Criterion 9 - Management of the RSL
Skills Assessment
A structured skills assessment is required for each shadow board member before a comprehensive training programme can be developed.
Ideally, the skills assessment should be carried out as part of the induction process for shadow board members.
You will need someone with a:
• Background in training and development; and
• Sound understanding of the skills and knowledge required to run a registered social landlord
To help you with this, and will probably need to seek professional support for this process.
To help you plan for a Skills Assessment, a summary of the main steps involved are:
• Obtain or compile a full CV for each potential board member;
• Conduct a formal assessment of each shadow board member’s existing skills, knowledge and experience;
• Compare the results against the profile for shadow board members prepared earlier;
• Identify the gaps in skills, knowledge and experience; and
• Turn this into a formal training programme.
Many organisations involved in transfers to community ownership have made shadow board appointments and undertaken skills assessments in two stages, with tenant and council members appointed first.
This approach allows the shadow board to discover their skills gaps which they can then fill through appointment of targeted independent board members.
