Learning and development - Dorset County Council

Induction

All new employees receive induction training. The purpose of this is to welcome you to the council, introduce you to your colleagues, enable you to find your way around your new environment and help you to understand your new role.

Appraisals

Everyone has the opportunity through a yearly ‘Personal Development Review’ meeting to review their achievements and agree targets for the year ahead. This is also a forum to discuss any further development needed to carry out your role effectively. The opportunities available are wide ranging. These might range from ‘Return to Learn’ and help with study skills through to specific specialist skills such as quantity surveying or child protection procedures.

Investors in people

We have a tradition of commitment to the development and education of our employees and elected Members. The organisation as a whole has recently been successfully re-assessed against the Investors in People standards as a further mark of this commitment.

Work related training

Learning and development events take place throughout Dorset, with activity co-ordinated from the Learning and Development centre at Top O’ Town House in Dorchester.

We employ our own specialist team to work with staff across the council in identifying learning and development needs and the best solutions to meet them. We use a mix of our own in house provision and external learning providers to meet these needs.

Apprenticeship schemes and trainee posts

We operate a number of apprenticeship schemes, offering young people the opportunity to earn while they learn. Apprenticeships in information technology, administration and customer care are amongst those currently available. Recruitment to our apprenticeship schemes is carried out each summer. You can register for e mail alerts about the scheme from this site.