Plugging the skills gap with the Institute of Directors Cheshire
What are the skills required for the future of British and North West business? What types of training or learning are needed for employers and employees and how prepared are we in this region? The Cheshire branch of the Institute of Directors (IoD) is holding a debate and “ask the experts’ event at Chester Business School on 27th March.
Chairman of the Cheshire branch of the IoD, Nick Robinson; “Just as we were finalising this event, The Economist newspaper published a special report of Britain. There were a number of worrying things in that report: First, Britain ranks way down the table in terms of overall educational achievement, getting outclassed by countries such as Ireland or South Korea. Second, the expansion in the numbers of students achieving university degrees has come at the expense of “hard” subjects such as engineering and maths, so that gaining a degree is no longer a guarantee of an earnings “premium’. Thirdly, unlike Germany, Britain has never had a coherent system of vocational education, with some evidence now that low-level vocational qualifications actually inflict a pay-cut on their holders. If we want Britain to thrive, we must raise the level of participation of Business in the educational debate. When Business does get involved, the evidence shows that aspirations, achievement and the relevance of skills and education are improved.”
Katrina Delargy, educational liaison officer for the IoD in the North West added; “With increasing pressures on time and costs, businesses need to understand how to acquire and transfer knowledge and skills quickly and effectively. Business and education can help each other.”
A panel of speakers with experience of cutting-edge learning, including action learning, e-learning and leadership training will discuss what the future holds and answer questions from the audience.
The panel includes:
Barrie Oxtoby – A renowned expert in action learning, encouraging managers to improve their organisations through structured peer group discussions of live business issues. He serves as a UN advisor and is credited with “the Jaguar Template’ making Halewood, the best Ford assembly plant in the world.
Robert Leggett – Managing Director of Omni RMS Ltd, a Sunday Times Fast Track 100 company based in Altrincham. Robert is currently participating in Lancaster University Management School’s pioneering LEAD programme, a mini-MBA for owner-managers of fast growing businesses.
Fiona Leteney – Managing Director of Feenix E-Learning. Feenix helps organisations use elearning as part of their development programmes, with clients from both the public and private sectors, including Cheshire Police.
Date: 27th March 2007 Time: 6.30pm – 9.00pm Venue: Chester Business School
Members: £20.00 + VAT (£23.50), Non-Member: £30.00 + VAT (£35.25) including wine and refreshments.
Please visit www.iod.com/northwest/events/ to book online or ring Karen Hawkins on 0161 209 3150 or email iod.northwest@iod.com To avoid disappointment, please book early. Places for this event are likely to be taken quickly.
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The Institute of Directors is a non-political independent organisation with 55,000 members. In addition to its wide range of business services, the IoD provides an effective voice to represent the interests of its members to government and key opinion-formers. It also brings the experience of business leaders to bear on the conduct of public affairs. More information at www.iod.com/northwest
The North West Region of the Institute of Directors is one of the fastest growing regions of the IoD.
Contact Points: Jane Harrad-Roberts – North West IoD Press Officer Mobile and out of hours: 07785 395705 Email: jane@marketingprojects.co.uk
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