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Business men and women in Merseyside and North Wales will soon be able to follow the Institute of Directors Company Direction Programme in Liverpool. The Programme is to be offered at The University of Liverpool from February 1998, in conjunction with Salford University where it has been running si nce 1991.
The IoD Company Direction Programme is a unique, structured professional and personal development programme specifically designed for all practising and prospective company directors. All courses are led by specialists in their field and the course leaders are used to operating at board level, ofte n on a consultancy basis.
In the September 1997 issue of Director magazine it was reported that the Beaufort Report, a 1996 survey of the role of British Directors published by business consultants Beaufort Group plc, revealed that over half of the directors surveyed received no formal preparation for their first board appo intment. Only just over one quarter had any director-specific training during their first 12 months on the board. The Report had surveyed 117 executive directors from a wide range of companies in the Times Top 200.
Barbara Roche MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Small Firms, Trade and Industry, is working with the IoD to develop a framework for board development, which can be introduced for all Business Link partnerships to use as quickly as possible in 1998. Business Links will be expected to pr ovide, as a condition of accreditation, evidence to show that effective board development procedures are in place.
The course at Liverpool covers the essentials of directing a modern company successfully. Its aim is to bring about an imaginative interaction between participants which leads to effective problem-solving and the development of new ideas. Exposure to colleagues from a mix of backgrounds with a dive rse range of experience has proved helpful to many past participants. Guy Glover, Sales Director of AUT (Wheels and Castors) Co Ltd. said 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance! Never has there been a greater need to listen and learn: the tutors and fellow directors give this programme a unique mix of skill and knowledge. I would advise all directors to find the time and book the full programme - you won't be disappointed!'
Anyone wishing to receive further information should contact Alison Hughes, CPD Unit, Tel: ext 2083.