Case Study: Training and Development - English Partnerships

The Women into Management Programme aims to assist women in junior/middle management roles who are contemplating a career change into a more senior management role to exercise increased choice, self determination and control over the options that may be open to them. The Programme lasts for 12 months and involves self-analysis, action planning, individual coaching attendance on a three-day foundation course and participation in 6 learning sets with other programme attendees.

On completion of the Programme participants should be able to:

• Take stock of their career and other areas of life and consider different approaches to leading a balanced life as a woman manager in English Partnerships
• Apply leading edge thinking on career development to their own and other women’s careers with particular reference to the issues that affect women in more senior positions
• Identify factors that can impinge on future career development, including strengths and development needs
• Through support and challenge techniques, develop a career development plan to address both the identified need and any barriers to success

The first group continues to meet in their learning sets, which are now self-managed rather than externally facilitated, and to work through a development programme the group has designed for themselves. This programme is based on individual feedback from the 360 degree appraisals and structured around the competency framework used in this process. The programme includes topics ranging from Risk Management to Facilitation Skills to Personal Presentation. They have invited staff from the agency to give presentations to their group and also spend from a budget specifically set aside for their development. Two of the group have achieved promotions and others have involved themselves in projects spanning other departments in order to expand their experience.

A second Programme started in January 2007. Thirteen women participate in this group and follow a similar programme with some changes based in feedback and a formal review by the first group.

Feedback on both programmes has been very positive with participants reporting personal and professional developments.

The benefits gained by participants has led English Partnerships to offer a career development programme to non-managerial women in the organisation and also, separately, to non-managerial men.