Gradient offers small to medium
enterprises the opportunity to develop the full potential of the graduates they employ,
and to maximise the contribution that they make to your business.
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How does
the Gradient programme work
Graduates normally join
the scheme within their first year of employment (although exceptions can be made) They
are introduced to a personal development planning process which will help them to identify
the skills they already have and take informed decisions about those they need to develop.
They will be encouraged to discuss these needs with their line managers and to prioritise
them against a range of factors which include:- their own job performance and the
needs and objectives of the business in which they are employed. They have unlimited
access to a comprehensive database of opportunity which will help them to select the most
appropriate development route for their individual circumstances.
Participation in the programme is currently free providing the following criteria are met:-
It is the last of these which gives an indication of the costs involved. Whilst Gradient is a free programme which helps a graduate and their employer to identify needs, it does not offer free or subsidised training activity. Clearly training is rarely "free" - even on the job training has a cost in terms of time. What the programme hopefully achieves is a far more productive return on training investments through a number of devices as follows:
Isn't
there is a risk that, having been trained at my expense, the graduate will move on
elsewhere?
There is always a risk that any employee may leave for a better job, or different experience. It is however widely accepted that people who have both job satisfaction and good motivation, are often reluctant to "trade" these commodities simply for more money. Large companies invest large sums into training their graduates, not just because they want to be good employers, but because they recognise that development is a powerful motivational tool which helps to retain quality staff. In surveys conducted amongst graduates, "lack of development" is frequently cited as their reason for not considering employment in the SME sector. Gradient gives SMEs the opportunity to provide effective development at a sensible cost.
What about
NVQs and/or Investors in People?
These days many organisations have established the NVQ process as part of their development strategy. Many of you may have applied for, or already achieved IIP status. If you have been involved with either of these processes you will be aware of the need to link development activity to business objectives and of the importance of accumulating "evidence" of such activity. The Gradient scheme has been designed to complement these processes, particulalry by:
Gradient is part of Cymru Prosper Wales which itself receives funding from the Wales TECs who administer Investors in People programme.
What
other benefits are there?
The other principle benefit offered to participants is the access to a local network of graduates who are at a similar stage of development to themselves. When we researched large company schemes we found that employers and graduates alike found the contact with peers to be an invaluable part of the process which not only helped them in terms of their immediate development but often formed the basis of lifelong networks. The importance of networking in today's business world hardly needs mentioning. What is more important is the opportunity to interact with graduates with different disciplines in different jobs. For example in one group we have two people in engineering disciplines who need to understand sales and marketing and another with a marketing degree - the potential for knowledge transfer is obvious.
What sort of time commitment is required?
New participants are expected to attend a half day workshop at which we take them through the development planning process allowing them to practice it in a safe environment. The objective of the workshop is that they will leave with their first "action plan" for developing or learning a particular skill which they have identified. This is the only "compulsory" event and we do ask employers to give time off for this. This workshop is also the first meeting of their "network" and we envisage the the networks meeting together a number of times during their participation on the programme. Gradient facilitates these network meetings but issues such as timing and content will be decided by the groups themselves. We envisage that groups will choose workshop style topics which address common training needs and we provide the necessary support to help them identify speakers etc. We suggest to groups that they limit these meetings to 2 hours and hold them at a convenient time (towards the end of the working day, at the start of the day or perhaps around lunchtime). We hope that most employers will recognise the value of these events and allow participants time off to attend. Beyond this there is no specific time requirement other than may be needed to undertake training or development and we see this as a matter for negotiation between you and your employees.
Why is
this for "graduates only"?
The simple answer is that we are supported by specific funding targeted towards graduates and that we are part of an organisation which works within the University of Wales. This means that in terms of direct activity we can only offer our services to Graduates of university colleges (including HND students). However the principles employed in the programme could be equally applied to many if not all employees. Providing an organisation meets the Gradient criteria and, offers the programme to all new graduates and has at least one participating graduate then you can be given a licence free of charge to reproduce the programme for company use. (subject to credit being given to Gradient) For a moderate consultancy fee Gradient can help you further by producing a company specific Personal Development Planner, advising on the introduction and providing training for key staff in administering the programme - please ask if you would like further information about this.
Is this
for Wales Graduates only
Although the programme is
jointly run by the University of Wales, Swansea and the University of Glamorgan, it is
open to all graduates employed in Industrial South Wales irrespective of where they gained
their degree or diploma.
Simply
contact the Gradient team to ask any questions you may have. We can arrange for a Gradient
Adviser to visit your company to discuss more fully how Gradient can directly benefit your
business, helping you to fully utilise graduate skills. simply click here for contact details
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