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Training

Everyone in the department has thirteen days of training a year, about five per cent of working time. This policy applies to AM staff; supplier staff arrange training through their own employers.

The allocation

Three days are fixed and planned by the department's leads, for collaborative learning such as hackathons or reading weeks.

Ten days are yours to book, with your manager's approval and reasonable notice, as you would annual leave. They can be booked in half days. Part-time staff receive the three fixed days plus a pro-rated share of the ten. Where there is a clear case, a department head can grant more; the aim is to make sure training happens, not to ration it, while staying fair and mindful of the business.

Everyone is expected to use their full allocation each year, and managers make sure it is used and that the objectives were met.

How it works

  1. Plan. Agree training objectives with your line manager and record them, alongside your development objectives, in the HR system. Objectives can change as you learn; review them regularly.
  2. Book. Request the time in the HR system with a note of what you will do, after checking it does not clash with other absences, deadlines or key team events. Your manager approves.
  3. Communicate. Tell your team, mark the time as out of office in your calendar, and remind the team and department as the time approaches.
  4. Train. Plan how you will spend the time and set your status to unavailable.
  5. Review and share. Tell your manager what came of it, record the outcomes, and arrange any knowledge-sharing that would help the wider team.

Notes

  • Training together is encouraged. Several people may book the same days with shared or linked objectives, bearing in mind the impact on planned work.
  • Learning on the job, while preparing or implementing a solution, does not count against the allocation. Where upcoming work needs new knowledge, the team and manager decide together whether an investigation in the backlog or focused training time is the better fit.
  • As with any planned absence, you coordinate your work around it and make sure it does not clash with other team absences. If urgent unplanned work arises during your training you may be asked to reschedule.