BBC Training: Observations on the Current Operation and Effectiveness of the BBC’s Arrangements for the Training and Retraining of BBC Staff 1. Introduction The BBC Trust is the governing body of the BBC and it is our role to get the best out of the BBC for licence fee payers. In accordance with this, we have specific responsibilities under the BBC’s Charter and Agreement to ensure that the Executive Board makes appropriate arrangements for the training and retraining of BBC staff. We believe that the BBC has a unique role to play in society which can only be fulfilled by ensuring a skilled workforce that can deliver the high quality and distinctive services that audiences value. The Executive Board is therefore required to report to the Trust annually on its training and retraining arrangements of BBC staff and we then publish our observations on their operation and effectiveness. This report provides the BBC Trust’s fourth annual commentary on these arrangements, covering the financial year ending 31 March 2011. The Executive’s full report is attached. 2. Summary The Executive’s report for 2010-11 provides a comprehensive account of its arrangements for the training and retraining of BBC staff through the BBC Academy. We note that the Executive is responding effectively to changing requirements in this area, caused by the implementation of the new BBC strategy, Delivering Quality First and the ongoing efficiency agenda. This has led to the Academy reducing and refocusing its core training portfolio with a move towards more strategically aligned, larger scale training activities. It is also re- evaluating its training offer for the wider broadcasting industry. We believe the training arrangements continue to support the promotion of the BBC’s Public Purposes and assist in ensuring there is a highly skilled media workforce across the audio visual industry around the UK. 3. Report on last year’s actions 3.1 BBC Training The Trust welcomes the Academy’s progress in aligning its work with the BBC strategic business agenda by focusing on three key areas: • Supporting quality with training directed at five priority areas: Standards; Creativity; Multi-skilling; Digital; and Leadership. • Supporting the move to a redeveloped Broadcasting House in central London • Supporting the BBC’s Out of London ambitions including delivering some training from the BBC’s new centre in Salford. The Trust also notes the introduction of a new business model which will include more freelance trainers and changes to the scheduling and resourcing of courses. The Academy was asked last year to review the management of the BBC’s mandatory training and the Trust notes the outcome of that review. In future, the Academy Board will approve new pan BBC mandatory training. The Trust asks the Academy to ensure that risk management is carefully considered as part of the decision-making process. 3.2 Engagement The Trust welcomes the Academy’s engagement with senior managers throughout the BBC. It is crucial that the Academy delivers appropriate training for the organisation and the support of senior managers is essential in achieving this. As noted in the Executive’s report, 83% of staff who attended training courses said that the training enabled them to do their job better, and 97% of managers reported that training had made their teams more effective. The Trust hopes that the Academy can continue to achieve these approval ratings. Of concern, however, is the approval rating from senior managers, only 35% of whom thought that training had helped them achieve longer term business change. The Trust would expect the Executive to engage meaningfully with this group over the next year to understand better their concerns and how to respond to them. The Trust is pleased to note initiatives to ensure that staff get the best out of the training on offer, including making training and development part of the new appraisal system. 3.3 Training the wider industry The BBC has an important role in the provision of training to the wider broadcasting industry and the Trust welcomes progress in this area. This includes the collaboration with the Arts Council England on the Building Digital Capability in the Arts initiative and the external launch of the College of Production website. The Trust also notes that the Academy has hosted a pan-industry freelance training event, which has the potential to build better relationships with private training companies. 4. Challenges ahead The Executive faces several challenges over the next year as it strives to continue to offer first-class training though the Academy. It will need to ensure that the Academy is able to operate efficiently and respond appropriately to the implementation of the new BBC strategy, Delivering Quality First. The Trust notes the decline in commercial revenue from training and will need for the Academy to ensure that revenue targets are met for the coming year. 5. Conclusions The Trust welcomes the BBC Academy’s focus on supporting the BBC’s strategic business plans and its response to the ongoing efficiency agenda. Overall, the Trust believes that the BBC is meeting its obligations under the Charter and Agreement for the training and retraining of BBC staff. July 2011 1. OVERVIEW: 2010/11 has been about working hard to ensure that the Academy is focused on supporting the BBC’s strategic business agenda which, in turn, supports the BBC’s Public Purposes. It’s also been a year devoted to planning for significant budget cutbacks; PPI reductions of £9m over 2 years and DQF budget cuts of 25% by 2013 amount to a 35% cut in the Academy budget over three years. Both of these imperatives have led us to reduce and refocus the Academy’s core portfolio; with a shift towards more strategically aligned, big scale training activity. We had planned to make changes irrespective of budget cuts but the stark reality of savings means that change will be more radical, and happen more quickly, than originally anticipated. We’re hopeful that over the next few years not only will a new Academy business model enable us to make the necessary savings, it will also enable us to maintain the quality of the training we deliver and continue to focus on delivering against the requirements set out in the BBC Agreement. 2. STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT: When we set up the Academy in December 09 we were determined that it should be an agent of change and not just a delivery mechanism for core skills training. • The Academy is focused on delivering skills in five key areas that underpin the BBC’s strategic agenda, which in turn support the BBC’s Public Purposes (see appendix 2) These skills give staff the confidence and ability to adapt to radical shifts in working patterns and technologies. They also support the BBC’s global reputation for world class editorial standards and creativity; building an organisation led by senior managers who have the skills, confidence and flexibility to steer the BBC through major changes in the broadcasting industry. o Standards: Helping to maintain the BBC’s reputation for world class editorial standards is at the heart of the Academy’s purpose o Creativity: Helping to deliver outstanding creative content to all BBC audiences across all genres and platforms o Digital: Equipping the workforce with the skills needed to cope with new workflows; from tapeless working to tapeless camera to tapeless transmissions and moving away from the traditional research, shoot and edit cycle. o Multi-skilling: Delivering a programme/ brand experience across different platforms; choosing the right content, for the right audience, on the right device at the right time o Leadership: Navigating through this change requires world class leadership capability in order to get the very best out of the teams who produce and shape BBC content. In 2011/12 the outcome of Delivering Quality First may alter the emphasis between these priorities but it is unlikely that the priorities themselves will cease to be strategically important. And we can no longer treat these priorities in isolation. In order to help create and encourage the workforce we need for the future, we’re now developing high impact training events which fuse technical and editorial skills. Academy Fusion labs will roll out across the UK from May 2011. • Supporting the move to W1. This year has been principally about the Academy agreeing the training plan with the W1 project team, agreeing to pay for the plan (up to £3.6m) and starting the technical training. • Supporting the BBC’s Out of London ambitions. A year ago training delivery out of London was driven by ‘bottom up’ demand. Since then we have worked with internal and external stakeholders to develop training plans which are more strategic and supportive of creative sustainability. However, we have to be realistic about what is achievable. As far as possible we are planning to draw on our existing core portfolio rather than develop bespoke solutions for relatively small numbers of people. We are also investigating whether it is more economical to deliver more training locally (as we’d planned) or concentrate delivery in London and Salford. Some difficult trade- offs lie ahead. Training delivery out of London is set to increase overall. By Sept 2011, the Academy will locate 22 posts to MediaCityUK and we plan to deliver Upfront and a number of our key foundation programmes from Salford alongside a range of courses from our core portfolio. In this way we plan to meet the ongoing training needs of BBC North and also provide opportunities for the rest of the BBC to go through the ‘Salford experience’. 3.