New Achieve Programme is encouraging Keystage Housing staff to learn and develop their knowledge

A new programme has been launched by Keystage Housing to identify staff’s underdeveloped skills and help them set and achieve goals for their future development.

The Achieve Programme is a skills gap analysis, offering colleagues insight into their transferrable skills and giving them the chance to progress in their home or work life.

Following an online assessment, it creates short and long-term goals, directing users to courses provided through the Knowledge Hub – our centre of training and learning that offers a variety of pathways and courses on different subjects.

Read more – Keystage Housing staff benefitting from new in-house training Knowledge Hub

Those who take part in the assessment will also be given a report consisting of a list of jobs suited to their skills and knowledge, along with a pathway to progress in their career with actionable goals to achieve this.

The programme was developed in-house by Quality and Training Manager Jan DeVyott and Learning and Development Co-ordinator Michelle Whitley.

Michelle said: “It’s a skills gap analysis which we are running with staff and opening it up to service users, to give them access to more courses and a career journey.

“It gives a clear pathway to achieve specific knowledge-based and practical skills.”

The survey is filled out online before a report is returned to the user showing where their skills are highest and where they might have gaps, providing a useful visual of their strengths and weaknesses.

“They will be given a list of job roles that match their skills and how to enhance those skills, or add to them,” explained Michelle.

She added: “Those who have used it so far are pleased with it and it has opened their eyes to what jobs and careers might be available to them, as well as directing them to courses to improve their skills which they may not have been aware of.

“One member of staff was really excited because she didn’t realise how much was out there, and she’s now working her way through the business and building her career.”

Jan said this benefits Keystage Housing with staff retention and by upskilling staff to help them progress.

“It’s all about lifelong learning. When staff are on-boarded they are immediately introduced to a whole library of learning, and they feel valued,” she explained, adding: “It’s about developing your knowledge as an individual and keeping your knowledge alive. Career pathways and progression are absolutely part of that.

“People are committed to wanting to develop and improve their skills and knowledge. It encourages staff to continuously develop as a professional, which is a good culture to have.”