1 Learning and Skills Council wins award for management development

Citation

(2008), "1 Learning and Skills Council wins award for management development", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 40 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2008.03740gab.009

1 Learning and Skills Council wins award for management development

Article Type: Notes and news From: Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 40, Issue 7

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has won a training award for its success in helping 300 aspiring and newly appointed managers through a change program that provided the employees with radically different skills at a time of business transformation.

Responsible for funding and planning education and training for six million people over the age of 16, the LSC has received the Best Public Service Initiative award from Training Journal. The judges were particularly impressed by the LSC’s varied learning approach, the policy of providing open access to learning resources to a wide audience, availability of a recognized management qualification and commitment to measurement and evaluation.

As a consequence of restructuring, many people needed to work in different ways, developing or enhancing previously under-used skills along the way. There was also a strong emphasis on empowering the target audience to excel rapidly in their new roles.

The first phase started in 2006, when talent-management specialist A&DC was appointed to design and deliver the program. Initial telephone and face-to-face research established the needs and expectations of aspiring and newly appointed managers.

To address the goals specified by the LSC and the needs arising from the initial research, a blended-learning approach was adopted, incorporating existing relevant resources alongside practical workshops, self-study packs and e-learning.

Flexibility for participants was vital so each could use the Introduction to Management program as a basis for creating his or her own personal learning pathway to suit individual styles and goals. Also critical was the need to ensure that participants from technical roles were motivated to acquire new managerial skills throughout the learning process.

An accreditation option is available through the Chartered Management Institute and Smale Consulting. To date, more than 90 percent of participants have enrolled for the Certificate in Management, recognizing that this qualification is a valuable personal reward for their achievements in the LSC.

Phil Quinn, LSC head of learning and development, commented: “Receiving this award is a tribute to the professionalism and commitment of our learning and development team. We created and delivered a program that combines the innovative features of varied learning with the disciplines of rigorous evaluation to give us an accurate picture of the return on investment, as well as indicating the impact on, and improvement in, the business.

“At the LSC, managerial roles and responsibilities vary significantly. Right from the start, we recognized the need for a flexible approach to management development, which would complement individuals’ diverse skills, attitudes, goals, aspirations and learning styles.”

David Williams, A&DC business-development director, said: “We are delighted that already 80 percent of participants have reported that the program has delivered value for them, the teams they work for and the organization as a whole. Using a blend of learning resources, participants have come to understand their strengths and development needs, and are now well placed to manage individuals and teams more effectively towards the achievement of key organizational goals.”