Mr Paul Audu, Interim Head of Pensions and Treasury introduced the report stating the training strategy set out the expectations for Board and Committee training considering their responsibility and remit.

He said members needed to be knowledgeable and skilled in the work of the Pensions Committee and Board and said training was an essential part of this. He referred to paragraph 3.1 in the report which listed the governance structure and framework for training. He said the Committee and the Board would be provided with a refreshed training strategy to consider at its next meeting in September 2024.

In response to comments and questions from members the following was noted:

·       Mr Audu said there would initially be a skills and knowledge assessment before a programme would be put in place to support member learning. He said there were many ways training was provided; from attending seminars and conferences, online training as well as specific training provided at meetings, such as the meeting in March 2024.

·       Mr Jones commented anonymised data on who had completed the training modules ought to be shared with the Committee and Board. Mr Thompson concurred and said it would be helpful to have data on the number of completions and the outcome of the completions.

·       Mr Thompson stated training during meetings should continue to be provided as well as other means of training. He suggested members receive a ‘certificate of competence’ which stated the level of competence achieved. Mr Audu commented this would be difficult to provide especially due to the yearly changes made to the membership of the Committee.

o   ACTION: Referring to page 274 of the training strategy, Mr Jones requested the contact details be updated to the current postholders details.

o   ACTION: Abdulrazak Kassim, Director of Finance, Procurement, Audit and Governance suggested the Board have a standing item on its agenda to cover training updates.

The Pensions Board RESOLVED to:

1.    Note the report and the scope of the proposed draft training strategy to be provided to the Pensions Board on the 16^th September and Pensions Committee on 30^th September 2024 for consideration and approval respectively.

2.    Note the current TH Pension Fund Training and Development Policy.

To follow.

Mr Paul Audu, Interim Head of Pensions and Treasury introduced the report stating the Pensions training strategy set out the expectations for Board and Committee training considering their responsibility and remit.

He said members needed to be knowledgeable and skilled in the work of the Pensions Committee and Board and said training was an essential part of this. He referred to paragraph 3.1 in the report which listed the governance structure and framework for training. He said the Committee and the Board would be provided with a refreshed training strategy to consider at its next meeting in September 2024.

In response to comments and questions from members the following was noted:

·       Councillor Choudhury commented that the Pensions Committee had at its last meeting requested to meet with Fund Managers at their place of business and asked if this had been organised? He said this would provide members with useful insight and give them a better understanding of how investments are made. Mr Audu said this had not been done but he would try to organise this.

o   ACTION: Mr Audu to arrange a visit to a Fund Manager’s place of business for Pension Committee members.

·       Mr Audu proceeded to inform members of the various types of training available to them, from attending conferences and seminars to accessing online training programmes.

The Pensions Committee RESOLVED to:

1.    Note the report and the scope of the proposed draft training strategy to be provided to the Pensions Board on the 16^th September and Pensions Committee on 30^th September 2024 for consideration and approval respectively.

2.    Note the current TH Pension Fund Training and Development Policy.