Business Operations – BusinessLeadership Programme● A business support development

programme for people in key roles inbusiness

● Focusing on the performance of thebusiness

● Enhancing business performance throughimproved individual performance

● Intended for West Midlands businesses ofall sizes

● Collaborative provision from the WestMidland Universities, Business Supportand Partners

Regional partners have responded by developing awork-based development programme that will enablecurrent employees at this level to develop their skillsand knowledge for the benefit of themselves andtheir businesses.

It is a programme that incorporates individual andbusiness targets, in which the content is both relevantand flexible to meet the needs of individuals and theircompanies. It is cost effective and easy to access. It isalso one which fits with business strategy andactually embraces workplace activities and targetsin its structure.

Business EnvironmentAny organisation, be it small, medium or large; multi-site, international conglomerate, distributed franchise orlocal start-up venture, and whatever the complexity ofthe business or its marketplace, is dependent on thepeople within it for the achievement of its businesstargets. It is the quality of their planning,implementation, monitoring and control that will impacton the success of the business.

In short, the capability and performance of people in thebusiness is vital; in particular those who provideoperational co-ordination of activities, developing andimproving processes, undertaking decision making andproblem solving, ensuring leadership andcommunication – and those who develop and maintainessential customer and supplier relationships.

These are very different roles linked by a commonfactor. All these people require an extensive breadth ofknowledge of their business, of the factors that impacton it, and its operating environment – and the capabilityto effectively influence and control a wide range ofcrucial issues.

Case for Higher SkillsAs working environments become more complex, andthe competition stiffer, change and business evolutioncome faster and our organisations become leaner, soour success is more than ever dependent on thecapability of our people to respond as the businessconditions demand - flexibly, quickly and withconfidence and competence. One can notunderestimate the importance of applying the right

West Midlands businesses have repeatedly spoken out on their need forimproved skills levels and qualifications in their workforces so that theymaintain the competitive position that is essential for business success. Areview of the regional skills base shows a significant shortfall, in particularamongst those in intermediate roles – in all industry sectors.

By Warwick Hall Regional Director fdf (Foundation Degree Forward) West Midlands

Atrium at International Convention Centre Stafford Park, Shropshire

Foyer at the NEC

technical, business and marketplace knowledge; meeting the challenges ofmanaging increasing globalisation issues, competition for current and newmarkets, managing environmental needs and being ahead of technologicaland process evolution. But it is just as important to acknowledge that beingprepared to react rapidly to secure a position is a tall demand.

The need for those employed in any form of business to have appropriateknowledge, experience and skills and the ability to demonstrate them is wellrecognised, as is the importance of continually refreshing, updating andbroadening skills to ensure a well trained, highly capable and wellmotivated workforce, that is prepared to meet that demand. It may appearobvious that simply maintaining and refreshing is not sufficient - preparingfor the future and the changes it will bring is essential. Those who willremain in the same role for a year or so are likely to be performing adifferent job, new tasks, new methods, that will require new skills andprobably at a higher level. As the business environment becomes moresophisticated and responsibilities increase so does the need for higherlevels of knowledge and competence.

Actually being able to achieve such development for many in the workforceis not easy for both employer and employee, and finding the rightmechanism can be difficult and time consuming and is frequently outsideof the experience of many companies. There are many good solutionsaround and the West Midlands has excellent universities and colleges, but

the training and education environment can be complex with so manyofferings - different types of short courses, long courses, distancepackages, interactive workshops and full blown education programmes.There are so many providers - private trainers, universities, colleges andconsultancies; then there are various levels to choose from - accreditededucation programme, certificated courses or just some informal tutoring.There is also the question of whether the accreditation should be acertificate, diploma, degree or NVQ.

Deciding who the company should invest in is not easy either. Be it in alarge or small organisation, a particularly important group are those whooccupy intermediate positions in the business; those with the responsibilityto introduce, manage and sustain change and to co-ordinate operationalactivity. They are the conduit for the upward and downward flow oforganisational communication, frequently dealing internally and externally,often with responsibility for a range of activities - technical, process,business and people - control of budgets, compliance with quality, legaland liability standards. Occupying varying levels within businessesdepending on its size, its processes or its organisation structure, this is avital group of people in every business and is the very group in which theWest Midlands shortfall occurs.

Interestingly, even though the importance of these employees is widelyrecognised, releasing them for education and training is not simple.Traditionally self determination and individual study has been thedevelopment route that many have successfully followed, however manyhave not done so, often for very valid reasons. Businesses in the WestMidlands report a significant shortage of such appropriately experiencedand qualified people and are asking where they can be found. The answerincludes – in the current workforce! Those who already have goodknowledge and experience of your company and its business, those with astake in making it better. The challenge is to identify ways to encourage thisfurther development.

The demographics are quite simple: 80% of the 2020 workforce is alreadyin employment. Young people entering the job market over the next fewyears are insufficient to meet the demand set by business for higher levelskills. The immediate need - required today - is enormous and is detailedin the West Midlands Regional Economic Strategy as a very large number.It is clear you are not alone in your business's need for skills.

Continuing to do what we have always done is not addressing the problem.How we tackle the problem is important and is an urgent issue that wemust address; to do so requires something special and the concerted effortsof businesses and regional support partners to put in place appropriatesystems that are accessible by people in work, and are both affordable andactually meet their needs. The business community's part in this is to ensurethe right content and delivery mechanisms are in place and to ensureparticipation by the right people, with the ultimate objective of making theirbusinesses better.

Regional business, education and training partners are working together tomake such programmes available to West Midlands businesses and theiremployees. The West Midlands Regional Skills Partnership is comprised ofthe region's business and employer representative bodies, universities,colleges, sector skills councils and agencies supported by Advantage WestMidlands and the Learning and Skills Council. Collectively the WestMidlands Regional Skills Partnership is supporting the development andoperation of this Business Operations ~ Business Leadership programme.

Who is the programme for?The Business Operations ~ Business Leadership programme is aimed atthose in key intermediate management, supervisory and support roles,those responsible for operations level co-ordination, communication anddecision making; and those who translate business strategy intooperational action. It is a group that includes people with a variety ofbackgrounds, namely:

• Those who traditionally have progressed through the organisation,building on experience and picking up training where they can. Theymay be new in a job or have been there for a number of years.

• Team leaders, supervisors and aspiring managers wishing to gainadditional technical and business knowledge to prepare them for thetransition and future challenges.

• Operations, technical and support team members wishing to make agreater impact in the organisation and gain greater understanding of thewhole business operation.

• Current job holders needing to update, refresh, gain new knowledge andlearn new ways of doing things to help current and future performance.

• People with qualifications who need to ensure current and relevantknowledge to benefit themselves and their business, perhaps crossingdisciplines or process areas.

• Owner managers or business partners wishing to update and accredittheir experience and business capability who wish to share and buildupon their present practice.

• Those wishing to link business improvement activities to a programmeof development and learning, perhaps as part of coaching and projectleadership preparation.

Entry requirements are straightforward and are intended to ensureprogramme success; they are not an obstacle to be crossed. Appropriateexperience, aptitude to succeed, desire to achieve and determination tocomplete the programme are the most important criteria.

The ProgrammeA business focused, work-based academic programme with the high levelaim of enhancing:

Technical capability - Currency of knowledge in the technical elementsof the job and understanding the changes thatare on the way, application of business tools andtechniques.

Control of the business - Knowledge of the business, its strategy,operating environment, processes, andmanagement systems, maximisingperformance, achieving business success.

Dealing with people - Leading and influencing, internally andexternally, getting the best from oneself andothers.

The programme is delivered flexibly through personal study, businessanalysis and research, undertaking actual business projects and throughindividual and company defined tasks. it requires minimal time away fromwork and intends to boost personal, team and company performancewhilst on programme, with significant emphasis being placed on workplaceapplication and performance review.

Structured in such a way as to include people working in differentdisciplines and at various levels in assorted organisations, the programme'sflexibility takes account of individual and group activity and can includeemployees working together on projects and workplace tasks, but withdifferent academic outcomes. Programme activity can also link with othertypes of development actions taking place within the business - such asbusiness improvement, change management programmes and individualskills development. Appropriate in-company or external training andsome Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities can alsobe incorporated.

Output qualifications are centred on either Foundation Degree or MastersDegree (dependent on the individual's learning and study plan).Accreditation of selected modules or part programme can be made atvarious levels of Higher Education Certificate and can carry credit value forfuture inclusion.

Progression & “Study” levels

Masters Degree

Foundation Degree

Certificate (HE)

Certificate (module)

Note – optional progression Fd → Honours

© WMH WM Business Operations Project

Blythe Valley Business Park

Petri Dishes, Stoke-on-Trent

Content focus within the programme is based on the following key subjectareas:• Business Analysis, Evaluation and Improvement systems and methods.• Project and day to day management, Planning and Communication.• Management Processes, Business Strategy and specific knowledge of

the business.• Leadership, working with people and teams. • Individual Technical Skills update.• Undertaking and Evaluating change and Improvement Projects.

Grouped into what we have called “subject themes” the programmeincludes both common and elected modules to provide consistency butwith the flexibility to suit individual, company and specialist needs andinterests. The significant work based content ensures appropriate tailoringto meet individual learning plan and particular job requirements.

Work Based LearningWork based learning may be simply described as achieving learningthrough work and can be undertaken in many different ways; clearly itdescribes a situation where the majority of the learning takes place awayfrom a classroom. This does not mean that that all the learning takes place“on the job”; it still involves research, investigation, analysis, evaluation andreflection, and it does require the investment of personal time - all the thingsthat are expected in an academic programme.

It does mean that work experience plays a key part, utilising both previousand current experience. There is the opportunity to learn new skills andapply them straight away; being able to report on their effectiveness andknowing how to improve them - potentially applying “continuousimprovement” processes to learning (or maybe the other way round).Whatever the case, Work based learning is very much about applicationand consolidation of knowledge, it is clearly at the most effective end of the“hear, see, do” continuum. In addition to acquiring and applyingknowledge, Work based learning demands a different approach toassessment - much of the academic appraisal can be conducted in similarflexible and practical ways by looking at the outcomes of application andnot just description. Work based learning formalises a range of realactivities, bringing them together in the overall learning process.

Work based learning does not have to be a lone state. Group assignment,projects and workplace challenges are an ideal way of sharing the load andmaintaining the motivation to succeed; in fact it can be surprising just howmuch “rubs off” on other team members. Work Based Learning does implyminimum time in a classroom. However, workplace projects, seminars andstudy groups are an ideal way of supporting individual learning. Theindividual learning plan will identify the study to be undertaken andappropriate sources of relevant information. Work based learning doesrequire input from managers and others in the business - providingunderstanding, support, access to information, reviewing of progress andassessment. A Learning Facilitator will support student, manager andemployer through the learning process. Work based learning enables theemployee as a student to balance time for work, family, leisure and study.

Business BenefitMany employers have expressed the need for flexible ways of developingstaff via readily accessible programmes that are flexible to meet theirbusiness needs, yet which can be subscribed to easily and that enablepeople to achieve improved performance whilst on programme rather thanan expectation of change once a qualification is gained.

This programme provides sound development routes for the key people inthe business. Its focus on increasing personal and business performanceis intended to bring benefits straight away through its concentration onthe participants own business strategy, objectives, operation andincreased individual capability. Its assessment processes incorporateperformance reviews.

Through its collaborative nature, the programme offers benefits that canonly be achieved by scale; it is able to offer all companies the sameflexibility options that have normally only been available to very largeorganisations. By working together the universities are able to provide thebest of what is available and to prepare delivery and support mechanismsto suit all participants. Remote access to high quality learning and supportmaterials permit employees as students to fit study around work.Study groups and seminars permit working with peers, sharing ideasand experience.

Enhanced knowledge and achievement brings increased confidence to theindividual, enabling them to make greater contribution to the business.

Employer involvement ensures that learning plans reflect business's needs;for example, the study of business strategy starts with your own business'sstrategy and your internal training can be incorporated.

The regional nature of this programme brings economies of scale that willbenefit all and enable better and more appropriate programmes that willaddress the requirements of West Midlands businesses.

Workplace Experience

Understanding own business

Understanding Best Practice

What changes are on the way

Learning inputs

Study & Research

Workplace Tasks

Work Focused Workshops

Applying Learning

Performance Improvement

BusinessImprovement

AcademicAttainment

BusinessPlan Targets

Work Based Learning

© WMH WM Business Operations Project

IndividualLearning Plan

Ironbridge, Shropshire

Lloyds Bank, Colmore Row, Birmingham

Learning at workLearning at work is something that we all do every day, gaining experiencefrom our successes and challenges, noticing the things that go well andthose that do not. We see the effects of our own actions and those ofcolleagues, customers and competitors; and, maybe, recognising the needand actually preparing to do things differently next time. Formalising thisprocess or even recognising the learning opportunity can be beneficial toour own and our businesses performance - many do report that taking thetime to reflect is a significant activity in their planning for the future. In-company training and some specific business activities offer an excellentopportunity to acquire new knowledge that can easily contribute to theoverall learning process.

Employee as a studentTraditional study with set time attendance can be an arduous experience forsomeone whose attention is mainly on addressing business challenges;prioritising work and study is essential for success to be achieved in both.Work based learning can certainly help since work and learning activitiesare frequently combined. Programme investigation research andassignments covering real business objectives, as well as real businessexperience being reflected on as content, input during the learning process.The employee as a student will be expected to demonstrate the evaluationand reflection on their real job experiences, as previously described. Theprogramme tasks will include devising, implementing and evaluatingsolutions to their real job issues - this will frequently involve both theirmanager and colleagues in planning and review. Workshops, seminarsand learning groups will involve some time in the evenings and atweekends, depending on individual learning plans. Specialist “training” mayinvolve some “short course” input. Individual study can be planned to fitwith work priorities and specific business activities - for example,introduction of new processes or change management projects. Individualdevelopment plans should take account of both internal and, job relatedexternal training, and the overall education programme. This ensuresintegration and maximising their contribution to the learning process.

Why a Foundation Degree and Master Degree baseFoundation Degrees offer the most flexible route to academic attainment forpeople in work; they are intended to integrate workplace activity with formallearning. They provide the ideal balance between study and experiencethrough concentration on relating practice with theory with equal emphasison both, a great benefit to someone wishing to increase their job relatedknowledge and improve their job performance.

A Foundation Degree is available to those with a range of previousqualifications and to those with experience and no formal qualifications.Although there are pre-requisites, entry can be from people with a variety ofbackgrounds and is not limited by specific pre-entry content. A Foundationdegree is a full higher education qualification in its own right. It is awardedby universities in the same way as other degrees. Many employers describethem as the qualification of choice for employee development programmes.

A work project based Masters Degree is ideal for people operating at a morestrategic level and can offer all the flexibility of a Foundation Degreeprogramme as described above. As post-graduate or post-experienceawards Masters Degrees are well recognised. Integrating a Masters into aworkforce development programme is a natural fit, allowing people to buildtheir practical experience in to academic study and to apply the results ofthe study in their workplace. The Masters programme involves an individualresearch and learning plan that can easily include leading, coaching,mentoring and developing others during change management or peopledevelopment programmes.

Including complementary Foundation and Masters Degree awards througha single programme can be a great benefit to businesses, individuals andtheir work teams - shared learning with tailored, appropriate outcomes.

West Midlands Regional PartnershipWest Midlands' partners are leading the way in developing innovative higherskills business support schemes designed with business to enhance thecapability of the region's workforce.

The Business Operations ~ Business Leadership programme is developedby a collaboration of West Midlands Universities with assistance fromregional business support and employer representative organisations andprivate training providers, with support from West Midlands Regional SkillsPartnership (RSP), Advantage West Midlands, Higher Education FundingCouncil for England, West Midlands Lifelong Learning Networks and WestMidlands Learning and Skills Council.

Business Operations ~ Business Leadership forms part of a suite of RSPbusiness support for higher level skills which are under development:• Business Operations - Business Leadership - developing higher level

skills in the current workforce• Graduate Advantage - offering graduates on placement as a resource for

businesses.

• Graduate Recruitment - placing recent graduates into permanent jobs• Speed - business start-up development programme for recent graduates• Graduate Development - training support for recent graduate recruits

Business Operations - Business Leadership offers companies and keypeople in work with the best option for business focused higher education.It is an easy access work-based programme that focuses on enhancementof individual and business achievement.

How to participateWe are very aware each business has its own specific requirements.However, we would now like to discuss options with you as to how youcan benefit through this programme.

Please call or e-mail Warwick Hall or Bob Lyall using the contact detailsbelow to talk about how you, your company and employees mayparticipate in the West Midlands Business Operations - Business Leadershipprogramme.

t: 01543 301150 e: info@businessoperations.org.uk

Case studies:Two examples of successful employer-basedprogrammes in which fdf has played a leadingrole.

TUI: Training breakthrough forhigh-fliersThomson parent firm TUI is confident that its aim to retain morestaff, develop the skills of its workforce and create the nextgeneration of talented managers will be boosted by the launch ofa Travel Operations Foundation degree.

TUI invited applications for the trial programme from its entire stafftaking into account the variety of positions and skills sets requiredacross the industry. Applicants hailed from diverse fields - frompilots to travel agent representatives and call centre operatives.

Jennifer Lyons, TUI Regional Sales Manager and an Fd student, says:“I started at TUI 18 years ago and have worked my way up from anin-store travel agent to a regional sales manager - responsible for45 TUI shops. The Fd is helping me get a better understanding ofother aspects of the business and why it works.”

The Travel Operations Management Foundation degree has beendeveloped for the travel and tourism industry, with fdf(Foundation Degree Forward) and a higher education consortium,consisting of the University of Wolverhampton, Coventry Universityand University College Birmingham.

TESCO: Every little helps forTesco employeesThe supermarket giant Tesco - the UK's largest private sectoremployer - has teamed up with the University of the Arts Londonand Manchester Metropolitan University, and other partners, todevelop an employer led foundation degree in Retail for bothexperienced and junior employees.

The two-year work-based course was piloted by 40 Tescoemployees in September last year and has on the job learning -from management to customer service - at its heart. The courseis also to be developed across the whole retail sector.

David Potts, Retail and Logistics Director at Tesco, says: “The degreehas been designed by business, for business, and Tesco is proud tobe continuing to shape the future of training for the widerretail sector.”

Commuter at Warwick Parkway

Partner Organisations:

� The LifelongLearning Networks

of the West Midlands