OUR PEOPLE AND CULTURE STRATEGY
Introduction
The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group was formed on 1 March 2022 from the merger of Wakefield and Selby Colleges. As we move through this exciting next phase of our development, a commitment to excellence in the way we behave as an employer is the single most important factor in achieving our goals.
We rely on all our people to drive success for our students, their communities, and employers. In turn our values drive us, informing the kind of people we attract, the experience we deliver, the way we strive to meet expectations of employers and, ultimately, meet the skills needs of communities.
Only with the determination and dedication of our staff can we meet our strategic priorities which is why “Develop a strong culture and people who are effective and committed” is one of our core strategic objectives.
As we continue to grow and strengthen as a group, and adapt to the changing educational landscape, this commitment to excellence is the primary catalyst — and it is driven by the talent and innovation of our people.
As a group, we will all continue to build the type of culture to deliver the very best outcomes. Where we are treated fairly and equitably and can be our authentic selves at work.
Here at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group our focus begins before an individual becomes an employee, at the point when we seek out talent to join us. We then put all our efforts in to how we best develop, retain, and reward them throughout their time with us, to support their ambitions and enable them to thrive within our culture and to live our values.
Our vision for the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group is to foster an environment where the best and most diverse talent work and thrive.
It is the responsibility of every manager, senior leader, led by the Principal and Executive Team, to play their part in the delivery of the strategy.
Sam Wright Principal & Chief Executive
Purpose
The People Strategy provides an overview of the direction for our staff over the next three years. It sets out the interventions that are required to ensure we develop effectively as a group, live our values, and deliver our objectives.
The People Strategy compliments the organisation’s other parallel and interdependent strategies, acting as an enabler for improving workforce capability and engagement.
It will ensure the highest standards of leadership and management are in place to sustain a motivated and engaged workforce that engenders an organisational culture that truly embraces the diversity and individuality of our people and the need for inclusiveness. Through a capable, sufficient, motivated, and resilient workforce we will deliver the very best experience and outcomes for our students.
Where are we now?
September 2022
As a newly merged organisation we are in a period of transition. We do not underestimate what this means for colleagues across the Group, and we are committed to taking everyone with us on the journey.
Although all of our Colleges in the Group have traditionally attracted a good response for the majority of advertised posts, there have been challenges in attracting, recruiting, and retaining staff in roles in areas of skills shortage. This is a particular problem with construction, engineering and digital. We are not alone in this challenge, and it is now spreading to other areas. The world of work has been redefined by the pandemic and we are experiencing what has been described in the media as “the great resignation” as employees revaluate what they want from employers. Along with many other organisations, we face challenges in recruiting, retaining, and developing a workforce in an increasingly competitive market with limited resources. Ensuring the engagement of our people in this challenging educational and wider context agenda is a complex and difficult task, but one that we are embracing.
Our workforce costs are forecast to be 71% of our revenue budget in 2022-23, and so planning and leading our workforce to ensure that it is efficient, effective, and fully engaged in providing the student offer we can all be proud of, is critical to our success in delivering our strategic plan.
However, we are ambitious and confident about what we can achieve as we have firm foundations on which to build - we have strong levels of staff satisfaction, a clear and shared understanding of our vision, mission and strategic objectives and, importantly, the behaviours that underpin how we need to live our values.
We are clear that the delivery of the People Strategy is dependent on developing managers and leaders across the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group to lead with kindness and compassion, to feel confident in making bold decisions, having authentic conversations and working across structural boundaries. It is also dependent on all staff feeling a sense of belonging, where they can be the best they can be within a supportive and inclusive culture.
Group Vision, Mission and Strategic Objectives
Our Vision
Quite simply, our vision outlines what we are aiming for in the future, in terms of our long-term goals -
“To be the outstanding, first-choice education group in Yorkshire, passionately serving all of our communities”
Our Mission
Our mission describes why we are here, our purpose and what we do -
“Our staff positively transform our students’ lives and the communities we serve by putting them at the heart of everything we do”
Our Values
Our people, staff and students are at the heart of all we do. We have developed four core values which are centred on making the right things happen for the right reasons these are:
Collaboration
We take individual and collective accountability to work together to seize opportunities to continuously improve
Ambition
We aspire for excellence, continually growing and looking for opportunities to innovate and develop.
Inclusion
We create a safe and sustainable environment, enabling creativity and individuality, and where all can thrive both now and in the future.
Respect
We clearly communicate with transparency and integrity and show kindness and passion for the things we do.
Our Strategic Objectives
1. Develop skills offer that is aligned to the needs of the areas we serve through partnership and collaboration
2. Ensure our curriculum delivery is high quality and inclusive, and we provide an outstanding student experience
3. Develop a strong culture and people who are effective and committed
4. Deliver strong finances to facilitate investment in our resources and our offer
5. Commit wholeheartedly to the development of sustainability within our communities
Strategic Themes
The People Strategy will be delivered through five themes that are future-focused and underpinned by the people plan which everyone has a part to play in its success.
Attracting, rewarding and retaining the best talent
Attracting, rewarding and retaining the best talent: To attract and welcome the best people, including those with industry expertise, through a recruitment experience that is modern, transparent, and inclusive, with onboarding and induction that ensures new colleagues are clear about expectations and feel supported through their initial employment with the Group.
Engagement and wellbeing: To have a happy, healthy, and positive workforce, where we all feel recognised, valued, heard, and rewarded fairly.
Inclusive workplace, where everyone can thrive: We will have fair and equitable terms and conditions, with values which are aligned, are embedded in inclusive practice, and which enable us to thrive.
Inspirational and effective leadership: Delivered through continuous investment in the development of leaders to ensure a consistent approach across the Group whilst addressing individual development needs. People-related management information will support managers and leaders in their roles.
High performing workforce: To be encouraged to personally develop, to enable us to achieve our full potential as individuals and as teams. Expectations and accountabilities will be clear.
High performing workforce
Inspirational and effective leadership
Engagement and wellbeing
Inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive with fair and equitable terms and conditions
OurPeople
What will it look like?
How will we know how we are doing?
Strategic Aims Measures
By the end of the academic year 2024-25:
Our communities will recognise us as an employer of choice within the district and our workforce will be reflective of the diverse and vibrant communities we serve, with inclusion at the core.
Our staff voice mechanisms will be highly effective, and we will have an in depth understanding of the perceptions of our people through actively seeking feedback, acting where it will benefit our working lives.
We will have demonstrated our commitment to improving our people’s sense of belonging and caring about our individual wellbeing and futures.
Our approach to professional development will enable individuals to strive for continuous self-development ensuring we are able to thrive and be the best that we can be and develop our next generation of leaders.
3. A positive, inclusive culture that promotes equality and diversity
We will continuously measure a range of internal performance measures, taking positive action where necessary to improve our working lives with the overall objective of our people acting as advocates who agree the Group is a first-class place to work and study.
The table below demonstrates our strategic aims and measures for the strategic objective for People, which will support the delivery of the Strategic Plan overall. The deliverables and KPIs are for 2022-23.
High performance of staff will be evidenced by achievement of strategic objectives as a whole, but specific detail will be provided
Staff undertake, record and reflect on CPD that enhances and improves professional practice
Effective recruitment onboarding, and induction of staff focused on delivering strategic objectives
Developing employee voice mechanisms that are effective, through ensuring that our staff members’ lived experiences are captured and acted on
Our staff body is reflective of the districts we serve and we strive to represent our student body at all levels of the organisation
• Annual HR Report / People Services Report
• Casework trend reports (including sickness levels, disciplinaries)
Staff undertake a minimum of 30 hours of relevant and targeted CPD per year and agree that it helps them to be effective in their role (survey)
No business-critical posts remain unfilled for more than 12 weeks
All new staff fully complete their induction within six months
FE External Survey % agreeing that Communication is effective Levels of engagement with staff surveys
Annual staff profile (characteristics) information presented as part of EDI Report to Board
FE External Survey % agreeing that Equality is embedded into the culture of the College
1. High performing, motivated and satisfied staff
Staff feedback mechanisms demonstrate a high level of staff engagement and satisfaction.
% recommending Heart of Yorkshire as a good employer
Staff who agree the Group takes their wellbeing seriously % of staff who agree the Group takes their wellbeing seriously
2. Staff have the right skills to deliver our strategic objectives