SFCF and CEL in Training Initiative to Produce Captains of Industry

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The Sixth Form Colleges Forum (SFCF) have teamed up with the Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) to set up a new framework of accord to help develop management and leadership training in sixth form colleges.

The two bodies formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the 16-19 Summer Conference, recently held in Cambridge. Under the terms of the agreement the CEL and SFCF will work alongside the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) on a range of issues surrounding the provision of management training within their part of the FE sector.

More Effective Leaders and Teams

Lynne Sedgmore of the CEL explained the issues involved in greater detail, saying: “We believe that effective leaders and teams, at all levels, are central to ensuring learner success. We view our work with sixth form colleges as being very important and are delighted to have the opportunity of working with the SFCF to add value to sixth form colleges and the communities they represent through outstanding leadership development. We have already seen the significant impact of our leadership development programmes on managers at all levels, and we expect the introduction of a new qualification for principals to generate positive outcomes throughout the sector.”

The UK traditionally has been a weak performer in terms of management; industry analysts have identified this weakness as one of the causes for the poor performances of UK companies in comparison to US and European firms. For years, managers in the UK were either workers who had been with a company long enough to gain promotion, or young inexperienced graduates on fast-track programmes.

It is well past the time that the UK embraced comprehensive, professional management training. This measure should hopefully enable the UK to catch up with the rest of the world, by producing the kind of leaders that can produce world class businesses.

Dan Atkinson

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