Case Study: Training and Development - Aberdeen Council

In 2002 only 22% of the top 2% posts at Aberdeenshire Council were filled by women, which made them 20^th in the Audit Scotland ranking tables The Council, therefore, undertook research to establish the reasons for this.

The Chrysalis Programme was designed specifically for women to address some of the issues identified by the research. The overall aim of the programme was to increase the number of women managers and leaders in the Council through the development of skills, abilities and confidence. The programme included a range of elements including 360 degree feedback, action learning sets, confidence building, presentation and interview skills, and creative thinking. Specifically it sought to:

• Increase the confidence of participants
• Raise awareness of the match between individuals and a selected leadership competence framework
• Promote effective team working leading to changes in performance
• Identify how the Council could improve the recruitment and retention of female leaders

An EU-funded external evaluation of the pilot programme identified:

• 72% of participants had changed their plans/aspirations for the future, particularly in terms of considering themselves more likely to apply for senior posts
• 94% suggested that there had been changes to their personal development
• All participants reported changes to their skills and their awareness of their skills
• 89% reported changes to their ways of working which linked to the development of more effective management and improvements to team working

Following modifications, a further four programmes (including one for both men and women) have taken place. The programme is again being evaluated to ensure that it remains fit for purpose and Chrysalis 6 is now due to run, for women only, in the final quarter of 2007.

The number of top 2% posts filled by women has increased steadily to 32.2%, taking Aberdeenshire Council from 20^th to 13^th place among Scotland’s 32 Councils.