Managers lack the training they need to be successful

01 September 2016 -

Apprenticeships could provide the solution to the growing problem of under-trained managers in the British workforce, but training providers need to be ready to capitalise on the opportunity it presents

Matt Scott

British businesses are struggling to find new recruits with the necessary skills, according to the latest white paper from CMI, and are then failing to train them adequately, worsening the problem.

The new white paper, Skills First: Connecting employers, further education and training providers, is based on discussions from CMI’s July Learning Provider conference and found that 87% of employers report difficulties in recruiting certain key skills, and that 25% of all job openings in 2015 were left vacant because employers could not find people with the right skills or knowledge.

And with seven in 10 employers failing to train first-time managers, the problem is becoming endemic, with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) estimating the cost of poor management and leadership to the UK economy at £19bn a year through lower productivity.

But with the launch of the new level three and level five management and leadership apprenticeships, a solution is in sight. It also presents a big opportunity for training providers as they look to capitalise on the incoming increased extra funding from the Apprenticeship Levy.

The schemes were developed by a group of 30 employers led by Serco and Civil Service Learning, and supported by CMI. They add to the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, which was launched in November 2015, providing a progression route for employers to invest in managers at all levels.

CMI director of strategy and conference speaker Petra Wilton said education and training providers need to be ready for the increasing number of apprentices that will be entering schemes over the coming years and months.

“There are huge opportunities for education and training providers to deliver the programmes employers want to grow their people and boost their performance,” she said. “Employers will need 1.9 million new managers by 2024, which means that top of their shopping list must be management and leadership apprenticeships.

“The Apprenticeship Levy and Brexit will undoubtedly transform employer spending on skills and education providers need to be ready to jump on that.”

Find out more about the new management and leadership apprenticeships