Content Re Elcc Training Needs Assessment & Sectot Study

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What is a Training Needs Assessment ?

It’s a process (series of planned steps) that is designed to collect, using a survey of staff members, information about:

• employees’ education and training levels at the time of the survey
• employees’ desired levels of education and training in the future

The purpose of this assessment is to determine what will be the short, medium and long term education and training needs for licensed centres staff, based on information from those in the field currently—after, who better to ask these questions of?

The main tool that will be used to survey employees for this information is called a Competency Matrix.

An Employee Satisfaction Survey will also be distributed in order to allow staff to express their likes and dislikes about their current jobs. This survey is important given staff turnover and the cost of training: the ELCC plan must address ways to stabilize the work force at the same time that it lays out plans for the education and professional development of that workforce.

1. What is a competency?

A competency is a mix of knowledge, skill and application. In other words, it describes what needs to be known and done, as well as how well it needs to be done, to accomplish a specific set of tasks.

Individuals apply their competencies at different levels of functioning. The mix of how much one knows, is able to do, and actually does, determines the level of functioning in a particular competency. For example, we all use the Communications competency but how effectively we communicate varies from one individual to another. That is because different people have different levels of functioning in that competency.

1. What is a Competency Matrix?

A matrix is a format that lists information along vertical and horizontal lines to help illustrate the relationships across this information. In the Competency Matrix that will be used for the Training Needs Assessment, the competencies needed to function as a child care professional are listed on the vertical axis, while the varying levels of functioning—from a Non-Contributor to a Model Contributor—in that competency are described on the horizontal axis:

1. How will it work?

At the end of each competency two columns will be added: one marked CURRENT, the other marked DESIRED. As employees read through the competency and the various levels of functioning, we will ask that they indicate the level of functioning where they think they are currently (i.e. A, B, C, D or E) under the box marked CURRENT and then indicate the level of functioning where they would like to be under the box marked DESIRED:

Once all employees in licensed centres have submitted their responses, these will be tabulated onto a spreadsheet. The results are expected to provide information about future education and training needs across the system and specific to regions, urban/rural centres, etc.

1. What is an Employee Satisfaction Survey?

This survey is a series of questions covering the range of typical work issues: work loads, supervisor support, wages, benefits, leaves, hours of work, etc. The more employees respond to this survey, the clearer the information will become about what keeps them at work in their licensed centre and what leads some to look for work elsewhere.

By the way, this is a simple “tick a box” survey so though it’s detailed, it takes a relatively short time to complete.

1. Is all this confidential?

All surveys will be filled out and sorted anonymously. The steps taken to ensure this:

• Employees will be asked questions about their job title, hours of work, the region they work in, etc. for statistical reasons only. No one will be required to identify themselves either by giving their names or by identifying what centre they work in if they feel their centre is small enough that this information would identify them.
• Surveys will be returned by those who have completed them to Rochon Associated using a stamped, self-addressed envelope included with each survey.
• Only Rochon Associated personnel will see the surveys and enter the data. All surveys will be kept at the offices of Rochon Associated until the final report outlining overall, composite (as opposed to individual) results has been submitted. At that time, all surveys will be destroyed.

1. How will the Competency Matrix be developed?

The consultants from Rochon Associated will prepare a Draft Competency Matrix based on competencies collected from different sources including training institutions offering ECE courses and well established child care organizations. This Draft Competency Matrix will then be presented to focus groups to get their feedback on its accuracy and their suggestions for improvement. Once the draft matrix has been revised based on this feedback, it will be used as the central document in the Training Needs Assessment.

1. Tell me about the focus groups.

There will be 3 focus groups, one each in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Yorkton. One focus group will include Executive Directors and Directors from Centre Boards who are parents, while the other two will include staff from various centres across the province.

A number of criteria will be used to form these groups, in order to ensure that as much as possible, members will reflect a fair mix of regional, aboriginal, francophone and gender perspectives. As well, there will be efforts to include some speech language pathologists and early childhood psychologists as well as training providers into these groups. Because of the need to ensure this range of perspectives and interests, participation in the focus groups will be by invitation. Members of the Steering Committee overseeing this work will prepare the lists of potential invitees.

Participants in the focus groups will be presented with the Draft Competency Matrix and asked to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement. The groups will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., allowing sufficient time for meaningful discussion. It is expected that the feedback from these groups will support the finalization of a solid and credible Competency Matrix to be used in the Training Needs Assessment.

1. What is the role of licensed centres staff in the training needs assessment?

All ECE staff will be asked to complete AT LEAST the Competency Matrix Survey and, if at all possible, the Employee Satisfaction Survey. The Executive Directors will be asked to ensure that everyone has a copy of the Competency Matrix Survey and of the Employee Satisfaction Survey.

Those who complete the survey(s) will be asked to ensure they mail the results back to Rochon Associated Human Resources Management Consulting Inc.

1. How will we learn about the results of the training needs assessment?

There will be several channels of communication about the results:

• A presentation on preliminary findings will be made at the provincial SECA conference in November 2005.
• A final report will be submitted in December 2005.
• This website will post all related publications (conference presentation, final report).

1. Why get involved?

As stated in the introduction to this web page, the provincial government is committed to developing a plan for using the funds to be transferred from the federal government for early childhood services. This ELCC plan will be developed. It is our hope that employees currently working in licensed centres will understand that the more generous their input into it, the better the plan will be.

Questions or comments? Contact Charlotte at: mailto:

Rochon Associated Human Resources Management Consulting Inc. © 2005. All rights reserved.