Employer webinar: Give your managers the skills to succeed

Forward-thinking employers – interested in developing their managers of the future – recently joined The Open University for a webinar about our Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship.

The session – called Give your Managers the Skills to Succeed – featured a current apprentice and her employer in conversation with The Open University’s Liz Hanway. The trio discussed the format of the apprenticeship, the benefits to the business, as well as the rewards and challenges of work-based learning.

Webinar participants left the session with:

• A realistic understanding of the apprenticeship programme
• Whether it is right for their staff development needs
• The next steps to explore the opportunity further

What is the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship?

This flexible professional development programme is a three- to four-year work-based qualification. Apprentices continue to work in their current role, with 20% of their time ringfenced for study.

The practical focus of the programme means apprentices and employers see immediate benefits from the application of their new knowledge in the workplace. Graduates of the programme receive a BA (Hons) in Management Practice.

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Why choose a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship?

The panel discussed the fact that recruiting and retaining staff with the skills and aptitude for management is a challenge. Organisations rely on a pipeline of qualified and motivated staff to deliver business objectives efficiently. But hiring external talent can be competitive and costly.

Forward-thinking employers have realised that it can be more desirable and cost-effective to develop existing staff. This grow-your-own approach retains staff expertise whilst empowering them to contribute more strategically to the organisation.

On the webinar, Jon Wood, Qualification Processing Director at Pearson, discussed how he identified Pearson apprentice, Rachel Dearing, as a "potential person of the future".

He says the apprenticeship has helped her progress from team leader to senior team leader, taking a more strategic view of her area.

She’s strategically looking at the longer term and bigger picture, she leads people in a different way and looks at the way she fits into the business […] which is vital in the role Rachel’s doing now.

Jon Wood
Qualification Processing Director, Pearson

The appeal of The Open University

Via our triple-accredited business school, The Open University is one of the biggest providers of this apprenticeship in the UK. We’ve been supporting learners balance work and study for over 50 years, so offering this apprenticeship is a natural fit for our expertise and established delivery methods.

Jon explains the appeal to Pearson: "We need to help people like Rachel to grow their own skills. This apprenticeship ticks a lot of boxes and was quite a flexible solution for us to put in place."
 

Benefits of the apprenticeship

The webinar covers the commitments needed by both employer and learner, but the resounding message from Pearson is positive.

Both Jon and Rachel identified immediate benefits for the business, despite having to accommodate a short-term reduction in Rachel’s working hours.

I’ve developed a greater understanding of Pearson and how decisions are made. I bring that understanding to how I lead and give direction. I’m seeing improvements in my team: how they approach situations; how they think financially. We actually saved £30,000 on our 2019 budget.

Rachel Dearing
Results Resolution and Training Manager, Pearson

Employers frequently feedback that The Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship quickly translates into efficiency and budget savings within the apprentice’s team. Research is underway to quantify this in the near future. Rachel is such an advocate for apprenticeships and the benefit they bring to a business that she’s recently recruited several apprentices into her team.

Find out how The Open University Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship can benefit your business.

• Download the transcript
• Get in touch to discuss your staff development needs

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