Highlights – 25 March

Early last week, secretary of state for work and pensions Pat McFadden MP announced the “biggest transformation of apprenticeships in a decade”. The announcement, intended to promote a ‘New Deal’ for those entering the workforce, also confirmed the decision to defund core management and leadership apprenticeship programmes. 

In response, Petra Wilton, CMI’s director of policy and public affairs, wrote an op-ed for CityAM, arguing that this move will be counterproductive, as it will undermine the government’s plans to help young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs) succeed in the workforce.

Petra highlighted that 82% of managers are promoted into the role having never received formal training – and that untrained managers are less equipped to support young people navigating workplace challenges.

An article in FE Week revealed how government departments rushed to enrol civil servants onto Level 7 apprenticeships just before public funding was cut, a move that sector leaders called “contradictory”. Petra commented that the loss of levy funding for these courses will have an impact “not only on the quality of leadership in our public services, but ultimately on the services they provide to taxpayers”. As the article highlighted, CMI research has found that 49% of management apprentices work in the public sector. 

Petra was also quoted by an FE News article on the government’s decision, in which she warned that the defunding of management apprenticeships will be a “critical setback” to reviving UK productivity. The Express & Star, meanwhile, highlighted that over 5,000 employers, training providers and apprentices signed the CMI petition that opposed cuts to funding. 

Lighting the way

In this week’s newsletter, master mariner James Foong FCMI contributes an article on leadership in safety-critical environments. When crises strike, he writes, organisations don’t rise to the level of their procedures; they fall to the level of their understanding. 

Against this backdrop, it becomes even more important to highlight the brilliant work being done by training providers to support those seeking to improve their leadership and management capabilities. This week’s newsletter also features a focus on the five-strong shortlist for CMI’s Training Provider of the Year award, which celebrates the institutions that are having a concrete impact on learners’ knowledge, experience, development and performance. 

Recruiting technology

At the recent Leadership Lounge, CMI chief executive Ann Francke OBE CMgr CCMI sat down for an insightful conversation with James Reed CBE, chief executive of Reed, the world’s largest family-owned recruitment group. James shared the leadership principles and career lessons he’s learned in his demanding role, whether that’s hiring for potential or navigating the impact of AI on the job market.  

On that note, Management Today has published an article exploring how AI can be both a help and a hindrance to the recruitment process, with employers using the technology to screen applications and jobseekers using it to rapidly submit them. The piece features data from CMI, which found that more than half (55%) of UK managers are receptive to candidates using AI for their CVs and cover letters – as long as that use is “highly tailored”.

No compromise

Finally, on to matters of the self. Workplace Journal has highlighted research from Mental Health First Aid England which found that 44% of workers feel like they can’t be themselves at work. In the article, Katerina Cleaver, CMI’s head of strategic partnerships, noted the importance of psychologically safe and inclusive workplace cultures for healthy, high-performing organisations, which underlines the need for high-quality management training.

“The research highlighting the gaps between intention and lived experience reinforces the role managers play,” she said.

If you’re looking for help in prioritising and nurturing your most authentic self at work, you’ll find it in this week’s newsletter, in the form of an exclusive extract from You Are Meant For Something Bigger. The book’s author, personal performance coach Mikaela Jackson, offers five techniques to help you “claim your power, realise your potential and lead from your purpose” – even when life keeps getting in the way. 

Best,

Matt Roberts CMgr FCMI

Director of membership and professional development, CMI