Written Learning and Development Proposal
You are to act as a Human Resource Development expert, proposing a suitable learning and development intervention to a management board. This was due to take the form of a verbal boardroom briefing; however, due to the current measures in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Management Board has requested a written learning and development proposal instead.
You will play the role of the Managing Director of a small Leadership and Human Resource Management Training and Consultancy company, called Walton Consulting Ltd. You have expressed an interest in supplying training and development services to a company in the takeaway food industry, having responded to a tender on a procurement website.
Task
You must now submit a written business proposal to deliver a Leadership and Human Resource Development programme for this client. Your proposal should include all the essential information, research and evidence as requested in the Client Brief below, and should be supported by underpinning theory/evidence.
Notes:
The briefing should demonstrate your own original thinking and your own original delivery plan, with data, quotes, and other evidence used, where appropriate, to evidence and support your own, original debate.
You are required to use the briefing format stated in the client brief below.
Client Brief
The holding company Marshall Facilities Ltd was formed in 1995 and operates under several well-known food brands including ‘Just Now’, ‘All You Can Eat’ and ‘Quality At-The-Heart’. These have enjoyed considerable success in competition against other, larger high street takeaway food brands. This has been due to enjoying a market position above their direct competitors, in terms of quality and service. Staff training has been at the heart of this relative success, but the organisation now wishes to increase their competitive advantage by ensuing their managerial staff are at the forefront of recent developments in L&D.
They have several outlets in central London, serving a selection of different customer groups including those with above average disposable income and sophisticated tastes. Having had significant growth in staff numbers, the company is willing to invest in training & development for their newly appointed managers, and have advertised for a HRD consulting business partner to support them in achieving their ambitious goals.
The main areas in which staff numbers have increased are in the following departments:
- Customer Service Assistants (based in various outlets)
- Sales and Marketing
- Centralised Customer Service Dept
- Accounting & Finance
- Human Resource
- Procurement
- Transport & Logistics
- Facilities Management
The huge increase in staff has placed extraordinary pressure on existing management teams and has required the employment of additional management staff. There is now a pressing need to train and develop this varied group of managers to make effective use of their people, so they in turn can deliver outstanding service to existing and potential customers. In order to achieve this, their people must be capable, effective, motivated and happy to be a member of the Marshall team. This means that Leadership and Management Development has become a key enabler.
They require you to provide a proposal for delivering a Leadership and Management Development programme to their management team, starting in October 2020, and finishing by March 2021 latest. The following staff will take part in the programme:
- 8 Senior Managers
- 25 Department Managers
- 21 Assistant Department Managers
Additional detail is provided below, from the client.
Our senior managers need detailed insight into Leadership and Human Resource mechanisms/tools/approaches that will allow us to build a capable and resilient workforce in the coming years. They are particularly interested in developing effective HR management systems and learning about alternative reward systems that are likely to result in high levels of improved customer service, staff loyalty, and reduced staff turnover.
Our managers and assistant managers require extensive training and development in the basics of operational leadership and management, including resolving conflicts and disputes in the workplace, basic employment law, and day to day management of employment relationships. They also need to have a good understanding of motivational techniques, and team building/team management.
Our budget for this programme is in the region of £25,000.
If you would like to bid for this contract, we require a 1,000-word written proposal from you in the following format:
- Overview of your programme, its methodology/approach, with appropriate evidence/theoretical underpinning included.
- Scheme of work giving an indication of the delivery of the project against a timeline. You should include a graphic example of your scheme of work, in the form of a table/Gantt Chart, which should not exceed two side of A4 in length (this will be excluded from your word count).
- A summary of the itemised costing of the programme.
- An explanation of how the effectiveness of the programme might be measured using appropriate theory where relevant.
In order for you to prepare your bid in detail, I will make myself available for a 2 hour interview at a date to be mutually agreed, so that you might question me in detail on our specific requirements.
I look forward to hearing from you in due course. Yours sincerely,
Gerald Marshall
Managing Director Marshall Facilities Ltd
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
- Understand and evaluate the role that learning and development plays in an organisation’s HR strategy.
- Integrate L&D into the operational and policy elements of a business.
- Demonstrate how a variety of approaches and methods can be integrated to provide a bespoke solution to this business challenge.
Points to consider
- Time Scale
- Entry level of learners and desired effect on the organisation
- Resources and methods
- Formal/Informal approaches
- Correct use of academic skills
- High standards of presentation and grammar
- Credible, professional delivery of the proposition
Points to consider
- Use of effective and accurate references
- Use of professional terminology
- Seamless flow of proposition
ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY GENERIC ASSESSMENT CRITERIA AND MARKING STANDARDS LEVEL 6 (was level 3)
Level 6 is characterised by an expectation of students’ increasing autonomy in relation to their study and developing skill sets. Students are expected to demonstrate problem solving skills, both theoretical and practical. This is supported by an understanding of appropriate theory; creativity of expression and thought based in individual judgement; and the ability to seek out, invoke, analyse and evaluate competing theories or methods of working in a critically constructive and open manner. Output is articulate, coherent and skilled in the appropriate medium, with some students producing original or innovative work in their specialism.
