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We have a range of documents and files available to the public on our website. The file Learning and Development Framework is below and you can download a copy, see any archive versions or view accessibility information.
West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) is committed to developing its people so they can continuously strive to achieve the highest levels of excellence.
To achieve this, the framework is aligned to organisational strategy which is driven by the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP).
WMFS ensures it meets its legislative responsibilities and enables individuals to develop and maintain their own competencies and abilities, so they can effectively undertake their role in an assertive, effective, and safe manner.
This policy sets the direction for WMFS’ learning and development by supporting continuous learning and improvement enabling us to meet the needs of our staff and communities.
This approach is supported by our commitment to the principles of Integrated Personal Development Systems (IPDS) and Individual Performance Development Reviews (IPDR) underpinned by a workplace assessment process and organisational coaching culture at all levels. With a commitment to continual personal development and consistent formal and informal coaching in the workplace.
Fundamental to the success of learning and development is that individuals are fully committed to their own personal development.
For this to be achieved, people at all levels of the organisation promote a continuous learning and improvement culture to ensure skills, capabilities and behaviours remain current and relevant to organisational needs.
Highly capable and skilled staff enable WMFS to deliver its organisational goals and overall strategy in ensuring the communities of the West Midlands are safer, stronger, and healthier.
The policy framework delivers the principles of IPDS for all staff including those roles deemed as risk critical in terms of our emergency response capability and the principles of successful Health and Safety management.
In the pursuit of excellence in everything that WMFS does, it is essential that we build on our current and future capability by ensuring that our workforce is trained and developed to a consistently high standard.
WMFS builds a positive learning environment which allows people to be highly skilled and develop to their full potential to deliver the best possible service to the communities of West Midlands.
The IPDS provides a structure, based on agreed standards of performance, within which WMFS can identify, attract, assess and develop people to fulfil current and future roles.
A key part of the IPDS is how it supports WMFS’ objective of making communities safer, stronger and healthier.
WMFS continually ensures that individuals have the right skills to contribute to community safety, therefore enabling its staff to reduce risks in the community.
The IPDS provides a framework to ensure that all staff are competent and able to support the requirements of WMFS’ CRMP and Service Delivery Model.
WMFS ensures staff are assessed against National Occupational Standards (NOS) and Behavioural Frameworks.
NOS are a key component in determining role requirements by describing the skills, knowledge and understanding required to undertake a particular task or job to a nationally recognised level of competence.
NOS form the framework of our performance management system and are also used for competency recording in line with workplace assessment to ensure that staff meet their role requirements.
The NOS and National Operational Guidance (N.O.G) provide standards of performance that must be achieved when carrying out functions in the workplace, these are underpinned with knowledge and understanding of specific areas.
WMFS uses both N.O.G and NOS to agree standards of performance that will identify, attract, assess, and develop people to fulfil its current and future roles.
Integral to this framework is meeting the needs of the CRMP and a focus on improving the health, safety and wellbeing of staff.
As a learning organisation committed to continuous improvement, all aspects of the Learning and Development framework and its application are continually evaluated.
WMFS creates an environment that develops, values, and enables people to be the best they can be in pursuit of excellence, organisational strategy, and continual development.
In WMFS all training and development provided is based on identified needs and assessed to ensure that it meets any risk critical development requirements.
All training and development are provided in line with the following principles:
Accredited Professional qualifications are a primary means of confirming the quality of learning and development activities.
Qualifications also:
WMFS operates within a competency framework. This is important to ensure that emergency response capability is maintained.
WMFS recognises that the acquisition of skills and knowledge through training is essential, and individuals must then demonstrate they can apply them in the workplace. Therefore, workplace assessment of simulated or real-life performance is mandatory within WMFS.
Workplace assessment benefits individuals and Line Managers by:
In WMFS, the requirement to assess individual performance is reflected in all management roles and role profiles.
All Line Managers are required to assess the performance of the individuals in their team.
WMFS complies with its legal duties in respect of the provision and maintenance of Health, Safety and Wellbeing learning and development to all employees.
This policy has no appendices
Audit | |
Responsible SET Member | OLPD |
Authorised by | Juliet Malone |
Direct enquiries to | policyofficers@wmfs.net |
EIA (Date Completed & Name) | 02/02/2022 - Kerry Evans and Sillina Griffith |
PIA (Date Completed & Name) | Not required |
Review History | ||
Version # | Date | Reviewed By |
1.0 | 1/10/2016 | OLPD |
2.0 | 28/3/2022 | Juliet Malone and the OLPD team |
Amendment History | |||||
Version # | Date | Amended By | Section Amended | Amendment | Reason for change |
2.0 | 28/3/2022 | Juliet Malone and the OLPD team | Entire document. | • Title changed from Organisational Learning and Development to Learning and Development. • Relevant contents integrated from Individual Learning and Development Framework. • Grammatical, structure and formatting amendments. • CRMP and legislation details added. • IPDS, IPDR and H&S details added. • Details added relating to Individuals, Line Managers and WMFS. • Restructured and links added. | To minimise duplication and increase clarity.In line with template layout and neurodiversity |