Public Sector Learning and Development Programme Training Course

Course overview

Public-sector learning and development teams must demonstrate more than attendance and satisfaction scores. They are expected to build capability for policy delivery, regulatory change, digital transformation, leadership succession and service improvement while working within budget controls, workforce plans and audit requirements. This course addresses the practical challenge of turning organisational priorities and performance evidence into targeted learning interventions that managers can support and that senior leaders can measure.

Participants learn to conduct a learning needs analysis using role, service and performance data; define capability gaps; segment learner groups; and select the right blend of formal learning, coaching, peer practice and performance support. The programme covers competency frameworks, learning design, accessibility, evaluation models, learning metrics, vendor governance and business cases. Participants practise writing measurable learning objectives, developing assessment plans, calculating return-on-expectation measures and presenting a dashboard that links learning activity to workforce and service outcomes.

Teaching combines instructor-led explanation with public-sector casework, including a scenario involving a service transformation programme with inconsistent manager capability. Working in groups, participants build a complete Learning and Development Programme Plan: a needs-analysis summary, stakeholder map, audience segmentation, curriculum architecture, delivery schedule, evaluation framework, governance controls and performance dashboard. This deliverable can be adapted for use in their own department, agency, local authority, public body or publicly funded organisation.

The course is designed for experienced HR, OD and workforce professionals who already contribute to learning activity and now need a stronger strategic, evidence-based approach. It is equally valuable for managers responsible for capability programmes who need to commission, govern or evaluate learning provision with greater confidence.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Conduct a learning needs analysis using service priorities, workforce data, performance evidence and stakeholder interviews
• Build a role-based capability matrix that identifies critical skills, proficiency levels and development gaps
• Write measurable learning objectives and assessment criteria using Bloom’s taxonomy and observable performance measures
• Design a blended public-sector learning pathway combining workshops, coaching, peer learning, digital resources and performance support
• Create an evaluation plan using the Kirkpatrick Model, baseline measures, follow-up data and outcome indicators
• Develop a learning dashboard in Microsoft Power BI or Excel to track participation, application, capability and service measures
• Prepare a costed business case for an L&D programme with options, assumptions, benefits, risks and governance arrangements
• Produce an implementation-ready Learning and Development Programme Plan for a defined public-sector capability priority

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• Learning and Development Managers — who must align capability programmes with workforce plans, service priorities and measurable outcomes
• HR Business Partners — who advise leaders on performance, workforce capability and development investment
• Organisational Development Practitioners — who design change interventions requiring sustained manager and employee capability
• Talent and Succession Managers — who need structured development pathways for critical roles and future leaders
• Workforce Planning Managers — who translate future service demand and skills forecasts into development requirements
• Public Service Managers — who commission or oversee learning for teams delivering regulated or citizen-facing services

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical experience of supporting, commissioning or managing workplace learning, HR, organisational development or workforce initiatives. They should understand basic concepts such as learning objectives, performance management, job roles and stakeholder consultation, and be comfortable working with spreadsheets containing workforce or training data. Familiarity with Microsoft Excel is useful because participants work with sample datasets and metrics. No instructional-design qualification, Power BI experience, learning management system administration or advanced statistical knowledge is required. Participants new to strategic L&D should expect a demanding but supported introduction to planning, evaluation and governance methods.

Training methodology

The programme uses short instructor-led briefings followed by practical work on a continuing public-sector service-transformation case. Participants analyse workforce and performance data in Excel, conduct simulated stakeholder interviews, map capability requirements and design a blended learning pathway. Facilitated groups review supplier proposals, challenge weak evaluation measures and build dashboard indicators in Excel or Power BI. Daily outputs are peer-reviewed against public-sector governance and accessibility requirements. On day five, each participant develops an application plan and receives structured feedback on their L&D Programme Plan.

Course outline

Day 1: Strategic L&D in the public sector

• Public-sector capability drivers: service delivery, regulation, reform and workforce risk
• Aligning L&D priorities with corporate plans, workforce strategies and operating models
• Distinguishing training requests from evidenced performance and capability needs
• Stakeholder mapping for executives, service leaders, managers, unions and learners
• Learning needs analysis methods: interviews, focus groups, surveys and document review
• Using workforce, performance, quality and customer data as diagnostic evidence
• Defining programme scope, assumptions, constraints and governance boundaries

Workshop: Participants analyse a service-transformation brief and produce a stakeholder map, problem statement and initial learning needs analysis plan.

Day 2: Capability frameworks and learning pathway design

• Role analysis and task decomposition for public-service occupations
• Building competency and capability matrices with behavioural proficiency descriptors
• Audience segmentation by role, location, experience, risk exposure and access needs
• Writing measurable learning objectives using Bloom’s taxonomy and performance conditions
• Selecting learning methods: workshops, simulations, coaching, communities of practice and job aids
• Designing accessible learning using inclusive design and reasonable-adjustment principles
• Creating curriculum architectures, learning pathways and progression routes

Workshop: Participants build a capability matrix and a six-month blended learning pathway for a priority public-sector role group.

Day 3: Delivery governance and supplier management

• Programme governance roles, decision rights, escalation routes and reporting cycles
• Developing learning specifications and statements of requirement for external providers
• Assessing supplier proposals against outcomes, quality controls, accessibility and value criteria
• Learning management system data fields, enrolment controls and completion records
• Facilitator standards, train-the-trainer models and quality assurance observations
• Managing protected learning time, manager accountability and operational release constraints
• Risk registers for programme delivery, data protection, equality and business continuity

Workshop: Participants evaluate sample supplier submissions and produce a scored recommendation with delivery risks and contract-management controls.

Day 4: Evaluation, analytics and benefits measurement

• Kirkpatrick Model levels and their appropriate use in workplace learning
• Developing logic models that connect learning inputs, outputs, behaviours and service outcomes
• Setting baselines, targets, comparison groups and post-programme measurement points
• Designing knowledge checks, skills assessments, observation tools and manager follow-up reviews
• Calculating learning costs, participation rates, completion rates and cost per learner
• Building Excel and Power BI dashboards for capability, application and outcome measures
• Interpreting evaluation findings and identifying programme improvement actions

Workshop: Participants create an evaluation matrix and prototype dashboard for the learning pathway designed on day two.

Day 5: Business cases and implementation planning

• Structuring an L&D business case: strategic case, economic case, commercial case and management case
• Costing delivery options, facilitator time, learner release, technology and supplier costs
• Quantifying expected benefits, avoided risks and return-on-expectation measures
• Creating phased implementation plans with milestones, dependencies and decision gates
• Preparing executive briefing papers and evidence-based recommendation slides
• Applying ISO 30422:2022 learning and development principles to programme governance
• Establishing review cycles, lessons learned processes and continuous improvement actions

Workshop: Participants complete and present their Learning and Development Programme Plan, receiving peer and instructor feedback before creating a 90-day implementation plan.

Tools & standards covered

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI, Microsoft Forms, ISO 30422:2022

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions