Career graded framework review

The project issues
The Council wanted to revise and update its ICT career framework to better reflect opportunities for career development and to integrate it with the Council’s Annual Assessment Scheme. Socitm Consulting was asked to review the Council’s existing career grade framework and design a new framework in consultation with Council ICT staff.

The Socitm Consulting solution
We began by considering the Council’s existing Career Grade Framework and then designed a new draft framework. Following a process of consultation and review involving Council ICT staff and Unions, the new framework was modified significantly. A number of models were considered, including the industry-standard Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA).

Following extensive consultation, the final version of the ICT linked grade framework was adopted by the Council, and is now being used to assess the career progression of ICT staff on an annual basis as part of the corporate annual assessment process. It is designed to be modern, simple, relevant, unambiguous and flexible, and it adopts and complements existing corporate standards and provides for a progression through the pay scales and bands according to the requirements set out by the framework.

The benefits to the client
By drawing on our specialist knowledge of ICT career structures and their integration with wider organisational assessment procedures, the Council was able to adopt an ICT Linked Grade Framework that was simple, required limited documentation, contained very clear guidelines for career progression and was fully integrated with the Council’s strategic priorities.

Project identification
Client organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest
Client contact: David Wilde, Head of IT, 0208 496 4463, david.wilde@walthamforest.gov.uk
Lead consultant: christine.westlake@socitm.gov.uk
Project no: 5555