National Probation Service Essex: Recruitment and Selection Training   You are here: Home » Case Studies

Our partnership with NPS - Essex goes back over five years working on many levels of diversity and equality. We have designed and delivered training on: Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion; Recruitment and Selection; Performance Management; and briefings and facilitations for senior staff on a range of issues. We are currently involved in developing management development training programmes for middle and senior staff for six and twelve month periods. This training would support the Recruitment and Selection and Equalities training that we are currently providing in Essex.

The work with NPS - Essex was different because, at the outset, it was new to this part of the Service to be considering equality issues in a formal training programme.  We did a variety of activities before the programme began - including several focus groups, a questionnaire and a presentation to managers - to make sure the introduction of these issues was successful and productive.

An organisation that is committed to mainstreaming equalities into all aspects of its work requires its managers to:

1. Understand and recognise discrimination;
2. Apply strategies that will eliminate the discrimination;
3. Use their discretion fairly;
4. Take equalities into account in their work with colleagues,
    offenders and the public;
5. Plan, review and deliver services with equalities at their heart;
6. Recruit and select fairly, in accordance with good practice;
7. Induct new staff properly and develop all staff fairly; and
8. Manage performance effectively.

The modular based approach will provide training in all these skills and enable managers to apply these skills in a range of different aspects of their work. It will be relevant to the regulatory environment in which managers are working and be consistent with The Business Excellence Model advocated by the Probation Service.

We value our long standing relationships with NPS - Essex as it reflects that delegates not only enjoy our interventions but that they make a measurable positive difference to individual and organizational performance.