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Skill Share Programme

Summary

One of the key components the COMMERCE project was to transfer know-how from London and Paris to the 4 learner city partners Budapest, Bucharest, Kaunas and Plovdiv, with the addition of Warsaw, an observer city. This was conducted through a tailored programme of training, workshops and presentations on travel plan rationale, techniques and examples. It has furnished Budapest, Bucharest, Kaunas, Plovdiv and Warsaw with the skills to make their first steps in implementing WTPs.

The process started with a two day induction seminar held in London in 2008, at which municipal representatives of the Learner cities attended. It served two purposes in the commencement of the skill share programme. Firstly it gave a comprehensive training from conceptual to practical levels, giving the staff knowledge for the first time on Workplace Travel Plans.

Secondly, through the interactive sessions and late in the project management meetings, it gave London and Paris the chance to map out the areas in which the cities were most interested in receiving future tailored trainings over the coming years, and where more best practice was needed to help them engage and convince their local stakeholders. This then allowed London and Paris to develop training programmes and identify the appropriate trainers from the two cities, and enlist their support.

Following the skill share programmes, the trainees would give feedback and trainers would make specific recommendations on to the municipal staff on how to move forward.

This also allowed London and Paris to examine areas of WTP standardisation and improvement in their cities.

The mentoring framework was as follows:

Leader (trainer) -------> Learner (trainees)

London -----------------> Kaunas, Plovdiv, Warsaw (observer)    

Paris --------------------> Bucharest, Budapest

Sample of Skill Share Trainers

London and Paris made available highly experience and skilled officers for the training programmes. This included:

  • Steve Macey, Relationship Manager, Transport for London – experience in engaging large businesses into WTPs
  • Sarah Cummings, Sub-Regional Coordinator, SELTRANS and Jakub Bojczuk, Sub-Regional Coordinator, SWELTRAC – experience in selling the concept of WTPs to small and medium sized organisations, and to design and draft travel plan documents setting smart targets.
  • Charlotte May, North London Travel Plans - experience in selling the concept of WTPs to small and medium sized organisations, and to design and draft travel plan documents setting smart targets.
  • Celine MEUNIER (ARENE) – leading delivery partner of Paris Regional Travel Plan Programme Pro-Mobilité.
  • Jean-Yves MARIE-ROSE (ADEME) – leading delivery partner of Paris Regional Travel Plan Programme Pro-Mobilité.
  • Muriel MARIOTTO (CERTU) – leading delivery partner of Paris Regional Travel Plan Programme Pro-Mobilité.
  • Nathalie GRANES (CRIF) – leading delivery partner of Paris Regional Travel Plan Programme Pro-Mobilité. 

Sample of trainees

  • Municipal staff
  • Public agency staff
  • Business staff
  • Trade Unions
  • Chambers of Commerce
  • Public Transport Authorities
  • Ministerial staff
  • University staff and students

Types of skill share

  • Training – training seminars delivered by Leader cities in Learner cities
  • Mentoring – ongoing support remotely by phone or email by WTP experts
  • Work Shadowing – Staff from Learner cities come to Leader cities to witness how WTPs are developed and businesses engaged

Skill Share tools

  • PowerPoint slide presentations
  • Photographic guides
  • Group discussion
  • Practical case studies analysis
  • Breakout workshops
  • Site visits

Municipal staff able to give WTP training after the project

 

No.staff

London

2

Paris 

6

Bucharest 

5

Budapest 

2

Kaunas 

8

Plovdiv 

1

Warsaw 

3

TOTAL

27

 

Recommendations for Skill Share implementation:

  • set up a baseline training programme with fundamental information
  • take time to understand local context: discussion, visits, forums, phone calls before the programme, then tailor make training to the local needs
  • deliver methodological materials backed up with tangible and transferable examples
  • deliver business to business training, to overcome any distrust of municipalities by business
  • not to underestimate the necessity of translation in each country’s language and put a budget to one side for this.

Skill Share training materials: As the training sessions continued, the number and the variety of presentations and materials amassed grew ever larger, and the topics covered more thoroughly. Therefore, we have collated these resources onto the COMMERCE Group of www.allinx.eu so that everyone can download and benefit from these tried and tested approaches to empowering and changing minds.