I am putting together a management development programme for a fairly insular company and want to be able to offer the participants the chance to operate outside their company in the spirit of personal development and abundance/sharing skills.
I am personally familiar with Partners in Leadership and Young Enterprise and wondered if anyone out there has any other ideas about (free) opportunities to get these managers some exposure to the outside world.
Geoff Roberts
6 Responses
Job swap
Try the Employment Service, who offer “staff development through interchange”. Their email address is interchange@employment.gov.uk. We met them at the HRD exhibition and they seem quite good.
Maggie Mosley
PMSL
What about a secondment to The Prince’s Trust?
I was very fortunate to be seconded for two years to what was then The Prince’s Youth Business Trust. It was a fantastic experience since I was responsible for all the Trust’s activities on my patch. It is a great opportunity for someone who works for a large company to bring their skills and expertise to an excellent cause and to become a more rounded (and streetwise) individual themselves.
Understanding how your city operates – Common Purpose
If your client is in a city, and the managers are at senior level, then Common Purpose may be the answer.The programme in each city focusses on a day per month in depth look into different aspect of the city, from its infrastucture and planning, education, health, housing , economy etc. aspects.
The website is commonpurpose.org.uk and the organisation is an educational charity.
In around forty cities in the UK and increasingly in European cities, around 10000 managers have now completed the programme. About thirty managers attend each city’s programme each year, from a range of organisations; private sector, local authorities and charities. The programme is very broadening; worth a look at the website.
Hope this helps
Other possibilities
Common Purpose and Princes Trust are both excellent programmes. I have also used Business in the Community and direct contact with local charities which also provide useful opportunities to develop individual managers or groups. Another option might be to represent the company on professional or local groups (e.g. Lifelong Learning Partnership, CBI, EBP, Chamber of Commerce).Good luck. Jenny
Arian Associates Ltd
Farming them out may not be the answer, why don’t you enlist the services of an outside training provider who can bring in outside experience, rather than loose your personnel to another organisation.
arianassociates@lineone.net
More on Common Purpose
I would reiterate that Common Purpose provides holistic management development opportunities within the context of providing multiple insights into how a local area functions. Part of the benefit is that participants working closely with peers from other sectors/fields. I am the Programme Director for the Reading/Berkshire area and would always be willing to meet interested parties to talk through what Common Purpose offers.