Home > News > June 2004 > 23-Jun-2004

National programme announced to drive forward middle manager development

A new programme to develop middle managers in local government has been announced by the Government.

The National Middle Manager Development Programme in Local Government aims to increase the abilities of a wide spectrum of managers at this level in local government and help them do their jobs more effectively. It will also help local authorities to identify and prepare those managers with the potential to become the senior managers of the future.

Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford said, "Middle management provides a vital link between senior management and operational functions. At its best it ensures that strategy is turned into appropriate action and that the contribution of operational staff is maximised.

"I am pleased to announce today's launch of the National Middle Manager Development Programme. We want this programme to be the gold standard for ambitious middle managers in local government, to make an effective and sustainable contribution to on-the-ground improvement across local government."

The Programme, which is jointly funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and the Local Government Association (LGA), is designed to train and develop about 1000 participants over 2 years, beginning in the Autumn. It has three key aims, which are:

• To develop existing middle managers
• To identify and prepare potential future senior managers
• To contribute to making local government a desirable career choice and so attract new talent into the sector.

The National Middle Manager Development Programme is the first national programme to be delivered under the ODPM's Capacity Building Programme. The Capacity Building Programme aims to enhance and develop councils' confidence, leadership and skills to drive forward improvement in local government, as well as develop their capacity to learn, innovate and share knowledge and expertise about what works and how.

The contract to run the National Middle Manager Development Programme has been jointly awarded to the Office of Public Management and a joint bid from Deloitte NCS Ltd and Ashridge Management Centre. Together they have designed a single development programme with a strong residential core, combined with regional and remote components. They also propose setting up a website for all graduates of the programme, so that networks built up on the programme can continue into the future, to the benefit of local government and the individuals themselves.

The National Middle Manager Development Programme will stand alongside and complement a number of strands of work proposed or in place that aim at building management and leadership capacity in local government. These include the National Graduate Development Programme led by the Employer's Organisation (EO) and IDeA's Advanced Leadership Programme. In addition, the ODPM and LGA are due to launch the Local Government Leadership Centre this summer, which will commission and include new programmes with relevance to Middle Managers.

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