8 November 2019 – ESL Briefing
Early this week I had an opportunity to meet with a delegation of Korean representatives from Jincheon who visited Bristol to find out about what it means to be a Learning City.
The Deputy Mayor and lifelong learning officials were interested to hear about the learning ambassador roles in the Community Learning Team.They were also interested in the WORKS programme and how we are engaging local businesses in providing meaningful experiences of work. It was interesting to learn about their lifelong learning festivals, activities and promotional campaigns – including civic education and ‘world culture storytelling’ used to expand people’s thinking as global citizens, connecting human rights, the environment and ethics.
Bristol City Council is committed to developing its leaders at all levels and is currently investing in a range of professional development programmes. Paul and Delyse have completed the Bristol Leads programme this year and, along with other 3rd tier managers in the People Directorate, I was invited to join a selected group to pilot and develop a system leadership intervention. From a slow start, we decided to focus on how we could link up with other parts of the Council to tackle poverty. Through this exercise I’ve made some great links with managers outside of the People world, including in the Transport and Housing Teams. I’ve learned that the Council is handling significant growing rent arrears – over £7m across 2000 households! As a result of our initial explorations, we will now have an exciting opportunity to develop a joined up solution that draws on ESL services and resources. Watch this space!
The iTrent system has been updated with a new performance review cycle tab which enables you to generate a 6th month performance review form. With an end of November deadline fast approaching, I’ve just had a go at this and it’s been useful to reflect on my work so far this year, including what’s going well and what can be improved. Explaining what you do or have done that reflects Council values can be interesting. So far this year I’ve had a few opportunities to show respect – particularly when handling situations where colleagues are battling with mental health challenges. From my own personal experiences, and from experiences at work, this is becoming a growing area of interest. I’d like to explore with all of you how we might develop a really strong approach to keeping ourselves and each other in top shape – including both our physical and mental health and wellbeing. Your ideas and thoughts on this would be really welcome!
With best wishes
Jane Taylor
