Home > News > June 2006 > 01-Jun-2006

Industry drive aims to take management skills up a gear

Automotive Skills, in partnership with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), has launched a new campaign that aims to improve profitability and customer satisfaction by helping the automotive retail sector to improve levels of management competence.

Over the past 18 months Automotive Skills, the Sector Skills Council for the retail motor industry, has been working closely with employers to refine ARMST (Automotive Retail Management Standards).

The organisation says ARMS is based on fundamental management skills and yet specific to the motor industry, enabling organisations to effectively benchmark their management development processes and programmes. Automotive Skills adds that ARMS also allows individual managers to take responsibility for their own personal development.

Dave Cussell - deputy general manager Toyota Academy Europe and chairman of the ARMS industry working group, said: "Superior management is critical to the future success of the automotive retail sector.

"Developing a mindset that always puts the customer first requires the best people who can embrace change and develop new strategies. Automotive Retail Management Standards set the framework for meeting these challenges."

Sarah Sillars, chief executive of the IMI, said: "The automotive retail sector is evolving dramatically, taking the required skill-sets to a whole new level. The ability to drive a business successfully in such a fast-moving and challenging environment demands competence in all areas of management and the desire to improve professionalism.

"Tailored specifically to address the issues facing businesses and their people, ARMS is an opportunity to learn and apply new skills and techniques that will both deliver tangible results and highlight formal recognition of a commitment to the pursuit of commercial integrity and professional development."

Patricia Richards, chief executive of Automotive Skills, applauds the existing efforts of the industry to develop their managers and hopes the more flexible and business relevant ARMS will encourage even more employers to recognise the benefits of management development.

She commented: "Successful businesses do not need persuading about the vitally important contribution that their managers make. ARMS is the tool to deliver excellence, consistently driving up the skills of managers right across our sector."

External link

For more information about ARMS, visit: www.armsprofessional.org.uk

Automotive Skills

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