Associate feature: Work-based learning means a fast return for the learner and their employer

Scotland Excel’s Academy has launched its new work-based learning programme to help Scotland’s public sector employees enhance their career development.

The Academy – a CMI approved centre and Scotland’s first Chartered Manager assessment centre – has boosted its accredited courses for 2019 after increased demand for more leadership and management courses.

Ian McNaught, The Academy’s Strategic Organisational Development Manager, said: “We’re extremely proud of what The Academy has been offering to the procurement community since its launch and we’re delighted to now be expanding this to the wider public sector.

“The innovative work-based learning approach we offer is good for the learner and for their organisation. Because it merges theory and practice, it gives immediate benefit returns in terms of staff bringing new knowledge and enhanced skills back to the organisation as they learn. This can be applied to existing projects and also scoping of new work.

“The Academy was designed initially to train public procurement specialists but we soon realised our team had a lot more to offer the wider public sector, and that demand was there. So we now run a range of programmes that take in leadership and management, coaching and mentoring, project management, business analysis and innovation, procurement and other work-based development opportunities.

“Our programmes are cost-effective when compared with some other educational providers. Courses are designed to benefit people at the start of their career, right up to senior level by giving them the tools and knowledge required to help them and their organisation evolve.”

When the Academy began, its approach to offer the procurement community work-based learning across a range of disciplines, in partnership with professional bodies was - and still is - ahead of the curve.

Work-based-learning means a fast return for the learner and their employer, and ensures that 100 per cent of the cost is returned back into the organisation because their employee takes back and applies everything they learn at each stage of the course.  

Ian added: “Learning and development is of the utmost importance to Scotland’s public sector. But this need comes in tandem with resource pressure, so learning and development must bring value for money and return on investment. And that’s absolutely what the Academy and our work-based learning approach does by giving a cost-effective learning and development resource capable of developing and inspiring.

“The Academy’s offering has always been unique since its launch in 2016. Through its partnership with CIPS, we brought about a new way of offering CIPS learning, which we customised for the public sector.

“Procurement was initially positioned as the core, complemented with leadership and management and project management. We were also able to bring the industry benchmark procurement CIPS programme to the public sector at almost half the cost of other providers.”

The Academy is partnered with The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply to deliver accredited procurement programmes; Chartered Management Institute (CMI) to deliver accredited leadership and management programmes and provides access to Association of Project Managers (APM) licensed project management content. It is also a Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) approved centre.

New course listings coming up include Strategic Leadership, Leadership and Management, Management Coaching and Mentoring, Project Management, CIPS Practitioner and Advanced Practitioner, and Business Analysis and Organisational Innovation. Courses are delivered at a range of levels, from HND equivalent though to Masters.

A Chartered Manager assessment is integrated into many of the leadership and management qualifications; or can be assessed separately.

Reflecting on the Academy’s success to date, Ian said “We were delighted to be recognised with a GO Award for Emerging Procurement Talent last year.  With a 100% pass rate for procurement and 94% for all other courses, we are proud to help our public sector colleagues develop new skills at all stages of their career.”  

Visit The Academy website to see the full range of programmes on offer and see how we can help you boost your career. (https://academy.scotland-excel.org.uk/course/view.php?id=12)

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This piece was sponsored by Scotland Excel