rata cost of 1 professional membership based on expected length of employment.

Managers are responsible for identifying professional memberships that are required for roles and for ensuring these are stated in the job description. Managers must also ensure there is sufficient budget held within their cost centres to cover required professional membership fees for their team members.

4.6. Career Pathways

We define career pathways as a sequence of activities, experiences, or roles that lead colleagues towards their professional goals. With this definition, we recognise that some colleagues do not wish to progress into more senior roles and that sometimes these roles are not immediately available, therefore career pathways can include lateral moves to gain experience of different functions and areas of work, and/or participation in projects and activities outside of the normal remit of a colleague’s existing position.

We expect managers to support team members as part of Grow Me conversations to identify internal and external opportunities that will contribute to the colleague’s professional goals. We also expect colleagues to take a proactive approach to their own learning and development, which may include accessing, sourcing, or suggesting learning and development activities that support performance in role and/or career progression.

4.7. Internal Secondments and Transfers to New Positions

We wish to grow our talent internally and therefore encourage colleagues to apply for roles at Raven when they arise. However, we want to ensure business stability and the effective use of budget, therefore we require colleagues who apply for an internal secondment (temporary move) or transfer (permanent move) to have passed their probation period; been in their existing position (if it is permanent) for at least a year; and to not have a live warning for conduct, performance, or sickness absence.

On rare occasions there may be exceptions applied, but normally applications will only be accepted if these criteria are met. In the case of warnings for sickness absence, adjustments are made as part of our sickness absence policy for instances relating to disabilities or chronic health issues.

All vacancies will be advertised internally except where roles are ring-fenced due to current or anticipated restructure activity, where there is a business-critical need to cover the role immediately, or because a colleague has the specialist knowledge, skills, or experience required for the role, whilst others do not. Vacancies will also be advertised externally, depending on factors such as intended duration of role; whether we have existing colleagues with the required knowledge and skills; budget implications; and business capacity to support the movement of existing staff from one team to another.

Internal secondments and transfers will only be offered after the usual selection process has taken place, even when the position has not been advertised. The only exception is in the case of suitable reasonable redeployment in a redundancy situation; please see our Organisation Design Policy for further details.

When applying for secondments, colleagues will be asked to explain the specific reason they are interested in the secondment and how they expect the experience and knowledge they will gain to support them in their usual role and/or with their career aspirations.

Upon commencement of the new role, whether it’s a temporary secondment or a permanent transfer, the incoming manager is responsible for arranging an induction programme for the new role that covers all legal and regulatory requirements for the role including Health & Safety responsibilities and agreeing a development plan.

4.8. Promotions

An internal secondment or transfer is regarded as a promotion if the new role has responsibility for a broader or more specialised set of activities, and it may also report to a higher-level manager and/or have people management responsibilities.

Where a colleague is promoted, the usual selection process for the role will normally apply. However, where a promotion involves the taking on of people management responsibilities or moving to a more senior management position whereby there are additional reporting lines, there will always be a two-stage selection process that includes a promotion panel attended by a senior manager or director and a People & Culture Business Partner, as well as the recruiting manager or director.

Upon a colleague’s promotion, the incoming manager is responsible for arranging an induction programme for the new role that covers all legal and regulatory requirements for the role including Health & Safety responsibilities, and agreeing a structured development plan with the colleague, which will incorporate the management development programme where applicable.

4.9. Succession Planning

We define succession planning as the process whereby we manage the risk of losing valuable skills and knowledge either on a temporary basis due to absence, or a permanent basis due to colleagues leaving Raven, and support colleagues to become ready to cover or move into other roles in line with their professional goals, sector regulations, and the needs of the business.

In keeping with our growth mindset philosophy, succession planning is not about identifying a guaranteed appointee before a vacancy arises, but supporting individuals to develop the skills needed for a role and therefore stand a strong chance of being selected.

Colleagues’ career aspirations, performance level in existing role, and readiness for other positions is discussed during Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me conversations. As part of Grow Me conversations, all colleagues have a personal development plan in place that is regularly reviewed and updated. These development plans are intended to support colleagues to pursue professional goals, including readiness for internal moves where applicable. Managers will work with team members, with guidance from their People & Culture Business Partner, to ensure these plans are relevant and comprehensive.

In addition to succession planning that is carried out at a local level via development plans, the Head of People & Culture holds a central plan for how we anticipate covering business critical roles if they become vacant and how we will mitigate the risk of losing unique knowledge and skills. This plan may include the proactive upskilling of existing colleagues; the documentation of key knowledge and procedures; external recruitment; or the intention to re-design the role when it becomes vacant.

The Head of People & Culture, with support from the People & Culture Business Partners, works with senior managers to agree the list of business-critical roles and plans for covering or filling them, which is reviewed and updated at least once per year as part of establishment planning, which takes place during budget setting.

Criteria used to identify business critical roles include:

• level of contribution towards key business outcomes
• speed at which absence will have impact on operational efficiency
• depth and uniqueness of knowledge and skills required
• scarcity of competent individuals in the market

Where a colleague has indicated on their personal development plan a desire to move into a business-critical role, this will be noted on the central plan as appropriate, along with an estimation of readiness for the role based on input from their line manager, department manager, and People & Culture Business Partner.

4.10. Manager Development

We have a manager development programme in place that consists of online videos and materials, workbooks, our corporate induction day, and operational training sessions run by the People Team and other functions. The programme includes content relevant to regulatory responsibilities, leadership behaviours, safeguarding, equity, diversity and inclusion, customer experience, and managing performance.

We require all managers to complete the programme, and it is incorporated into the induction for managers who are new to Raven or a people management role. For colleagues who are aspiring people managers, access to the programme can be arranged on a case-by-case basis as part of their personal development plan

A skills verification exercise is carried out at the end of the programme by the manager’s own manager to identify any remaining development areas, which are then incorporated into the manager’s ongoing personal development plan.

4.10.1 360 Degree Feedback Surveys

We carry out 360-degree feedback surveys for all managers as part of our culture and engagement survey. Responses are anonymised and results are confidential to the manager and their own line manager but shared with the People Team, Senior Managers (as applicable) and Leadership Team. The results are used for identifying corporate learning and development needs for managers and supporting senior managers to ensure appropriate actions are in place as part of managers’ personal development plans.

4.11. Coaching

Coaching can be a useful development tool that contributes to personal and professional growth, particularly when a colleague has been promoted to a more senior role that involves a greater level of decision-making, people management responsibilities, and/or enhanced communication skills and self-awareness.

The People Team holds a central budget for coaching provision, along with a list of approved suppliers. As part of annual budget setting, the People & Culture Business Partners will liaise with managers to collate a list of colleagues for whom coaching may be beneficial. Prioritisation of budget will then be determined by the Head of People & Culture with agreement with Business Management Team or Leadership Team as applicable, based on criteria in section 4.12.

4.12. Prioritising Learning & Development Needs

To ensure a value for money approach, we prioritise our learning and development activities and the allocation of budget towards these, using the following criteria:

• Legal and regulatory requirements
• Business needs and organisational outcomes
• Centrally held succession plans
• Business benefits including improved performance and efficiencies

When prioritising individual learning needs, we will also consider the following factors:

• Specific position and whether it is a business-critical role
• Employment status and current/anticipated length of service
• Performance level including BRAG ratings

4.13. Evaluation of learning and development interventions

We want to demonstrate the beneficial impact of our learning and development interventions as well as assess value for money. Therefore, prior to the commencement of any team or department learning intervention, the learning outcomes and methods for assessing these will be agreed with the manager or subject matter expert by the People & Culture Business Partner, and in the case of corporate learning interventions, with the Business Management Team and/or Leadership Team by the Assistant Director of People and Culture. Assessment methods may include:

• Skills and/or knowledge self-assessments
• Skills verification exercises
• Annual learning needs analysis results
• Improvement in KPIs or other performance measures
• Training session evaluation questionnaires
• Feedback or 360-degree survey ratings
• RAG performance ratings
• Culture & Engagement Survey results
• Internal audit outcomes
• Customer satisfaction measures
• Regulatory compliance assessments

4.14. Compliance

We work in a regulated environment, and so colleagues are required to complete mandatory e-learning modules by the stated deadlines to maintain compliance. Regularly failing to do so may result in disciplinary action or unsuccessful probation.
In addition, colleagues must maintain an average 90% completion rate throughout the year to be eligible for an April pay award. Adjustments will be made for long term sick leave or other absences as appropriate.

Colleagues are invited to corporate training sessions with as much notice as possible and advised whether the training is mandatory or optional. Colleagues are expected to attend all mandatory training sessions, and regularly failing to do (which includes last minute cancellation without good reason) may result in disciplinary action and the cross-charging of fees from the central learning budget to the team cost centre.

The Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me framework is designed to be flexible so that it can be tailored to team and individual needs. However, these conversations are a core way in which we expect managers and team members to engage, so it is not an optional process, and we expect all colleagues to participate.

4.14.1. Record keeping

We will maintain accurate and auditable records of:

• Mandatory training completion
• Professional qualifications
• Professional memberships
• Competency assessments
• Skills verification exercises
• Development plans
• Regulatory training activities
• Regulatory compliance outcomes

These records will be retained in accordance with Raven’s data retention requirements and may be used to provide assurance to regulators, auditors, Business Management Team, Leadership Team and the Board.

4.14.2. Regulatory Assurance & Monitoring

The Assistant Director of People & Culture will provide regular assurance reporting to Business Management Team, Leadership Team and, where appropriate, the Board or sub-committees of the Board regarding:

• Mandatory training completion rates
• Compliance with regulatory learning requirements
• Professional qualifications and memberships
• Competency assessment outcomes
• Workforce skills gaps
• Succession risks relating to key roles
• Progress against Competence and Conduct Standard requirements

The Procurement Manager will provide regular assurance reporting regarding assurances gained from applicable contractors and suppliers regarding compliance with the Competence and Conduct Standard for Housing.

4.15. Budgeting for Learning & Development

The responsibility for budgeting for learning and development activities is shared between the Head of People & Culture and individual budget holders as follows:

Assistant Director of People & Culture:

• Mandatory training as listed on the mandatory training matrix.
• Corporate learning and development activity as agreed with budget holders, which impacts a significant proportion of colleagues and/or is required across directorates, and which aligns with business needs, corporate strategy, and relevant external factors such as new regulations.
• Manager development programme.
• Required professional qualifications for new or existing colleagues as agreed with budget holders and prioritised in keeping with section 4.12.
• Coaching for colleagues as identified and approved per section 4.11 and prioritised in keeping with section 4.12.

Budget holders:

• Professional memberships that are required for roles from a legal, regulatory or best practice perspective as listed on the job description, to a maximum of 2 required memberships per employee.
• Job or team-specific training that is not regarded as a corporate training need as only impacts a limited number of roles, but which is necessary for colleagues in those roles to maintain up to date knowledge and skills.
• Optional professional qualifications or formal courses for individual employees as identified during Grow Me conversations, subject to approval per section 4.4.2.

5. Applicability

5.1. This policy applies to permanent, fixed term, and temporary colleagues employed by Raven.

5.2. Colleagues who are not employed directly by Raven such as agency workers, bank staff, and contractors are required to compete mandatory training and may be given the opportunity to take part in other learning and development activities where appropriate.

6. Related policies and references for more information

• Culture handbook
• Resourcing policy
• Settling in policy
• Mandatory training matrix
• Annual learning schedule
• Know Me, Focus Me, Grow Me framework
• Pay policy
• Procurement policy

7. Implementation procedures

7.1. The policy is shared on the Raven intranet site.

7.2. Specific procedures, frameworks, and guides to support the policy are shared via the Licence to Manage channel on Teams and Culture Hub on SharePoint.

8. Policy impact

8.1. A detailed Equality Impact Assessment has been undertaken and no detrimental impacts on customers or colleagues have been identified.