The training and development success of a Guernsey company will be highlighted at Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners’ conferences in London and Singapore.
Trevor Kelham, CEO of Standard Chartered Trust (Guernsey) Limited, is chairman of the group’s trust and fiduciary learning and development committee and has already spoken last week at a conference in London and will do so again in Singapore in July.
Last year, the local office became the first in the island to receive platinum accreditation from the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners for its employer training scheme. Standard Chartered as a group was also one of just three companies to be named as STEP platinum training partners worldwide.
The accreditation came through Standard Chartered taking part in a pilot of a STEP scheme which, alongside promoting qualifications, allowed companies to self-certify the continual professional development of members and drive forward on the job training. The scheme is being rolled out this year and Mr Kelham will talk to delegates about the company’s approach and the success it has seen.
Mr Kelham said: "Learning and development is something I am particularly passionate about and my MBA dissertation was about the learning organisation. So often, companies take the approach that sending their staff on courses is the best way of developing them but I don’t believe that delivers value to the organisation or to the individual.
"Learning and development needs to be meaningful and so Standard Chartered’s Trust and Fiduciary Group adopted the 70/20/10 model where 70% is on the job learning, 20% is what we learn from others and 10% is structured learning. We believe our approach creates a learning and development environment which meets STEP’s requirements but more importantly ensured our colleagues not only learnt but also thrived.
"Everyone does it, no matter what position you’re in or how long you have been doing the job. We are committed to ensuring our teams have insightful knowledge of the markets, cultures and the needs and requirements of clients in our regions of focus and that isn’t something that can be learnt through a textbook. We want to ensure that we have the right people who not only know how technically to carry out their role but know how to communicate with colleagues and clients, support those around them and develop personally.
"It is a very different approach, and while it’s not measureable in the traditional way, it is important that we have measurement to celebrate success and focus on areas of potential weakness.
"The approach works globally although we are aware of subtle cultural differences. That’s the fantastic thing about this model; it is totally flexible for each office and each individual.
"The feedback from London was really positive and more flexibility seemed to have resonance with many other STEP members. I’m looking forward to sharing Standard Chartered’s story in Singapore and hopefully our experience will show other organisations how they and their teams will benefit from taking a different approach. It’s a great news story for Guernsey that a programme, which was trialled in the island, is now being rolled out globally."
STEP’s head of employer partnerships, Jenni Hutchinson said: "Standard Chartered Trust was one of the founder members of the Employer Partnership Programme and has been instrumental in working with us at STEP to shape the pilot and drive the programme forward. Standard Chartered Trust is accredited as a Platinum Employer Partner, the highest level of accreditation available to STEP employers, and Trevor clearly demonstrated through his lively and engaging presentation the excellent and comprehensive learning and development support on offer to all staff within the organisation."