Workforce development involves recruiting, developing and retaining the staff and volunteers needed to help an organisation reach its objectives. Training, qualifications, induction, supervision, appraisals, coaching, mentoring, reading and reflection are all part of ‘workforce development’.
Why is workforce development important?
Workforce development is one of the most important things that every organisation counts upon being reliable and effective is their staff. Whether the organisation is a large multinational or a small, voluntary organisation, the people are what make it work.
Workforce development helps the voluntary and community sector.
- Provide better quality services to the communities and individuals involved.
- Meet the expectations of funders in terms of quality and effectiveness
- Value employees, volunteers and trustees through opportunities for personal development.
Workforce development is good practice and improves quality.
Workforce is a good way to ensure that children and young people achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes, it is vital to have a children’s workforce that is skilled, well-led and supported by effective, shared systems and processes. People in different parts of the workforce need to be able to work well together across institutional and professional boundaries, focused around the needs of the child and young person.
How does the WD benefit children in schools and nurseries?
WD helps to ensure that children and young people are safe in the environment that they are in. Children are more likely to stay safe if the adults working around them are trained and supported to handle concerns, if they are not too stressed or burnt out to notice when a child or young person needs help and if colleagues are empowered to challenge and support each other’s practice.
WD can also do a lot of good for organisation as it helps with recruitment and retention of staff and volunteers.
Good workforce development practices, like opportunities to progress and develop, will help attract the right people and ensure there are enough workers and volunteers in the sector. As well, people who are already working with children want to do a good job and learn how to do it better.
Source: Accessed on the 29th/3/11
How does it help employers?
Workforce development is very helpful to employers as it helps them provide the training for them and their staff to provide a good service for their client’s users. It also helps them develop their organisation which in return meaning have a good image and reputation. It also a good way of protecting their organisation
How workforce development does benefits employees?
Workforce development can also benefit employees as they get new knowledge and skills which they can also use later in other work settings. Another benefit is that they also get to improve their techniques and ways of working with service users.
