CMI calls on the Chancellor to invest in management and leadership or risk ‘levelling up’ failure

Ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review on 27th October, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) is calling on the Government to commit to crucial investment in management and leadership as a central part of its ‘levelling up’ agenda.

CMI has also urged ministers to include mandatory reporting requirements on diversity and inclusion in all funded training programmes, to ensure that they reach individuals and communities across the UK.

As well as seeking firm commitments to the funding of higher education and apprenticeships, CMI is also calling on the Government to lead by example through embedding core skills in all funded education and training provision, and requiring a commitment to management and leadership development from potential suppliers as part of its procurement process.

CMI, a membership body for over 170,000 UK managers and business leaders, has identified 5 key requirements that the Review needs to include to ensure that the UK workforce and economy thrive in the coming years:

• Maintain current spending levels on higher education
• Protect apprenticeship funding, including at degree level
• Build management development into education, training, and sector policies
• Include four core skills (communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and digital competency) into all Government-funded training provision
• Require all Government procurement bids to include management and leadership development

Ann Francke, Chief Executive of the CMI, said: “Levelling up has got to be about people as well as places, and its success is predicated on a rock-solid commitment to funding education and training. The Chancellor has a golden opportunity to demonstrate his personal passion for improved management by committing to long-term investment in training and leadership skills, and by putting improved management at the heart of every contract the Government enters into.

“Sustained funding for higher and further education must be at the heart of ‘levelling up’ and ‘building back better’. Ministers’ aspirations won’t become a reality unless we see a commitment to building Britain’s human capital at the very heart of this Spending Review. Our five asks aren’t just nice-to-haves — they’re absolutely vital if levelling up is to become a reality.”

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”The Government, as an employer, could really show us all what ‘best practice’ looks like”[/perfectpullquote]

“The Government, as an employer, could really show us all what ‘best practice’ looks like in training and development”, commented Daisy Hooper, Head of Policy at the CMI.

“With an annual procurement budget of almost £300billion a year there is a huge opportunity for the Government to drive private sector commitment to good management and leadership through making M&L training a mandatory requirement for any organisation tendering for a Government contract.”

Read the CMI’s submission to the Treasury here.

Image:CMI