1 Shape Your Future Growing a career at Mencap
We can help you to fulfil your career plans 2
Mencap and you Mencap is the voice of learning disability. Everything we do is about valuing and supporting people with a learning disability, and their families and carers. We work in partnership with people with a learning disability, and all our services support people to live their lives as they choose. Our vision is a world where people with a learning disability are valued equally, listened to and included. The key to the success of our vision is our people that means you. Everyone who works at Mencap is passionate about our vision and wants to learn and grow during their careers with us. We will support you to achieve your potential, increase your learning and development, and achieve your aspirations. Shape Your Future Shape Your Future is an initiative that gives you and your manager the tools and guidance to manage your performance and plan your career at Mencap. Our approach is to put you in the driving seat. If you want to plan your career, we can support you to do this; starting by being clear about what good performance looks like to us. Once you know that, you can work with our support towards success and towards fulfilling your potential. To make good progress, you need to work hard and want to learn; taking hold of opportunities as they arise. You also need Mencap to provide the right opportunities. 3
How does Shape Your Future work? When you start working for Mencap, your manager will go through the key role profile for your job to explain what is expected of you. This helps you and your manager to monitor your performance at work. Throughout the year you will have opportunities to have engaging conversations with your manager about how you re getting on. These should be honest conversations about what s going well or less well so your manager can think about where they may be able to help. In preparation, you need to reflect on how you are doing and think about real examples you can discuss with your manager. In the spring of each year, you and your manager will discuss your overall performance for the past year, look towards the next year and agree your personal goals. The Shape Your Future process has given me really clear objectives for the year ahead. Together you can plan how to achieve these goals. But remember your success is down to you and what you contribute. Also in the spring, we identify our most talented staff, who can then access a range of exciting and challenging opportunities to develop their careers. 4
You ll have regular meetings with your manager 5
Case study Steve Baker Before I joined Mencap in 1991, I was working in a bank. But I wanted to do something different. When I joined Mencap I didn t really know what to expect but I quickly realised it was the best decision I could have made. I started out as a support worker, working with a variety of people. Making a positive difference to their lives gave me great job satisfaction, and no two days were the same. I had always wanted a career so, after just over a year, I decided I would love to do more. I was given the opportunity to line manage a team for the first time, as well as learn more about running a service. By the age of 22, I was a registered manager for a Mencap service. I was probably one of the youngest managers ever to be registered with the regulator. After that, my career with Mencap continued to develop. I worked all over the country and gained a vast amount of experience from different teams and services. Mencap also supported me to get formal qualifications, including an MBA from Warwick Business School. I m now an operations director of Mencap s services and I m still given opportunities to develop and progress. I have carved a career with Mencap by taking opportunities when they arise, working hard and being prepared to adapt. Mencap gave me the opportunity to do a job that makes a difference to people s lives and one that can become a career. Development and progression are key parts to a career at Mencap whether it s enabling someone to become independent, growing new services or making progress yourself, it s always about moving forwards. 6
Mencap gave me the opportunity to do a job that makes a difference to people s lives and one that can become a career. Steve speaking at a Mencap meeting 7
What makes Shape Your Future work? You do. We recognise that everyone is different and unique. So we believe that it s important to understand people as individuals. We believe strongly in the power of good conversations between colleagues, and with the people we support, to learn more about them, their world and the wider world. Whether you are reflecting on your skills or talking with colleagues, challenging yourself and each other helps you realise your true potential. Good conversations in Shape Your Future will help you develop a good relationship with your manager and colleagues. These conversations will show you how you learn best, what works successfully in the workplace, what you can do to improve and what your manager s views are. Every good conversation leads to more knowledge, insight and experience all essential to developing yourself and your career. How can I find out more? To find out more about career development at Mencap, the first thing to do is speak to your manager. You can also use the intranet to find more information. You can follow us on Twitter, join our network on Linked In or like us on Facebook to keep up to date with wider activity and news from Mencap. 8