Building business skills around busy roles

Background: A commitment to developing people

Ford & Slater has long placed employee development at the heart of its business. The organisation continually invests in upskilling its workforce and has partnered with The Open University to provide accessible, high‑quality business management qualifications.

We actively encourage educational growth pathways within our business as we believe it develops more effective leadership and management skills and the ability to gain a broader perspective on situations and challenges.

Josh Spencer,
EV Manager at Ford & Slater

As an OU graduate himself, Josh champions the opportunities available. He has seen first‑hand how OU study enhances skills, improves work quality and acts as a powerful recruitment and retention tool.

Two employees, Ashley Williams and Kirsty Vince, have spent the last two years completing the OU’s Diploma in Business Management, fully sponsored by Ford & Slater. Both plan to progress to a full degree.

Account Manager Kirsty has been with Ford & Slater for over a decade. With a passion for learning, she embraced the chance to study for a degree while continuing in her full‑time role.

A newcomer to digital learning, she has been impressed by the OU’s model, the support available and the ability to study asynchronously.

This fits much better for me. It is more flexible and means I can work evenings and weekends.

Kirsty Vince,
Account Manager, Ford & Slater

Jack Tibbles, Retail Sales Manager, says this flexibility is essential for both the business and its people.

The Open University provides an excellent flexible opportunity for learners to complete degrees at their own pace remotely without the need for extended time away from the business.

Jack Tibbles,
Retail Sales Manager, Ford & Slater

The diploma aligns closely with Ford & Slater’s business needs. Kirsty is already applying her learning in areas such as statistics, data analysis and management. “It definitely gives you a broader perspective on business and a higher level of understanding,” she says.

Ashley, who joined the company at 16 and later specialised in sales and vehicle legislation, never imagined he would pursue a degree.

Even if you’d have asked me three years ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed I would be doing a degree.

Ashley Williams,
Sales and Vehicle Legislation, Ford & Slater

Ashley finds the content engaging and immediately relevant to his day‑to‑day work.

It gives you a wider lens to view things and having that bigger picture and understanding the implications gives you the ability to make better decisions.

Ashley Williams,
Sales and Vehicle Legislation, Ford & Slater

Jack has seen the impact across the organisation.

Ford & Slater has found that sponsoring employees taking part in degrees has benefited us, the employee and more importantly, our customers. The programmes employees have taken have helped them gain hard skills whilst also improving their soft skills, such as critical thinking.

Jack Tibbles,
Retail Sales Manager, Ford & Slater