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Developing skills in a large

organisation through training
and development

CURRICULUM TOPICS
Workforce planning
On-the-job/off-the-job
training
Competencies
Personal development

Introduction
National Grid is one of the worlds largest utilities. It focuses on the delivery of energy
(gas and electricity) safely, reliably, responsibly and efficiently. The networks include:
around 4,500 miles of overhead power lines
340 electricity substations
4,300 miles of high pressure gas pipelines
around 80,000 miles of distribution pipes delivering gas to 11 million meters.
The skills of National Grid employees are at the heart of its success in reaching world-class safety,
operating and financial performance. Many of the companys roles are complex, requiring both a
wide range and depth of skills. Some examples of activities carried out in various job areas within
the company include:
Engineering

e.g. building and maintaining overhead power lines and

gas pipelines

Commercial

e.g. forecasting supply and demand of gas and electricity

Finance

e.g. recording and reporting the accounts

Human Resources

e.g. recruiting and developing employees

Supply Chain Management

e.g. purchasing and delivering materials

Information Services

e.g. providing IT support

Legal

e.g. providing information on changes to legislation that

will affect the company

Communications

e.g. creating company publications and dealing with the media

Safety, Health, Environment

and Security

e.g. creating and managing safer ways of working and

seeking new ways to minimise the environmental impact
of activities

GLOSSARY
Utilities: a company that
maintains the infrastructure
for a public service, like
water, gas, electricity.
Training: enabling
employees to develop the
knowledge, skills and
attitudes required to carry out
the work needed to meet an
organisations objectives.
Development: improving
an individual in line with
the requirements of that
individual.
Workforce planning: a
plan setting out the future
employment skills required
for an organisation.

This case study focuses on how National Grid manages training and development within
the organisation.

Workforce planning and identifying training needs

National Grid recognises that about 40% of its current workforce will reach retirement age
over the next 10-15 years. Combined with the trend over the last decade of fewer students
studying engineering at university, this is likely to result in a skills shortage. To combat this,
National Grid is actively involved in a number of educational initiatives aimed at students
beginning from age nine. These initiatives seek to help increase the number and diversity of
young people interested in engineering careers. This ultimately creates a greater pool of
skilled talent from which National Grid can recruit.

N AT I O N A L G R I D

Workforce planning involves making sure that the organisation has the right skills to meet
its current and future needs. For example, this might include identifying how many highly
qualified engineers National Grid needs in the period 2007-2010. It is then possible to
identify whether the company needs to recruit additional specialist engineers from outside the
organisation or train those already employed.

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Two such educational initiatives in which National Grid participates are the Engineering
Education Scheme (EES) and Headstart. EES (www.thescheme.org.uk) involves the companys
graduate trainees working with sixth form students. The focus is on providing real-world
engineering projects for them to work on. Headstart (www.headstartcourses.org.uk) is a
programme run at the end of year 12 for students to learn more about engineering. It is a
four-day course held at 24 universities and involves hands-on experiences. There are also
courses run specifically for young females interested in the field of engineering.

There are two main forms of training and development:

Training and Development

On-the-job

Off-the-job

Workplace-based:
learning while you
are working.

Learning away from the

immediate job environment
for example, at a
training centre.

On-the-job training
On-the-job training is valuable where realism is essential. It is a particularly good way of
developing technical skills. During on-the-job training, a colleague or supervisor guides the
employee through tasks and processes so that the employee knows how to perform the task and
to what standard. Typically, the supervisor observes the trainees while they perform their duties.
After observation, the observer provides the trainees with feedback on their performance.
All of National Grids schemes provide extensive on-the-job training and have received several
accolades and awards. The Graduate Development Programme is open to applications from
graduates with a 2:1 degree or above in an engineering or commercial subject. About 40
graduates will be employed in 2007. About three-quarters of these join the engineering
programme and the remaining quarter join the commercial and finance programmes. The
foundation modules of the programme last 18 months, during which time graduates are provided
with three, six-month placements. Two of these are with a future job in mind and the other one is
to broaden their perspective and give them more insight into the company. During each
placement, graduates have real, on-the-job projects to complete. They also work with a mentor,
who provides guidance and support.
National Grid is among the top employers in Britain for its Advanced Apprenticeships. An
apprenticeship provides a recognised qualification and a technical role in the company.
National Grid has apprenticeships ranging from 24 to 36 months, all of which contain
substantial elements of on-the-job training.

On Job Training (NVQ Driven)

Year 1
4 Months

Year 2
4 Months

Year 3
8 Months

Year 1
Foundation

Off Job Training

Year 2
Specialist Skills &
NVQ Assessment

Year 3
Specialist Skills &
NVQ Assessment

Keyskills
Technical Certificate
NVQ Level 3
Accredited Technical Training

Completion of Training Qualified Craftsperson

36 Months

Closing Workshop & Review

Mentor: someone who

acts as a guide and
support to a less
experienced trainee
giving them advice and
encouragement.

Training is the process of equipping people with skills that meet the needs of an organisation.
Development focuses on identifying and meeting the work-related needs of employees.
National Grid is committed to both training and development.

Induction & Safety

On-the-job training:
instructing employees at
their place of work while
they are carrying out their
normal work-based
activities.

National Grid has also invested in work placement programmes for university students. These
experiences help the students learn more about National Grid as both a business and an
employer. It also enables students to bring to life the theory from their coursework.
Additionally, the company runs programmes for foundation engineers, graduates and
apprentices. All of these schemes provide important training and development needed to
build and sustain National Grids workforce.

Recruitment & Selection

Competency Based

GLOSSARY

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Employees on Advanced Apprenticeships are typically aged 16 and over, have at least
4 GCSEs and have an interest in technical operations. 88 apprentices will be appointed
in 2007.

Off-the-job training
This is any form of training which takes place away from the immediate workplace. Off-thejob training includes more general skills and knowledge useful for work, as well as jobspecific training. Training may be provided by specialist trainers working for National Grid or
by an outside company hired to help with training. Off-the-job training is particularly effective
for non-technical skills, as employees can use these across different areas of the company.
Both apprentices and graduates receive induction training. One of the induction modules
for graduates is a project that aims to accelerate their understanding of the whole company
and introduce them to the behaviours required for working in business teams.
It provides many opportunities to learn about and explore four core competencies:
1. Managing oneself. Trainees learn tools and techniques to help their self-development
through managing their time effectively, meeting deadlines and targets and building other
personal capabilities.
2. Working with others. Trainees develop leadership and influencing skills, learn to better
listen to and respect others, build team spirit and understand personal differences within
the team.
3. Business and strategic awareness. Trainees learn and analyse the companys strategy and
the commercial environment in which it operates.
4. Planning to achieve. Trainees improve their skills in data gathering and interpretation,
project management and creative problem solving.

GLOSSARY
Off-the-job training:
training not specifically
related to carrying out a
work-based task.
Induction: the initial
process of learning to fit
into an organisation.
Culture: the typical
pattern of doing things in
an organisation.

In addition, Health and Safety is an essential part of training at National Grid, whether
employees perform their work in an office or outdoors in the field. The company constantly
emphasises the importance for all employees to ensure their own safety, the safety of their
colleagues and the public as well as the safety of the companys networks. National Grid
passionately believes that all workplace injuries and incidents are preventable. The companys
Road to Zero programme is in place to help the company achieve its target of zero injuries
every day. National Grid's Golden Rules are a fundamental building block for its Road to Zero.
They focus on critical areas of the business where safe behaviours are essential to safeguard
employees and the public. They cover behaviours that will prevent the most serious injuries.

Development
Development is the process of supporting the improvement of a person in line with individual
needs and business requirements. At National Grid, development does not end when a
training scheme ends. National Grids culture promotes the continuing development of
its staff.

For example, an employee might state that he or she would like to improve his/her
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and public speaking skills in order to
more effectively develop and deliver business presentations. This need could be fulfilled using
on-the-job or off-the-job training, or a combination of both. For example, the employee may
work with a colleague who is preparing and delivering a presentation. Alternatively or
additionally, the employee may attend a classroom-based training course.
Once discussed during the development review, the development needs and associated
training and development necessary to fulfil them are set out in a document called a personal
development plan (PDP). The PDP is reviewed for progress at points throughout the year.
The following profile provides an example of how National Grid supports the training and
development of its people.

N AT I O N A L G R I D

During the year, employees have development reviews. A development review involves an
individual sitting down with his/her manager to talk about what development the employee
needs and what support the company can provide to assist the employee in fulfilling the
need(s).

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Johnny Johnston (top left photo)

GLOSSARY
Secondment: employee
goes to another workplace
for a temporary period.

My relationship with National Grid has been going on for some time. After I completed
my A levels, I joined National Grid as a Year in Industry student. I was 18. I knew very
little about this business. But the whole experience opened my eyes to the size and
scope of National Grid. I was sponsored through university, coming back to a different
area of the company each summer for an eight-week placement. After I completed
my masters degree in engineering science, I joined the companys Graduate
Development Programme.
As an engineering graduate, my development was made up of 50% technical and 50%
commercial training. I also received competency-based training that has come in very
useful in the real working environment. It was a pretty intense 18 months since we
covered a lot of ground, but it is well put together and really enjoyable.
I have worked in various departments and locations throughout the company. One of
my placements on the graduate scheme was in the corporate centre in London, which
gave me high-level exposure to projects. I spent two great years on a secondment to
the US working on the electricity side of the business, developing as an economics
expert in transmission operations. Ive also had experience on the gas side of the
business, managing projects in gas distribution.
Last year, I completed the companys Emergent Leaders Programme, in which we as
delegates got to sink our teeth into a high profile business project. Our project revolved
around the power line and pipeline diversion in East London thats part of the citys
preparation for the 2012 Olympics. It was a challenging piece of work, but also a great
opportunity to use and build upon the skills Ive developed here through the years.
I love the variety of work and development opportunities on offer at National Grid.
I came out of university as an electrical engineer and yet have found myself dealing
with politicians in corporate affairs, involved in both the electricity and gas sides of the
business and working on ground-breaking economic forecasting studies in the US.
I look forward to taking on even more challenges and responsibility in the future.

Conclusion
National Grid is a large organisation that plays a vital role in transporting energy to every
home and business in Britain. It needs new people and needs to develop its existing people to
meet the challenges of the energy industry. Workforce planning involves identifying the skills
the organisation requires both now and for the future. Training and development plays an
important part in helping to build the right skills in new and existing employees. On-the-job
training is particularly useful for building technical skills. Off-the-job training and
development planning are also necessary to develop more general competencies.

Questions
1. Describe one training and development scheme that is offered by National Grid. Who is it
for? How long does it last? What sorts of things does it cover?
2. Explain the differences between training and development. Why are they both important
for new employees?
3. How will training and development
programmes enable National Grid to meet
its workforce plans?
4. What are the four general competencies
National Grid develops in its staff? How do
they support the business objectives?

www.nationalgrid.com