Delivering effective competency -based training for family-serving agencies
The Western Pennsylvania Training Collaborative's goal is to fill a void in how staff are prepared and supported in their complex work with families and children.
"To deliver effective competency-based training to ensure a consistently prepared workforce is in place within family serving agencies."
Intolerably high staff turnover rates led the executive directors of each organization to search for a concept that would offer a more efficient and less costly approach to training and retention. The collaborative agreed that their turnover rates could be reduced in a concerted and coordinated way and that even a small decrease would result in substantial savings and improved services. They then met informally to identify the desired outcomes, governing structure and operating principles for this project.
This project uses training to target two key variables in reducing turnover:
All sessions use interactive learning approaches such as role plays to teach important skills. The project focuses on developing core competencies -- the knowledge, skills and behaviors essential to acceptable performance.
By starting with the role of the supervisor, we recognized that this is a fundamental building block in preparing, supporting and retaining skilled staff people. The Collaborative implemented The Effective Supervisor in 2004.
The training subjects or topics were chosen by all levels of staff meeting in focus groups. Staff defined the skills, knowledge and behaviors that help them to do their jobs better.
A professional and very skilled curriculum designer crafted the training. An in-house group of excellent trainers, The Training Delivery Team, assembled and trained to deliver the curriculum.
The program for line staff soon followed. The Collaborative used the same process to design, develop, and implement this program. The Training Collaborative implemented A Jump Start in 2007.