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Tuesday 21st September 2010, Central London, 09:20 - 17:45

Public Sector Workforce Skills 2010

CLICK HERE BOOK ONLINE TODAY or call Laura Evans on 0161 211 3031 to secure your place. For further information, please email laura.evans@govnet.co.uk.

Costs To Attend:

1 delegate = £199 + VAT
2 delegates = £149 + VAT (each)
3 delegates = £299 + VAT (inclusive)

Overview

As the UK and global economies begin to emerge from one of the worst recessions in recent memory, skills policy could be the key factor in determining the future strength of the UK, and its capacity for growth. With a large public debt necessitating spending cuts, and a desire to maintain public services of the highest standards a key concern, the challenge is great.

The public sector workforce is currently nearly six million-strong and is positioned to make a major impact on the skills base of the UK. Though nearly £500 million is spent annually on learning and development in the public sector, close to a fifth of employees in public services do not have a level two qualification.  

One of the key tasks facing the recently formed Efficiency and Reform Group in the Cabinet Office will be to investigate ways in which, during a period of fiscal restraint, the drive to reform public services can be achieved. As the size of the public sector reduces, the skills and engagement of the workforce will be crucial in order to ensure that public services are effectively and efficiently delivered.   

The DWP’s Change Programme aims to achieve this by involving staff in making changes, and making sure that everyone has the support, skills and tools they need to do their job well.

With a large public debt necessitating spending cuts and a desire to maintain public services of the highest standards a key concern, the challenge is great. The question is how will this be done?

Agenda

Delegates at this event will have the opportunity to debate the public service workforce skills agenda, including discussing plans to support the creation of more apprenticeships, investigating measures to help improve workforce skills, analysing how to raise standards and skills that will make the public sector workforce the world’s leader. You can also will hear from best practice case studies and learn the best ways to tackle the challenges which face your organisation today.

08:40	Registration and Networking
09:20	Chair’s Opening Remarks Sir Robert Worcester KBE DL, Chairman, Ipsos Public Affairs Research Advisory Board (Confirmed)
09:25	Opening Keynote: Raising Skills, Unlocking Potential A world-class Civil Service with the right skills to deliver in a recovery economy The Opportunity Agenda – Building Skills, Transforming Lives: A Training and Apprenticeships Revolution Ensuring Government wide Heads of HR/IT/Procurement/Finance are full time roles with responsibility for recruitment, training and building career paths within the Civil Service Encouraging innovation to improve efficiency and effectiveness Building a highly engaged workforce Rt Hon Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office (Invited)
09:40	Questions and Answers with Minister for the Cabinet Office
09:50	Sponsor Presentation John Stone, Chief Executive, LSN (Confirmed)
10:05	Joint Approach - Government, Employers and Unions Working Together Building a joint commitment on delivering the Skills Pledge across public services Working in partnership with Trade Unions Raising the skill level of employees to improve the quality of services delivered under Government contracts Encouraging employers who recognise unions to engage with them on the sector skills and workplace learning agenda Working together to improve the quality of training and development Elizabeth Bullen, Unions2Learn Project Co-ordinator, Blackpool Borough Council (Confirmed)
10:20	Utilising Leadership and Engagement for a Better Workforce: New Professionalism An engaged and motivated workforce – A positive impact on services delivered Engaging with employees to understand their needs and communicate value of benefits Greater freedoms for high performers, both for excellent organisations and front-line staff Rewarding success Achieving excellent leadership and management Improving occupational health, reducing absenteeism and improving employee retention Paula McDonald CBE, Deputy Director, Efficiency and Reform Group, Cabinet Office (Confirmed)
10:35	Boosting Productivity in Public Services through Leaner and Fitter Government Lean government: raising productivity and reducing costs – how increased productivity could have saved £31b between 1997-2007 Ensuring the right public service management is in place, with more control and more accountability Learning new skills through training and development to create a workforce that can work more effectively and with new techniques Encouraging your workforce to think innovatively about their skills needs beyond 2020 Utilising new technologies to take innovation to the next level Implementing new incentive schemes to counter public sector pay freezes Lizzi Holman, Senior Policy Advisor, Public Services and Skills Directorate, CBI (Confirmed)
10:50	Developing Workforce Skills through e-learning The success of the Protecting Information e-learning programme Delivering a programme to over 250,000 people achieving cost savings of approximately £20 million The preparation involved in rolling out a large scale e-learning initiative across the whole of government Working with government departments and the private sector to produce comprehensive e-learning across government Using e-learning moving forward in order to efficiently upskill the workforce Ken Ingram, Head of e-Learning and Networking, National School for Government (Confirmed)
11:05	Changing Demands on Apprenticeships Knowing the Civil Service apprenticeships framework agreement Understanding the joint agreement between Council of Civil Service Unions and Government Skills Meeting public services target of doubling total number of apprentices by 2020 Achievements of public services in developing ‘home-grown’ apprenticeships Developing new skills pathways for young people entering public service employment, especially by expanding apprenticeships to create new jobs The effects of skilling young people and creating a new technician class on economic grow Speaker TBC, National Apprenticeship Service (Confirmed)
11:20	Questions and Answers
11:35	Morning Coffee Break and Networking
12:05	Seminar Session One (Please scroll to the bottom of the page for full information) Seminar A: Solution focused performance management - how to get more from individuals and teams (Sponsored by LSN) Seminar B: More information to follow shortly (Sponsored by Human Synergistics) Seminar C: Leadership in the Public Sector (Institute of Leadership & Management) Seminar D: Working with the Civil Service Unions on Learning & Skills (Sponsored by PCS) Seminar E: Beat the Cuts: Using Lean Skills to both Improve Service & Cut Costs (Sponsored by Worth Solutions) Seminar F: Transforming the Performance Culture in Public Sector Organisations (Sponsored by Rialto)
13:05	Lunch and Networking
14:05	Seminar Session Two - repeated from One
15:05	Afternoon Coffee Break and Networking
15:35	Afternoon Keynote: The Government’s Skills Agenda: Delivering Long-Term Prosperity Implementing Skills for Growth: Equipping Britain with the skills that underwrite the industries and jobs of the future Creating a Civil Service that can help Britain compete more effectively in the global economy Developing skills to achieve a low-carbon economy Vocational qualifications reform and the Qualifications and Credit Framework – More flexibility for the system to respond to changing skill needs The new role of the Skills Funding Agency What will these reforms mean for employers and providers? Providing  a better match between skills supply and demand by the first National Skills Audit agenda Rt. Hon. Dr. Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Invited)
15:50	Questions and Answers with Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
16:00	Sponsor Presentation from Pera
16:15	Public Sector Reform – Strategy, Governance and Cross-Departmental Coordination Developing effective coordination across government to realise the effectiveness, efficiency and innovation that results from ‘joining up’ The role of front-line civil servants – Embedding customer insight into policy initiatives Working in partnership: The role of the Innovators Council Learning from the private and third sectors to be an efficient, capable and professional organisation Zoe Gruhn, Director, Learning, Institute for Government (Confirmed)
16:30	Procuring Learning and Development Solutions in the Public Sector Working in collaboration to improve access to learning in the public sector Maximising the value for money obtained by Government departments and other public bodies through the procurement and supply of learning and development solutions Managing skills provider contracts to ensure the right skills and training is being delivered The benefits of bespoke training solutions provided by external learning and development organisations E-Learning solutions – working with suppliers to provide flexible training solutions online Jane Grant, Director of Skills, Office of Government Commerce (Confirmed)
16:45	A High Quality Workforce Delivering High Quality Customer Services – The DWP Providing greater choice, personalisation and a higher quality of service for customers A leader in workforce health and wellbeing DWP Change Programme - using technology and lean approaches to: Base products/services around customer needs - making them accessible, efficient and based on customer insight Improve access to services Remove barriers to provide an integrated customer experience Looking outwards – Working with others and learning how to get better at what we do Jonathan Lindley, Integration Director of DWP Change Programme, Department for Work and Pensions (Confirmed)
17:00	Sponsor Presentation from Human Synergistics
17:15	Commercial Skills for Complex Government Projects Enhancing commercial skills to ensure value for money in major government projects Developing commercial leadership and commercial awareness, and filling commercial skills and experience gaps in project teams Tackling an over-reliance on interim staff and advisors to fill skills gaps The necessity to invest in commercial directors, established commercial units and introduction of skills initiatives to ensure efficiency David Finlay, Director, National Audit Office Corporate Finance and Infrastructure Team (Confirmed)
17:30	Closing Keynote: Up-Skilling for Growth Achieving world-class public services to deliver a highly-skilled, people-driven economy New Professionalism: Unlocking the creativity and ambition of public sector workers and establishing new relationships between the Government and professionals Closing the IT skills gap and maintaining investment levels in IT skills and infrastructure and using technology to improve learning The Public Services Forum; Assessing achievements to date in improving public services through skills-investment An update on the Skills Pledge – Is the Civil Service doing its part? Role and next steps of the Skills Funding Agency Hannah Boardman, Senior Policy Adviser, Public Service Workforce Reform, Cabinet Office (Confirmed)
17:45	Questions and Answers and Close of Conference

*programme subject to change without notice

Audience

Delegates attending this conference will be from central government, local authorities, education, health and social care and business sectors specifically, heads of HR and personnel, learning and development directors, business development managers, heads of skills, employment leads, heads of operations, professional development directors, heads of workforce strategy, training directors, head of apprenticeships, employer engagement directors and senior professional development managers.

Seminar Sessions:

Seminar A: Solution focused performance management - how to get more from individuals and teams (Sponsored by LSN)

 

 

Looking for simple but effective ways to maintain staff morale, and to realise their full potential … read morein the current public sector climate of uncertainly, doing more for less, and finding efficiencies? If this is the case, our highly interactive seminar will introduce you to some practical ways and tools to maximise performance and help staff focus on what is working rather than grow demotivated by what is not. It will also give you an insight into why the same staff can have good and bad performance days.

Speaker/Chair: Shaun Lincoln
Assistant Director of Leadership & Management, LSN

Seminar B: More information to follow shortly (Sponsored by Human Synergistics)

Seminar C: Leadership in the Public Sector (Sponsored by ilm - Institute of Leadership & Management)

Research from the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) highlighted widespread concern … read moreamong public sector managers that budget cuts will cripple frontline services, as well as damaging staff health and morale.

The survey of 1,554 public sector managers revealed that over two-thirds believe their teams are operating at full capacity with little or no room for efficiency savings. They worry that blanket cuts to public sector budgets will leave them unable to deliver frontline services. Despite this, the research showed a cadre of committed and talented managers who are up for the challenge of leading their teams and organisations through what will be a difficult time. ILM will explore the unique skills and motivations of public sector managers – and how they can best negotiate their way through the government cuts.

Chair: David Pardey, Research and Policy Manager, ILM

Seminar D: Working with the Civil Service Unions on Learning & Skills (Sponsored by PCS)

This workshop will demonstrate how working with the Council of Civil Service Unions (including PCS, … read moreProspect and FDA) on learning and skills can bring benefits for your staff, service users and organisation.

Objectives - By attending this workshop you will:

Understand better how the civil service trade unions encourage their members to participate in learning and skills development

See how the civil service trade unions work with employers and sector skills councils to promote learning and skills. This will cover areas such as the role of union learning representatives (ULRs), the Leitch Employer Pledge, skills for life, apprenticeships, Professional Skills for Government and skills strategies

Understand the benefits of working with the trade unions on learning and skills

Seminar E: Beat the Cuts : Using Lean Skills to Both Improve Service and Cut Costs (Sponsored by Worth Solutions)

In addition to having the opportunity to receive a FREE launch copy of Rob Worth’s new book, ‘Beat the Cuts’, attendees will find out how they can not simply save public services in the face of massive cuts, but how they can actually improve services.

You will learn simple to apply techniques which show how to define the purpose of your service, identify customer value, remove waste from processes, solve problems quickly and drastically cut costs too. Most importantly, you will see how to eliminate the possibility of ever slipping back to the old ways.

You will also hear about the single key thing that motivates staff so they not only engage with change, but drive it forward.

Speaker:Rob Worth, Worth Solutions

Seminar F: Transforming the Performance Culture in Public Sector Organisations (Sponsored by Rialto)

The public sector is under increasing pressure to deliver more with less. The objectives of our … read moreinteractive seminar is to share how the innovative Rialto Transforming the Performance Culture model applies unique IP to strengthen the capability of the workforce to deliver future results in an ever changing landscape and secure a step change in performance, without triggering traditional redundancy (or the trauma / costs it creates). TPC increases the realignment of the right people being more engaged with the future organisation and the right people moving on.

Hear and discuss with a panel of HR Directors who are implementing the innovative TPC framework, on how TPC creates new conditions for the new workforce needs.

Topics include:

• How to implement innovative organisational / talent profiling techniques ensuring that the right people are engaged and performing in the right roles.
• Increasing engagement and greater productivity during change.
  
• Improving the alignment of employees to deliver future organisational productivity and develop effective budgetary spend.
  
• How TPC can improve Human capital ROI by refreshing teams with new skills/Revitalising leadership teams enabling managers to take greater ownership and drive step changes in performance through the organisation.

Speaker/Chair: Richard Chiumento, Director, Rialto

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