A number of graduates from the programme have also gained promotion to more senior roles within the business.
Originally launched in 2008, the Level 5 Diploma in Management Programme attracts candidates from all areas of A-Plant’s business - including Sales, Operations, IT, Finance, HR and Marketing. The Programme is designed for experienced Managers who are looking to develop their core management skills and practices. As well as attending eight workshops over an 18-month period - with topics ranging from Effective Financial Management to Personal Development as a Leader - delegates are required to submit seven assignments and undertake an in-depth Business Change Project. Throughout the Diploma, the focus is on the personal development of the individual learner’s management capabilities and competencies.
In the 2008/9 Programme, seven delegates successfully achieved the Diploma in Management qualification, with a further six delegates graduating from the 2009/10 Programme. In the 2010/11 cohort nine delegates have enrolled for the Programme.
The opportunity to gain Chartered Manager status has proved particularly attractive to programme participants and five Managers have already secured this prestigious recognition. Chartered Manager status recognises Managers who demonstrate commitment to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and making a positive impact in their workplace. To achieve Chartered Manager status, delegates have to undertake an online 360° feedback assessment completed by themselves and six colleagues, submit a report to describe how they have applied leadership and change management skills to improve performance and results at A-Plant over the previous 18 months and finally undergo an assessment interview with the CMI.
Richard Staszkiewicz of the CMI, who delivers the Diploma in Management workshops for A-Plant, said: “A-Plant has to be commended for its commitment to developing colleagues through an excellent Leadership Development Programme. The company uses a variety of assessment methods to determine which applicants are most suited to studying and completing such a demanding programme, and candidates attend an induction before formally registering.
“A-Plant’s Talent and Organisational Culture Manager Gráinne Patterson and I tailor the workshops so that delegates can get maximum benefit from the sessions. The time that candidates are given to attend workshops and self-directed learning groups, as well as the support they are given by the company with their written assignments, is matched by very few of the companies who CMI work with,” he continued.
Such is the success of A-Plant’s Diploma in Management Programme that several candidates have already secured more senior roles with A-Plant since undertaking the course. One such example is Steve King, who was A-Plant’s Sales Manager for Powered Access whilst on the Programme, but has since been promoted to Business Development Director before taking on his current role as Sales Director, London.
Steve is clear that the Programme helped him to progress his career more rapidly than might otherwise have been the case. He said: “The Diploma in Management Programme really helped to equip me for a more senior role in the business. There is no doubt in my mind that I have been able to make a bigger contribution to A-Plant by directly applying the skills and knowledge I acquired on the Diploma in Management Programme.”
The Diploma in Management Programme is just one of a series of development initiatives that A-Plant offers. The company is committed to improving the skills and knowledge of employees at all levels of its business and is actively promoting qualification accredited learning initiatives as part of its ‘Skilled & Qualified Workforce’ initiative.
A-Plant is one of the UK’s largest hirers of Plant, Tools and Specialist Equipment with more than 1,800 employees nationwide and over 30,000 customers in the construction, industrial, commercial, utility, public sector, homeowner and events markets. The firm, which forms part of FTSE-250 company Ashtead Group plc, has in excess of 110,000 items of Plant, Tools and Specialist Equipment available to hire from over 100 Service Centres across mainland UK.
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