Barnardo's has made a commitment to all employees and volunteers to an annual minimum of three days' learning above and beyond mandatory and continuing professional development (CPD) requirements. Through a range of partnerships, and with our apprenticeship academy, employees may undertake qualifications from NVQs to masters degrees.
We're committed to supporting employees' CPD and developing talent, for example, through our Emerging Leaders programme. We're also committed to embedding a culture of self-determined learning in Barnardo's and to supporting our people seeking out individual learning experiences for themselves through the resources we make available internally and through the establishment of partnerships in both corporate and academic collaboration.
Learning is not restricted to the working day. We know that many colleagues have busy lives, responsibilities and commitments that may affect their time for learning. Some people will use their own time - during travel or when it's convenient for them - to engage with learning, for example, to listen to a podcast or read an article. We know from your feedback that short, easy-to-access courses or learning are important to you, especially when time is limited. This is reflected in The BU prospectus. It's for you to decide when, where and how to learn in a way that positively supports your mental health and wellbeing and creates a good work/life balance. And if you're having difficulty finding time to access learning, speak to your manager.
For individuals, learning could include:
• listening from experts' experience, children, young people and our service users
• a reflective conversation with a colleague
• visiting other parts of the organisation: a service, a shop, a corporate office
• a team conversation that develops how you do something or see something
• coaching or mentoring - formal or informal
• understanding new ways of working - for example through our organisation-wide trauma-informed practice training programme
• logging on when you have 15 minutes to complete a short course
• checking out the options on our b-Learning site
• visiting sites like The Open University to see their incredible range of courses
• The BU community on Workplace