At our annual conference earlier this year, we announced the launch of our new Team Leader Competency Framework and Riverhouse Training Programme — designed to support the development and progression of our Team Leaders at SCO.

This framework provides a clear structure for evaluating performance across core competencies, helping us to identify strengths, development needs and opportunities for progression. With defined benchmarks and standards across multiple areas, we’re better equipped to support our Team Leaders through tailored training and development—ensuring they have the tools they need to succeed.

Assessments are conducted every eight weeks using a 1–5 scoring system, supported by a minimum of two training sessions during each cycle. Having this structure helps us track progress and ensure our leaders are continually developing.

As we embed this new approach, the next phase will be the creation of Team Leader Career Pathways, offering a clear and transparent route for progression—from Level 1 through to Level 2 and beyond.

All our current Team Leaders have progressed from within SCO into their current roles. Every six months, we run a Covering Team Leader course as part of our commitment to internal promotion and nurturing talent from within – we hope that by launching our Team Leader Competency Framework and Training Programme, even more teammates will be interested in applying to join our Covering Team Leader course.

This programme is a big step forward in supporting our Team Leaders and helping build strong, lasting career paths at SCO.