Training and Development Report: Sun Court Ltd, HRM Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of human resource management (HRM) practices, specifically focusing on training and development strategies for Sun Court Ltd, an old-age care home specializing in dementia care. The report begins by exploring various learning theories and styles, including the VARK model, and their application in designing effective training programs for staff. It then examines the role of the learning curve and the importance of transferring learned skills to the workplace. The report further assesses the contribution of different learning styles and theories in planning a learning event. It also delves into government-led skills development initiatives, explaining the government's role in training, development, and lifelong learning, as well as the impact of the competency movement on both public and private sectors. The report assesses how contemporary training initiatives introduced by the UK government contribute to human resources development for Sun Court Ltd. Finally, the report outlines the process of planning, designing, and evaluating a training event, offering practical insights into effective HRM practices within the context of a specialized care home environment.

Human resource management
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Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO 1 Understand learning theories and learning styles...................................................................3
1.1 Compare different learning styles.....................................................................................3
1.2 Explain the role of the learning curve and the importance of transferring learning to the
workplace.....................................................................................................................................3
1.3 Assess the contribution of learning styles and theories when planning and designing a
learning event...............................................................................................................................4
4.1 Explain the role of government in training, development and lifelong learning...................5
4.2 Explain how the development of competency movement has impacted on public & private
section..........................................................................................................................................5
4.3 Assess how contemporary training initiatives introduced by UK government contribute to
human resources development for Sun Court Ltd ‘.....................................................................6
LO2 Be able to plan and design training and development.............................................................7
2.1 Compare the training needed for staff at different levels in Sun Court Ltd..........................7
2.2 Assess the advantages and disadvantages of training methods used in at Sun Court Ltd.....7
2.3 Use a systematic approach to plan training & development for training event.....................9
LO 3 Be able to evaluate a training event........................................................................................9
3.1 Prepare an evaluation for a training event using suitable techniques....................................9
3.2 Carry out an evaluation of a training event...........................................................................9
3.3 Review the success of the evaluation methods used.............................................................9
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
Human resource management is the one that aids in maximizing employee performance so that
the employer aims and objectives can be attained. It has got a large number of functions such as
employee recruitment, training, development, performance appraisal among others (Abdelhak,
Grostick and Hanken, 2014). In this regard, training and development is an educational process
that aids in sharpening of skills, concept followed by assisting the employees in gaining more
knowledge so as to increase the overall worker performance (Sparrow, Brewster and Chung,
2016). The current study has thus made an attempt to assess the skill set that is needed for
planning and designing training event for organizations and understanding the suitability of
various training initiatives that has been undertaken. The study thus revolves around conducting
training sessions for Sun Court which is an old age care home that has decided to provide
services to dementia patients thereby becoming a specialized care home. Focus of the report will
thus be on gaining an understanding about learning theories and styles followed by government
led skill development initiatives. The report will also lay emphasis on planning of training and
development session followed by assessing there success through various evaluation methods.
LO 1 Understand learning theories and learning styles
1.1 Compare different learning styles
As per Fleming and Mills VARK model given in the year 1992 there exists four different kind of
learning styles being Visual, Auditory, Read/Write Kinesthetic. All these learning styles can be
used while retraining the work force so that it is able to make a successful transition from
generalist to a specialist car home that deals in dementia (Pressman and Miller, 2014).
Visual – In this kind of learning style the staff members can be trained by making use of spider
diagrams, maps, charts, graphs that have a presence of symbolic arrows, circle, hierarchy and
other such means which could have otherwise been presented through words (Tracey, 2016). The
trainers can make use of different formats, fonts and colors to symbolize the main points. The
visual description is most likely to aid the staff members in remembering the training event for a
longer period of time.
Auditory - In this learning style, the staff members of the care home can be taught through
lectures, group discussions, speaking, web chat and talking about different situations that may be
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faced by them while dealing with the aged staff members who are suffering from dementia. The
employees that prefer this learning style may grasp a better learning if they say things loudly to
themselves and thus learning by saying in their way (Kallio, Kallio and Blomberg, 2015).
Read/Write – With the help of read and write learning style, the trainer can make the staff
members prepare notes while the sessions are going on. Assignments can be given to them in
form of PowerPoint, reading about dementia on internet etc (Abdelhak, Grostick and Hanken,
2014). This will help them in getting a proper record of what has been taught in the class.
Kinesthetic – in this learning style, the trainee can make use of role plays etc. by which the staff
members will play the role of care home employee and dementia affected aged people. Their
own experience in role play as well as that portrayed by others will aid in better learning.
1.2 Explain the role of the learning curve and the importance of transferring learning to the
workplace
Learning curve can be defined as graphical representation that reflects improvement pace in a
person with reference to the task that has been performed by him or her. This curve can be used
by the trainers to measure the capacity of staff members of care home by which they are able to
complete a given task in successful manner within a given period of time (Bozeman and Deal,
2017). Effective training sessions can then be planned for the employees so that their
performance can be increased with respect to working with dementia people who are there in the
care home. The trainers can further make use of the learning curve in plotting the amount of
information that is required to be taught to staff members in a given period of time (Abdelhak,
Grostick and Hanken, 2014). Transferring the learning is very important in case of present care
home setting as employees can be induced with proper skills and knowledge by which they can
deal with old page people who are suffering from dementia. It can further assist the employee in
using the techniques effectively in a specific job requirement.
1.3 Assess the contribution of learning styles and theories when planning and designing a
learning event
A learning event has been planned and designed for the care home where the staff members will
be made to understand about how to care for the patients who are in the mid stage of dementia.
In this regard, learning styles as well as theories can be best applied so as to ensure that the
employees get the maximum benefit from the event (Pressman and Miller, 2014). First is the
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concrete experience where employees will be given cases about dementia patients which will be
then be discussed in groups followed by understanding the issues faced by them so that they can
be resolved in a timely manner. This demands for active involvement of the employees as they
simply cannot just learn by watching or reading about it (Marchington and et.al., 2016).
Discussion will aid in getting a concrete idea about the situations that may arise in front of them.
Then is reflective observation where the employee will take time out from the discussion and
reflect on what was discussed. This stage will open up a lot of questions which will help the
members to attain clarity (Brooker and Latham, 2015). In the abstract conceptualization stage the
need will be to make comparison of what was talked in the discussion and what has been actually
done by them while they handled few of the dementia individuals. Then is the active
experimentation where the staff members will focus on how they can actually put the learning
into practice. Planning may enable them to take steps for the ways in which middle stage
dementia patients can be handled (Evans, 2016). However, the trainers in its regard are required
to understand that the staff members should understand that the learning event has been useful as
they may tend to forget it quickly.
LO 4 Understand government-led skills development initiatives
4.1 Explain the role of government in training, development and lifelong learning
The UK government has been found to play a significant role in the overall training,
development as well as lifelong learning of the staff members. In some cases, the government
provides professional instructors who ensure that the workers are able to attain minimal level of
performance (Abdelhak, Grostick and Hanken, 2014). The care quality commission of United
Kingdom is a governmental authority that inspires the quality of training and development
programs that are being given to staff members. It then instructions the organizations to take
remedial actions in case any issue is found with respect to overall working of organizations.
Same was done by CQC in present care home. Other than this the government also inspects that
there is a proper internal development of employees so that the care homes are able to give a
better performance (Goma and et.al., 2014). The government also aids in the development of HR
department of care homes which ends in enhancement of health care services that is provided to
people. The role of government officials is further to ensure that the firms take proper steps in
order to strengthen its HR so that performance reaches to a minimal possible level. If the
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government takes part in training then it ensures that the staff members are able to gather
knowledge that is required for there working (Sparrow, Brewster and Chung, 2016). However
firms seldom invest in those plans that require training resources and are very costly in terms of
actual implementation.
4.2 Explain how the development of competency movement has impacted on public & private
section
A huge impact has been played by the competency movement that was started by David Mc
Clelland in the year 1960. The influence can be seen on both private as well as public sector
firms that are present in UK. Due to the effect of this movement, the public companies are
focusing more on its human resources so as to generate high performance from them and also
ensure that their efforts are giving steady outcomes (Managing Competencies in Government,
2017).
The private sector firms are also making an attempt to spend good amount of time and money in
training there staff members. Same should be adopted by Sun Court Limited which is also a
private sector firm. This can be done by providing performance appraisal to its staff members as
well as training sessions in which it is very much behind as compared to the rival firms. This is
much needed so as to ensure that best quality staff members in form of care workers exist in the
firm that are able to work on the needs of old age people suffering from dementia in the best
possible manner (Melilo and et.al., 2013). Further the company should also lay emphasis on
maintaining a professional as well as healthy work environment that encourage the staff
members to work with dedication, sincerity and high competence. It is also required to bring in
various kinds of learning patterns so that best level of service quality can be provided and
increased initiatives can be attained from the care workers (Abdelhak, Grostick and Hanken,
2014).
4.3 Assess how contemporary training initiatives introduced by UK government contribute to
human resources development for Sun Court Ltd ‘
The government of UK has adopted many kinds of contemporary training initiatives that can be
used by small as well as medium sized institutions so as to develop human resources. These
include relevant developmental activities as well as training programs that promote the economic
growth as well as maintain stability. The vocational training initiatives can also be used by Sun
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Court Ltd by which its diverse business aspects can be worked upon through its trained human
resources (O’Connor and et.al., 2014). The training strategies of government can aid the firm in
getting an upper hand over the competitors since the trained staff will bring a change in its
working strategies. The training initiatives are most likely to aid the care workers in adapting
faster with the dynamic market environment of care homes. Moreover as Sun court limited is
changing from the one that offers general services to specialist ones for dementia hence
governmental intimates should be welcomed by the management (Sparrow, Brewster and Chung,
2016). One such initiative that can prided maximum benefit to the care home is ·Investors in
People which focuses on improving the organizational performance through developing the staff
members (investors in people, 2017). Then is the Connexions Service which provides front line
support to employees by giving them integrated advice, guidance aids in their overall personal
development. This is needed by the organization as it is moving towards a more specialised area
being dementia and hence the need is to make sure that all learning barriers of staff members are
removed and they are able to make a smooth work transition in their new role (Abdelhak,
Grostick and Hanken, 2014).
LO2 Be able to plan and design training and development
2.1 Compare the training needed for staff at different levels in Sun Court Ltd
The staff members at Sun Court Limited is in a huge training need as they have not been trained
very well till now due to management outlook to not waste unnecessary expenditure on training.
Moreover, every level of employees is required to be given a proper training. The training needs
at every level have been compared below;
 Top level – The top level employees being managers are required to be trained properly
in the area of leadership as well as managing the care services that will be provided to
dementia patients. Hence they should be taught as to how they can develop procedures,
policies and practices for the staff members, care workers as well as visitors (Brooker and
Lantham, 2015). They should also be given sessions in the area of communicating with
the employees, visitors of patients as well as the old age people if the need arises. Their
leadership skill should also be developed properly followed by ensuring that they respect
the overall rights of old age people who are residing in the care homes.
 Middle level – These include the supervisors who are required to be trained as to how
they can carry out the assessment of needs as well as risk factors that is present for
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dementia sufferers in the care home (Abdelhak, Grostick and Hanken, 2014). They must
also be trained for reviewing the care plan after discussing the issues with workers and
communicating the same to managers (Khanassov, Vedel and Pluye, 2014). The most
important training area for them is to ensure that care workers are able to manage the
dementia individuals in a proper manner.
 Lower level – This involves care workers, nurses etc. who are required to be trained in
the area of health and safety awareness; manual handling of dementia affected people;
safeguarding of old people and managing the challenging behavior that is most likely to
be faced by them in the present scenario.
2.2 Assess the advantages and disadvantages of training methods used in at Sun Court Ltd
Methods of
training
Advantage Disadvantage
Role
playing
The staff members at Sun Court limited can be
made to realise how different roles can be
played by them and how they can attain success
in each of them (Houghton and et.al., 2016).
The end of role playing session
is in need of expert feedback
which can come from the
supervisor rather than the group
members.
Role playing often needs to
funny situations which reduces
the actual impact (Pressman and
Miller, 2014).
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Discussion Healthy discussions can aid in identification of
the issues that a person may face in practical
session that is while holding the dementia
person in reality.
Career success skills are promoted by
discussions between workers and managers
(Kallio, Kallio and Blomberg, 2015).
These sessions require for
complete attention of team
members as well as supervisors
so as to assess that the talk is on
the right track.
Workshops This training made is quite close to real life
setting hence the employees can get proper
practice thereby making a room for
improvement before they enter in their role in
reality (Chenoweth and et.al., 2014).
This technique is very expensive
and depends on how the
employee receives and perceives
the message that has been
rendered through workshops
(Brooker and Lantham, 2015).
Induction This training method can aid the employee in
getting a glimpse about the new roles they are
going to play while handing dementia affected
old people (Abdelhak, Grostick and Hanken,
2014). The management can further
communicate the changes that have been
introduced in work culture, objective and aim of
firm.
The actual scenario that is
outlined in training method may
be quite different from real
setting which may mislead the
employees (Dal Bello-Haas and
et.al., 2014).
2.3 Use a systematic approach to plan training & development for training event.
A training event is required to planned for teaching the care workers in the area of dealing with
dementia patients who are in the upper stages of the disease. In this regard, the very first step will
be introducing the care workers to the managers and supervisors who are there in the training
event. The purpose of the training event will then be explained to all so that they are able to
grasp the concepts in better manner (Sparrow, Brewster and Chung, 2016). A question and
answer activity will also be conducted so as to find out if the care workers have oriented
themselves well with given scenario or not. The care workers will then be grouped into three
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teams and role playing activity will be carried out where one will be dementia patient while other
will be the care workers (Bozeman and Deal, 2017). The workers will be instructed to focus on
the need of dementia patients and then the supervisors will be instructed to the rate the role
played by all. The feedback of supervisors is an important one as they are experienced in the area
of handling dementia patients. Discussion session will also be held so as to give care workers a
chance to resolve the queries in front of supervisors and managers (Pressman and Miller, 2014).
This will aid in providing solutions to all possible scenarios that are likely to be faced by care
workers and supervisors.
LO 3 be able to evaluate a training event
3.1 Prepare an evaluation for a training event using suitable techniques
Evaluation of training event in case of Sun Court Limited will not only help the employees in
transferring the skill set and knowledge gained on dementia affected persons but also help the
employers in understanding the areas where more training sessions are required to be rendered
(Brooker and Lantham, 2015). It can thus be regarded as the final stage of training process. In
context of the above mentioned requirements there exists a wide variety of training methods that
can be used in organizational training programs. These are as follows;
Kirkpatrick’s Learning and
Training Evaluation Theory
This method has got the presence of four
phases to evaluate the training program
Stage one is about assessing the reactions of
employees as well as overall attitude towards
the training program
Then is the learning stage which focuses on the
knowledge and skill set gained by employees
during the training event (Kallio, Kallio and
Blomberg, 2015).
The third stage is about assessing the
behavioral attitudes of trainees as well as
applying it in the workplace setting
In the last stage, results are measured to assess
the performance of employees within the
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organization (Abdelhak, Grostick and Hanken,
2014).
Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory. Human development has been categorized into
8 phases and the training program can then be
evaluated as per the psychological
characteristics. The 8 stages aid in assessing
the effectiveness of training program so that
overall performance of employees can be
enhanced (Pressman and Miller, 2014).
3.2 Carry out an evaluation of a training event
Sun Court Limited can make use of Kirkpatrick’s Learning and Training Evaluation Theory
which is a training evaluation technique based on four phases to assess the training programs. In
the very first stage, the management of Sun Court Limited can measure the reaction of staff
members towards the training event followed by the overall attitude that has been exhibited by
them (Bozeman and Deal, 2017). Then comes the learning stage where extent of knowledge as
well as skills gained by trainees can be measured. In this context, the knowledge can understand
about needs of dementia patients, communication skills among others. The next stage will be
measuring the behavioral attitude of trainees and how the training areas are being applied to the
workplace by the care workers on dementia patients (Kallio, Kallio and Blomberg, 2015). Finally
results will be measured so as to see how the employees are performing within the organization.
This training evaluation technique can be successfully used by the care home to assess the
overall success of training program.
3.3 Review the success of the evaluation methods used
The evaluation of training program through usage of Kirkpatrick’s Learning and Training
Evaluation Theory has been quite advantageous to judge the overall accomplishment of the
event. The method was able to match the actual output in form of employee performance with
the expected output to find out problematic areas. The reaction stage itself was able to provide an
immediate feedback about how the employees felt about the training session (Brooker and
Lantham, 2015). This aided in further judging the problematic areas that can then be worked
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upon in the later sessions. The technique further aided in providing information about various
area of training by which employees as well as management expectation can be fulfilled in the
upcoming events (Benefits Kirkpatrick’s Evaluation, 2017). However, the third as well as fourth
stage of training event have been found to be quite time consuming as well as expensive thereby
reducing its practicality in all situations (Sparrow, Brewster and Chung, 2016).
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that Sun Court Limited is on a verge of turning into a
specialized care home meant for load age people suffering from dementia. It is thus required to
ensure that the staff members are trained properly so that they can work on the needs and
requirements of old age people in a proper manner. This will not only aid in the overall
sustainability of care home but also save the firm from unwanted enquirers by Care Quality
commission and other governmental authorities of UK.
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