Training Courses (Hansard, 3 February 1995)

Mr. John M. Taylor

Each training and tuition course with a total cost exceeding £5,000 paid for during the last 12 months through central funds is listed at annexe A. Further inquiries concerning courses which may be held locally throughout the Department would incur disproportionate costs.

The Lord Chancellor is responsible for three agencies—HM Land Registry, the Public Record Office and the Public Trust Office. The question concerns specific operational matters on which the chief executives are best placed to provide answers. I have accordingly asked chief executives to reply direct.

865W

Courses paid for by the Lord Chancellor's Department for members of staff from Magistrates' courts service
Annex A
Course title	Course objectives	Organisations engaged	Total cost of each course	Summary of responsibilities	Evaluation process
Diploma in higher education (Magisterial Law Distance Learning) and LLB (Distance Learning) (3 year course)	To enable assistants to obtain the qualifications necessary to be employed as a competent and efficient effective clerk in court	Nottingham Trent University	£149,408 per year	Trainee Court Clerks or people currently in administrative posts who is anticipated should be clerking courts within 2 years	A working group evaluated the benefits by questionnaires to current and former students. A number of students, their line managers or mentors were interviewed. A report was placed before the Training Policy Committee
Distance Learning Law Degree (4 year course)	To enable participants to quality to take courts and to continue to take a professional qualification	Manchester Metropolitan University	£18,836averageper year	Trainee Court Clerks or people currently in administrative posts who it is anticipated should be clerking courts within 2 years	Questionnaires after each module
Diploma in Management studies (2 year course)	To raise the level of understanding of management processes and the management environment and to improve managerial performance	Bristol Business School—part of the University of the West of England, Bristol	£24,300average per year	The course is aimed at those either holding or moving into posts carrying essential managerial tasks	Questionnaires completed at the conclusion of each residential module, plus full evaluation study conducted in 1993
Senior Management Development Programme (extending over 6 months)	1. To enable managers within the Magistrates' Courts Service to identify the differences which they want to make both within the organisation and at the level of individual performance.	Ashbridge Consulting Group—part of Ashbridge Management College	£9 l,755per cohort £370,830 average per year	Justices Clerks and Deputy Justices Clerks	Questionnaires completed at the conclusion of each module and anlaysed. A full evaluation project took place in 1993
	2. To enable individuals to develop and use their competences in sustaining these differences
Common Professional Examination Completion Course (1 year)	To confer on the successful student eligibility to proceed to the final professional examinations	Manchester Metropolitan University	£16,548per cohort	Court clerks who hold the Diploma in Magisterial Law and who wish to qualify as a barrister or solicitor	Questionnaires at end of modules
Professional Training and Development	To provide an introduction to training techniques and approaches to learning and teaching, assessment of learning needs of court staff and development of courses to meet those needs, and to use the knowledge and understanding of these skills to conduct evaluation and appraisal	University of Cambridge Board of Continuing Education	£5,300per cohort £59,916 average per year	Course designed for Senior Managers, Administrative and Legal Staff who have significant training responsibilities for Justices staff	Questionnaires after each module. A full study is being conducted

866W 867W

Courses paid for by the Lord Chancellor's Department for members of staff from Magistrates' courts service
Annex A
Course title	Course objectives	Organisations engaged	Total cost of each course	Summary of responsibilities	Evaluation process
Senior Manager Development Initiative (SDI)—18 months duration	SDI a process of self-development, giving senior managers the opportunity to explore and develop their own managerial performance within a flexible, competence-based approach with supports MCI standards	Development Process supported (UK) Ltd	£73,757average cost per year	Senior Managers in the Service (usually Clerks of Justices, Clerks to Committee and Deputies)	Questionnaires completed at the conclusion of each module. The course will from part of the rolling programme of evaluations in due course

Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 31 January 1995: I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply to your question about training. No individual training or tuition course at the public Record Office has exceeded £5,000. The overall cost of two longer-term, phased, training courses has exceeded £5,000. 1. Title: Senior Management Competences Programme Objective: To improve the management and specialist skills of senior managers Organisation engaged: Human Resource Partnership Total cost: £60,768 (£934 a head) Responsibilities of staff members: Senior managers throughout the Agency Process of course evaluation: Invitation to tender and tender board. Individual post-course evaluations and a report from the Training Manager 2. Title: Training for Microsoft Office Computer Software Objective: To train PRO staff on the new computer software package Organisations engaged: FMI and Britech Total cost: £31,537 (£152.35 a head) Responsibilities of staff members: Staff throughout the Agency Process of course evaluation: Invitation to tender and tender board. Individual post-course evaluations.

Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 3 February 1995: I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, to reply to your recent question concerning training and tuition courses in HM Land Registry during the last twelve months with a total cost paid by the Agency exceeding £5,000. There were two such courses, both relating to Information Systems training, and I can provide the following information: 1. Course Title: Advanced PL1 Objective: To provide the knowledge and skills of advance PLI facilities to programmers who had at least twelve months experience in using the language. Supplier: Altergo Education, London Total cost: £7,840 (inc. VAT) Trainees: 10 members of Development Groups within the Registry's Computer Services Division whose prime responsibilities are application development. Evaluation: Course critiques are completed by all trainees following completion of the course to assess how well objectives were met. Managers monitor the effectiveness of the training by 868W evaluating the expected against the perceived improvement in skills and performance. 2. Course Title: Advanced DB2 Objective: To provide PL1 and Assembler programmers with the appropriate knowledge and skills of advanced DB2. Supplier: Sequel, Milton Keynes Total cost: £6,909 (inc. VAT) Trainees: 12 members of Development Groups within the Registry's Computer Services Division whose prime responsibilities are application development. Evaluation: As for Course No.1 above. I do hope that this answers the points raised with the Parliamentary Secretary but please contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

Letter from Julia C. Lomas to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 1 February 1995: The Parliamentary Secretary to the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to you as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your parliamentary question, listed on 26 January 1995, regarding the Training and Tuition Courses exceeding £5000. The PTO organised one training course where the cost exceeded £5000. The title of the course was "Mastering Effective Communication" and the key objective was for trainees to develop skills that will help them to: Influence others Constructively confront unacceptable behaviour in others that will be more likely to effect change and co-operation without defensiveness Resolve problems which are based on conflicting needs Help others to become more aware of the impact of their behaviour Help others to share their problems Develop personal power The training was delivered by Effectiveness Training and Consulting, 11 Western Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 1JL. The cost of the one-week course for eight people was £5712.26, (which included a consultancy fee of £275 for gearing it specifically to PTO needs). The course was aimed at SEO and HEO grades with staff management roles and/or caseworkers who worked directly with clients or their families. Evaluation was carried out in the following manner. Observation and participation in the course by the Training Manager Questionnaire completed by the trainees immediately after the course. Follow-up questionnaire and ad hoc interviews with trainees and their line managers three months after the course to clarify what they are now doing differently as a result of the training. I hope this deals with your query.