Why Middle Management needs the apprentice levy
Last week Dove Nest attended the Training and Development summit at Whittlebury Hall, hosted by Forum Events.
The event brought together HR, Training and L&D professionals from a wide cross section of industries, including: retail, the legal profession, hospitality and the service sector.
It is no surprise that the hot topic of the 2-day summit was the Apprentice Levy. But what was interesting was a new focus on where levy funds should be invested.
Middle Management
Talent development, coaching and mentoring programmes frequently focus on either newly recruited graduates, or senior executives.
It is easy to understand why: graduates are considered the future leaders of the organisation, whilst executives already are the leaders.
However, a recent article cited a Focus Middle Managers as one of the 3 key trends for 2017
“Middle managers are sort of the draft horses of the management world: sorely overworked and chronically underappreciated. Yet unquestionably valuable to the success of their enterprises.”
Forbes – 3 People Management Trends for 2017
It was this message that was repeated, again and again in conversations during the summit.
Mind the Gap
Those appointed to middle management positions, have often risen through the ranks, a direct result of their effort and abilities. In any new position, there can be a gap, between the skills we have and the skills needed to do the job. So, although they have earned their promotion, often new managers haven’t been prepared or supported for that managerial position.
Many dedicated managers attempt to bridge that gap by simply working harder. Admirable though this quality is, it doesn’t provide a sustainable model.
Bridging the Gap
At first glance the apprentice levy doesn’t look like the obvious solution. However, levy funds can be invested in developing existing staff to achieve success in their new position. A good management apprenticeship should equip managers with both the skills and behaviours necessary to not only bridge the gap, but build beyond it.
As an example, Dove Nest’s Trailblazer Management Apprenticeship combines the essential elements needed: an understanding of business, working with others, 1 to 1 coaching, a digital learning platform and work related project assessment. The programme can be tailored to fit the specific organisational needs and results in a recognised ILM qualification.
The 3 Key Trends for 2017
In addition to the focus on Middle Managers, the other trends mentioned in the article were: the importance of Feedback, and the increasing demand for Leadership development. From our discussions during the summit, it was clear that HR professionals were connecting the dots of all three trends.
Management apprenticeships can provide a compelling solution:
- Providing a vehicle for more frequent feedback to managers, simultaneously equipping them to provide feedback to their teams
- Developing the leadership skills and behaviour within the organisation
- Finally, to provide the development and support to help middle management to close the gap.
Not only can management apprenticeships deliver all this; but they can also be levy funded.
To learn more about management apprenticeships and levy funding, please visit our website https://www.dovenest.co.uk , email us enquiries@dovenest.co.uk, or call us on 015395 67878