Transport Scotland learning and development spend: FOI release

Information requested

1. External training spend in the previous 3 fiscal years (2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20) in Transport Scotland, broken down by:
(a) Amount spent through the Civil Service Learning contract
(b) Amount spent to deliver external training through other contracts

Under the Civil Service Learning Contract
(c) Amount spent on online/digital delivery versus amount spent on in-person delivery
(d) Amount of spend allocated for bespoke courses specifically developed for your needs and
(e) Amount of spend allocated for ‘off-the-shelf’ training material.

2. Breakdown of the 2019/20 external training spend through the CSL contract in Transport Scotland by course, including
(a) Total amount spent per course
(b)Total number of learners per course
(c)Training provider that delivered the course
(d)Course delivery method – i.e. online/digital or in-person
(e)Name of course
(f) Subject area of course

3. External training budget for 2020/21 fiscal year in Transport Scotland, broken down by:
(a)(i) Budget to spend through the Civil Service Learning contract and
(a) (ii) budget to spend on the delivery of external training through other contracts
(b) Any analysis undertaken on how your department’s training needs have shifted this year compared to previous years. For example, are you planning greater emphasis on Leadership & Management courses or training delivered through digital/online courses?

4. Total number of civil service employees working in Transport Scotland (please provide latest available data)

Response

Q 1 (a) and (b):
The Civil Service Learning spend for the previous 3 fiscal years are:

Civil Service Learning Spend

Year	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20
	£5296.09	£5,614.61	£5,325.20

The amount spent to deliver external training through other contracts for the previous 3 fiscal years are:

External Training Costs

Year	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20*
	£66,888	£77,334	£94,466

* end September 2020

The following exemption applies to parts 1(c), (d) and (e), 2 (a), (b). (c). (d). (e), (f), 3 (a) (ii) of your request:
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600. The reason for this is that Transport Scotland's training budget is not wholly managed centrally, with Directorates given budget allocation for local needs. Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit which is currently set at £600 by Regulations management.

Q 3(a) (i) Transport Scotland's total external training budget for 2020/21 is £111k. Transport Scotland is charged retrospectively for the Civil Service Learning contract and as such we do not as yet have the budget figure for 2020/21.

Q 3(b) Transport Scotland as an Agency of the Scottish Government takes part in the annual UK Civil Service People Survey. The survey provides some analysis of the effectiveness of learning and development opportunities available to staff throughout the year, which in turn allows us to use this information when considering future training needs locally. Our 2019 results can be found by clicking on this link. https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/47385/transport-scotland-staff-survey-2019-report.pdf

Currently we are complying with the Scottish Government's advice with the majority of staff working from home, which means that we are now delivering all learning and development content virtually to ensure we continue to support and develop staff effectively during this time.

Q 4 As at 30 September 2020 Transport Scotland had 476 permanent employees.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.