A partnership between Year in Industry and the Chartered Management Institute has been announced this week. The partnership aims to provide students with a qualification directly relevant to the workplace.

The partnership follows research by the Institute, which discovered that 49 per cent of HR Managers think graduates are increasingly less well prepared for the workplace. One-third of managers believe graduates have poor interpersonal skills, with diplomacy (64 per cent) and team-working (39 percent) cited as key areas of concern.

The programme introduces gap year students, in full-time employment, to management skills teaching team leadership, information handling and project supervision techniques. Successful participants will be awarded a Level 3 Certificate in Management.

Christine Hayhurst, director of professional affairs at the Chartered Management Institute says, "Organisations have high expectations of their graduates' preparedness for their professional roles. By partnering with Year in Industry, the Institute aims to link the needs of business with the drive for quality entrants into the UK job market."

The Institute's research also revealed that 67 per cent of
organisations offer work placement schemes.

Roy Bromley, national director of Year in Industry added: "The attraction of a gap year has increased in recent years, helped considerably by the activities of public figures such as Prince Harry."

In 2002 almost 25,000 students applied for deferred university entry. The figure for gap year applicants in 2003 is estimated to be more than 50,000**.

Mr Bromley adds: "Students are saying they want to broaden their horizons and enhance their CV. Development programmes such as our link with the Chartered Management Institute make both opportunities possible. The students will get the work experience they want and organisations will ultimately benefit from employing people with some experience of the business environment."