Driving employability success
Worcester Business School offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes as well as PhDs and is currently home to around 11,000 students looking to boost their confidence, knowledge and employability. With the job market becoming increasingly competitive, universities are under pressure to develop work-ready graduates who can hit the ground running.
When Dr Scott Andrews first headed up Worcester Business School, he jumped at the chance of working in partnership with CMI as an opportunity to increase their degree offering to students. “I was delighted! In fact, I eventually became the school's CMI lead. That was nine years ago and our relationship with CMI has grown and developed during that time," says Dr Scott Andrews. "Right at the heart of our programmes is generating graduates who meet the needs of the workplace.
To us, it's really important that we're engaging with CMI because that's what provides those all important employability skills. It gives students the edge.
An additional professional qualification
One of the key, added benefits of CMI Dual Accreditation is that learners gain an additional professional qualification to recognise their hard work. This was a pleasant surprise for Onyinye Okwuofu-Okocha, Creative Director at Kairos Treats, who is studying an MBA. “Initially, when CMI was introduced to the course I wasn't sure about it, but once I realised what was involved I was like, wow, this is really great value!” she says.
I’m so grateful for the partnership with CMI because it has really enriched the programme.
Industry-recognised skills
Developing so-called ‘soft’ skills such as collaboration and communication is an essential part of CMI accreditation. This was welcome news for Darren Chandler, General Manager at Ischida Europe, who had a technical background but was keen to move into a more executive role. This involved liaising with other parts of the organisation, but he lacked confidence and knowledge in those areas.
Studying for his CMI Dual Accredited Senior Leaders Master Degree Apprenticeship (SLMDA) was a major turning point. “My performance in my new role is certainly enhanced and the CMI engagement, having gone through the MBA itself, has increased my confidence when liaising with different elements of the business,” he explains.
Beforehand, I couldn't really converse with marketing or finance for example but now, after studying those areas, I can relate to them. The CMI qualification was a great added benefit. To be recognised at industry standard is really beneficial to me.
Work-ready with a Dual Accredited degree
In today’s fierce job market, universities are increasingly judged on how employable their graduates are. It’s not enough for students to know the theory behind management and leadership. They need to put that theory into practice and CMI accreditation bridges that gap. As Dr Andrews puts it:
A CMI Dual Accredited programme gives students a real insight into the professional world. It really does bring management to life for them. I would say to an organisation considering a CMI partnership, go for it!
Onyinye agrees that the skills she learned on her CMI Dual Accredited programme have strengthened her performance at work and given her the chance to apply learnings in her role:
I’ve learned to manage. I’ve learned to delegate. I’ve learned to create an effective strategy which other people can follow. I cannot overemphasise the value that CMI resources have added to my role.
Watch the full video case study
CMI talks to Dr Scott Andrews and students at the University of Worcester, as they share their experiences on a CMI Dual Accredited course and the impact it's had for them.