Ian Scholes, learning & development consultant, Coventry University School of Lifelong Learning:
If the UK is to avoid becoming a ‘second division’ economy, it’s estimated that 4.5 million extra graduates are needed in the workforce by 2020 - that's an additional 150,000 a year.
So where are all the high-skill graduates coming from? Look around you. All eyes are falling on existing employees and the millions with potential for training and re-training to higher levels. In 2020, 70% of the workforce will be made up of people already in work today, so there’s simply no choice. It all means a major development job for UK plc in the coming years – and a real opportunity for a whole new generation of jobs for HR professionals.
With the government putting more and more emphasis on the importance of higher skills, more attention is going to be paid to how degree-level study can possibly be delivered among such huge numbers of employees without taking people off the job...
After a career in which I have worked both on the commercial side with Lenovo, as well as heading up training activity for Hyundai and Sun Microsystems, I’m now working as a learning & development consultant for Coventry University.
The Capability Improvement Programme (CIP) is part of a government-funded scheme to drive up skills to higher levels in organisations run by Coventry University. The programme combines higher education level study, professional development and personal mentoring which is expected to change the way in which universities and employers work together.
The CIP works by allowing the company participants to join a year-long programme leading to an HE qualification, while also staying in their workplace and on their day-to-day job. In addition to core elements of business and management education, the programme comprises elements customised to the specific needs and business imperatives of the organisation. In addition to this, a great deal of attention is paid towards individuals and their everyday challenges, their real issues, and how they can be overcome.
I’ve been working with 33 people at industrial manufacturer Caterpillar as part of its drive to develop ‘internal’ leaders, not just among managers but across different disciplines and at different levels throughout the company. The daily routine is intense but offers an opportunity to be involved at a personal level with their issues: at one moment I might be sitting down with someone new to team leadership to discuss approaches, the next, observing a meeting to get an insight into behaviours, and then developing assessments.
The nature of the programme means that all the assignments relate closely to everyday tasks. So, for example, if there was a task on decision-making, the participant could simply use their next major decision as a case study, to reflect and record in more detail what they did and why.
The CIP is one attempt at a solution, but there will be many other models and initiatives as the UK aims to hit the 2020 targets – and each of them will present good opportunities for HR professionals to stretch themselves and their own skills.
For more information on the CIP, HR professionals can contact Julia Austen-Baker.
Comments (1)
Posted by Scott McArthur | December 10, 2007 1:33 AM
This sounds really interesting - where do I find out more?
Posted on December 10, 2007 01:33