The L&D Forum

Learning Agreements

Posted by Ceri Sawyer on July 6, 2016 at 4:32pm in Learning Delivery & Facilitation

Hello,

I'm in the process of reviewing our policy and procedures and seeking opinion on when you would put in place a learning agreement?

At present we don't have that clearly defined - just when we feel it would enable that person to go off and get another job.  So, my questions are:

  • What sorts of training do you include in your Learning Agreement? Just qualifications (Degrees, Diplomas etc.) or skills enhancement (Sales Techniques for a Sales Assistant for example).
  • Do you put an agreement in place if the training cost is over a certain amount - regardless of what it is?
  • How strictly is this enforced, is it set in stone in your policy or is it left to Manager's to decide when they feel it is necessary?

I know there's an argument that if you show you are prepared to invest in someone, they would have greater loyalty and therefore not leave.  We are very process and policy driven here so don't think we are quite ready for that approach! 

Thanks in advance,

Ceri

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Replies

  • Helen Bylett July 7, 2016 at 2:26pm

    Hi Ceri,

    I work for a local authority and we have a Learning Agreement that covers anything that will result in a Professional qualification or if the cost of the training is over £500.  The Learner signs to say that if they leave our employment within 2 years of the date of the qualification (unless through redundancy) they will be required to re-pay a proportion of the fees (depending on how soon after qualifying they leave).  This is very strictly enforced.

    Hope this helps, but I am happy to share more information if you feel that would be useful.

    Thanks

    Helen

    • Ceri Sawyer > Helen Bylett July 14, 2016 at 12:54pm

      Thanks for the info Helen, really useful to know what others are doing.

      I initially posed this question to find out if the terms we were thinking of were stricter than other companies - but from this and other responses elsewhere I don't think that we are!

      Kind regards,

      Ceri

      • Blake Henegan > Ceri Sawyer July 15, 2016 at 11:44am

        I understand the pros and cons of having these agreements and each culture is different.  

        What would impress with a company that did have an agreement in place, is an approach that valued their employee happiness,  For example an agreement that said "however if you are unhappy in your role and are only staying to avoid paying back the fees then let's discuss what we can do to make your job/life better".    

        There's nothing worse than retaining unhappy staff who are counting down the days.  

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