Chester Business School training qualification to cut costs in talent war

Sep 8 2009 By James Shepherd

Cash-strapped businesses are to be offered a new qualification to help cut training costs. Innovative business mentors, LeaderShape, and the University of Chester say the Post Graduate Certificate (PGC) will teach companies how to develop the highest quality training programmes, boosting their ability to develop leaders in-house when budgets are under pressure.

The first cohort to take the PGC comprises 16 experienced business people in a £5m European Funded programme to coach managers in companies with existing or high growth potential.

The Coaching for High Growth programme is part financed by the European Union with £4,798,800 from the European Regional Development Fund Convergence Programme and £533,200 from the South West RDA.

The new PGC looks to be the first accredited programme designed for those who want to develop their ability to act as Coach /Mentors and Learning Set Facilitators to others. It works to build knowledge, understanding and expertise to identify, deliver and evaluate learning, development and training needs. 

Organisations in the UK are believed to spend £38.5 billion on training but poor mentoring programmes hamper the performance of UK companies and organisations and are:

• Variable in quality

• Lacking in time for mentees and

• Failing to provide real leadership challenge.

Heading the PGC delivery team, Danielle Grant of LeaderShape, explains: “Research shows companies which do not train are 2.5 times more likely to go bankrupt and also to lose vital talent. As spending comes under pressure in tough times this new PGC will ensure monies are efficiently allocated and policies fit with business objectives.”

From the University of Chester, Professor David Major is overseeing the accreditation. He says: “Learning and development (L&D) is vital to economic recovery and ensuring that organisations are well placed for the upturn. Strong professional backing to deliver learning has to be among the most useful of the tools available as people adapt and change to a rapidly changing world. Business and organisational success depends on the generation of leaders we are training now.”

Only half of all directors and senior personnel from major blue chip and public sector firms believe their managers are equipped to retain and develop talent in the downturn – according to a recent major Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey; The qualification in Coach-Mentoring and Facilitation in Organisations meets the demands identified by the CIPD, which also shows that 55% of organisations aim to increase in-house training, to improve leadership behaviour and performance.