Sligo Borough Council - Corporate Services

Corporate Services

HIGHER EDUCATION GRANTS

Sligo County Council assisted 446 Students under the current Higher Education Grants Scheme. There were 172 new applicants and 274 continuing Students. The scheme is administered by the Council on behalf of the Department of Education and Science.

In the academic year 2008/2009, Sligo County Council allocated almost €270,000 in Social Maintenance Grant assistance. A total of €2.3 million was allocated by Sligo County Council to Students in maintenance and fees.

While the Minister for Education and Science has indicated that the administration of the scheme will be the responsibility of the Vocational Education Committees in future years, formal confirmation to this effect has not been issued and provision for the administration of the scheme in the next academic year has been included in this year’s Annual Budget.

ELECTIONS

A high quality Register of Electors is essential for the successful operation of the electoral system and of the democratic process itself. Sligo County Council prepares the Register of Electors annually and, as always, a major effort was made to achieve the highest possible degree of accuracy and comprehensiveness in compiling the Register. The Draft Register of Electors was printed on the 1st November 2008. There were 49,920 electors registered on the 2009/1010 Draft Register.

NUMBER OF ELECTORS BY AREA

Ballymote 8,109
Dromore West 8,175
Sligo/Drumcliffe 12,563
Sligo/Strandhill 13,051
Tubbercurry 8,022

HUMAN RESOURCES

Sligo County Council’s Human Resources Department is responsible for the delivery of all aspects of the Human Resources function for Sligo County Council and Sligo Borough Council. Its main functions include Recruitment, Staff Training and Development, Staff Welfare, Industrial Relations, Performance Management and Development, Superannuation and Equality & Diversity.

The general aim of the Council’s Recruitment policy is to attract and retain competent staff, with the qualifications and experience necessary to provide an efficient and effective service to the community.

During 2008, the Human Resource Department conducted competitions for 31 posts for which interviews were held spanning 42 days. This involved interviewing 278 applicants. During 2008, work commenced on the implementation of a new HR payroll system. The background to the project is that a large number of local authorities identified as a priority the need for an automated HR system. This project was developed to respond to this need and also to address the findings of a number of reports on the future direction of the Human Resources function within Local Authorities. While this project started out to deliver a HR package, it was soon enlarged to include Time Recording, Payroll and Superannuation. The procurement process has been conducted on behalf of all Local Authorities by the Local Government Computer Services Board (LGCSB) and CORE International were awarded the contract.

There are a number of structures in place nationally to ensure that the project is delivered on time and within cost. These include:

The Project Board

The role of the board is to safeguard the interests of the participating authorities, and all the relevant stakeholders. The Project Board meets monthly.

The Standards Committee

The National Standards Committee was set up by the Project Board to make decisions, in a timely fashion, on operational HR, Payroll and Superannuation standard and policy matters which arise during the configuration and pilot stages of the implementation of the project, with reference to best practice and established or widespread procedures within the sector.

Implementation Locally

To advance the project locally, the following groups were formed during the year:

The Steering Group

A Local Steering Group was formed with responsibility to:

agree the scope of the project and the staging of the roll-out of each module.
ensure that the project delivers value for money and a cost conscious approach is taken to the project.
ensure that adequate resources are committed to deliver on the programme.
agree an approach to change management issues.

The Implementation Group

A Local Implementation Group was also formed, with a role to:

provide a forum for consultation and to facilitate the co-ordination of activities and the resolution of issues arising.
agree a draft implementation plan for the project to include; target dates, training plan and communication approach.
consider issues referred to the group by the Steering Committee.

THE PROJECT TEAM

Four staff were assigned to the project with two staff from the Payroll department to be assigned for the payroll implementation. Support is also being provided from staff in Sligo Borough Council, Payroll, IT and HR Departments).

During 2008, the team concentrated on the collection of data to populate the new System and verified a large volume of the information currently held on paper and electronically with staff.

In December 2008, CORE (supplier of the system) came on site to bring across the Council’s data to their system with a view to going live with the first module early in 2009.

Listed below are the modules contained in the HR/Payroll/Superannuation system in the order of proposed roll-out.

First phase

Organisation Structure and Department Returns
Recruitment
Payroll (indoor)
Payroll(outdoor)
Leave, Time and Attendance and Employee Self Service
Superannuation

Second phase

Performance Management (PMDS)
Training
Health and Safety

TRAINING

2008 was an extremely busy year for the Training Office. A large variety of courses were delivered throughout the year, catering for a broad range of staff.

A very comprehensive Training Schedule was prepared for 2008 identifying 48 courses types to be delivered. These courses were identified through the Health and Safety Department, Organisational needs and through the Personal Development Plan (PDP) process.

Due to the proposed amendment to Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) (Amendment 2) Regulations 2008 which comes into effect on the 6th July, 2009, a large focus was placed on the Signing, Lighting & Guarding course in 2008. 8 of these courses were delivered in total, catering for a maximum of 8 participants per course.

Health & Safety Training was also a high priority with numerous programmes i.e Supervising Safely, Managing Safely in Construction, Directing Safely, Fall Arrest Training, Safety Representatives Training, Fire Warden Training, Safe Pass, Confined Spaces, Permanent Signage, Slinging & Signalling of loads delivered.

Courses in the area of Customer Services were also delivered i.e. Communicating across Language Barriers, Managing Conflict and Dealing with Difficult People.

The Supervisory Skills Development Programme which dealt with all areas of Supervisory Skills proved very popular. Topics such as Performance Management Development System (PMDS), coaching, mentoring, performance management, managing conflict, team performances etc. 2 different programmes were developed – 1 programme catered for Grades 6s, 7s and analogous grades, with the other catering for Grades 4s, 5s and analogous grades. It is anticipated that subject to available funding, a further roll-out of these programmes will take place in 2009.

Due to budgetary constraints, 2009 will see a much different approach as regards the Training and Development of Staff. It is anticipated that much of the training delivered will be in the area of Health and Safety and essential training and the issue of using the services of staff as inhouse trainers may need to be explored.

\| \|

Sitemap \| Privacy Statement Search
Home News Council Members sligo400 About Us Contact Us Services Publications Annual Report 2001 Annual Report 2002 Annual Report 2003 Annual Report 2004 Annual Report 2005 Annual Report 2006 Annual Report 2007 Annual Report 2008 Cathaoirleach Intro Manager's Foreword Council Members Strategic Committee Housing Corporate Emergency Directorate Communications/Media Corporate Services Accessibility Library Service Civil Defence Fire Authority Infrastructural Services Directorate Planning Enforcement Heritage Directorate Community Enterprise Arts Environ Directorate Conferences/Seminars Finance Motor Tax Service Indicators Annual Report 2010 Corporate Plan Contact Summer 2007 eContact 2006 eContact 2007 eContact 2008 Sligo Borough Council Draft Budget 2008 eContact 2009 eContact 2010 Section 15 Reference Manual Council Meetings Development Plans	Corporate Services HIGHER EDUCATION GRANTS Sligo County Council assisted 446 Students under the current Higher Education Grants Scheme. There were 172 new applicants and 274 continuing Students. The scheme is administered by the Council on behalf of the Department of Education and Science. In the academic year 2008/2009, Sligo County Council allocated almost €270,000 in Social Maintenance Grant assistance. A total of €2.3 million was allocated by Sligo County Council to Students in maintenance and fees. While the Minister for Education and Science has indicated that the administration of the scheme will be the responsibility of the Vocational Education Committees in future years, formal confirmation to this effect has not been issued and provision for the administration of the scheme in the next academic year has been included in this year’s Annual Budget. ELECTIONS A high quality Register of Electors is essential for the successful operation of the electoral system and of the democratic process itself. Sligo County Council prepares the Register of Electors annually and, as always, a major effort was made to achieve the highest possible degree of accuracy and comprehensiveness in compiling the Register. The Draft Register of Electors was printed on the 1st November 2008. There were 49,920 electors registered on the 2009/1010 Draft Register. NUMBER OF ELECTORS BY AREA Ballymote 8,109 Dromore West 8,175 Sligo/Drumcliffe 12,563 Sligo/Strandhill 13,051 Tubbercurry 8,022 HUMAN RESOURCES Sligo County Council’s Human Resources Department is responsible for the delivery of all aspects of the Human Resources function for Sligo County Council and Sligo Borough Council. Its main functions include Recruitment, Staff Training and Development, Staff Welfare, Industrial Relations, Performance Management and Development, Superannuation and Equality & Diversity. The general aim of the Council’s Recruitment policy is to attract and retain competent staff, with the qualifications and experience necessary to provide an efficient and effective service to the community. During 2008, the Human Resource Department conducted competitions for 31 posts for which interviews were held spanning 42 days. This involved interviewing 278 applicants. During 2008, work commenced on the implementation of a new HR payroll system. The background to the project is that a large number of local authorities identified as a priority the need for an automated HR system. This project was developed to respond to this need and also to address the findings of a number of reports on the future direction of the Human Resources function within Local Authorities. While this project started out to deliver a HR package, it was soon enlarged to include Time Recording, Payroll and Superannuation. The procurement process has been conducted on behalf of all Local Authorities by the Local Government Computer Services Board (LGCSB) and CORE International were awarded the contract. There are a number of structures in place nationally to ensure that the project is delivered on time and within cost. These include: The Project Board The role of the board is to safeguard the interests of the participating authorities, and all the relevant stakeholders. The Project Board meets monthly. The Standards Committee The National Standards Committee was set up by the Project Board to make decisions, in a timely fashion, on operational HR, Payroll and Superannuation standard and policy matters which arise during the configuration and pilot stages of the implementation of the project, with reference to best practice and established or widespread procedures within the sector. Implementation Locally To advance the project locally, the following groups were formed during the year: The Steering Group A Local Steering Group was formed with responsibility to: agree the scope of the project and the staging of the roll-out of each module. ensure that the project delivers value for money and a cost conscious approach is taken to the project. ensure that adequate resources are committed to deliver on the programme. agree an approach to change management issues. The Implementation Group A Local Implementation Group was also formed, with a role to: provide a forum for consultation and to facilitate the co-ordination of activities and the resolution of issues arising. agree a draft implementation plan for the project to include; target dates, training plan and communication approach. consider issues referred to the group by the Steering Committee. THE PROJECT TEAM Four staff were assigned to the project with two staff from the Payroll department to be assigned for the payroll implementation. Support is also being provided from staff in Sligo Borough Council, Payroll, IT and HR Departments). During 2008, the team concentrated on the collection of data to populate the new System and verified a large volume of the information currently held on paper and electronically with staff. In December 2008, CORE (supplier of the system) came on site to bring across the Council’s data to their system with a view to going live with the first module early in 2009. Listed below are the modules contained in the HR/Payroll/Superannuation system in the order of proposed roll-out. First phase Organisation Structure and Department Returns Recruitment Payroll (indoor) Payroll(outdoor) Leave, Time and Attendance and Employee Self Service Superannuation Second phase Performance Management (PMDS) Training Health and Safety TRAINING 2008 was an extremely busy year for the Training Office. A large variety of courses were delivered throughout the year, catering for a broad range of staff. A very comprehensive Training Schedule was prepared for 2008 identifying 48 courses types to be delivered. These courses were identified through the Health and Safety Department, Organisational needs and through the Personal Development Plan (PDP) process. Due to the proposed amendment to Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) (Amendment 2) Regulations 2008 which comes into effect on the 6th July, 2009, a large focus was placed on the Signing, Lighting & Guarding course in 2008. 8 of these courses were delivered in total, catering for a maximum of 8 participants per course. Health & Safety Training was also a high priority with numerous programmes i.e Supervising Safely, Managing Safely in Construction, Directing Safely, Fall Arrest Training, Safety Representatives Training, Fire Warden Training, Safe Pass, Confined Spaces, Permanent Signage, Slinging & Signalling of loads delivered. Courses in the area of Customer Services were also delivered i.e. Communicating across Language Barriers, Managing Conflict and Dealing with Difficult People. The Supervisory Skills Development Programme which dealt with all areas of Supervisory Skills proved very popular. Topics such as Performance Management Development System (PMDS), coaching, mentoring, performance management, managing conflict, team performances etc. 2 different programmes were developed – 1 programme catered for Grades 6s, 7s and analogous grades, with the other catering for Grades 4s, 5s and analogous grades. It is anticipated that subject to available funding, a further roll-out of these programmes will take place in 2009. Due to budgetary constraints, 2009 will see a much different approach as regards the Training and Development of Staff. It is anticipated that much of the training delivered will be in the area of Health and Safety and essential training and the issue of using the services of staff as inhouse trainers may need to be explored.

© Sligo Borough Council, City Hall, Quay Street, Sligo, Ireland. T: 071 9114400 F: 071 9114499 E: info@sligoborough.ie