Management Skills …are the key to career success

Whether it's a career in retailing, the media, manufacturing, supply chain, the public sector of one of the professions, every young person preparing for the world of work needs management skills in order to manage themselves, their job and those who will report to them as they climb the ladder to success.

Operational skills, budgeting, leadership, and managing people and information are all core competencies which the well equipped manger needs and it is these skills which students can learn from the Institute of Management (IM)

The IM has been established for more than 60 years and has over 86,000 individual and 600 corporate members. If offers a range of courses accommodating all levels of management at all stages of career development - from college students to CEOs of blue-chip companies.

Students make up 34per cent of the total membership. Not all are full time students. In fact many are full time workers, studying in their own time for the IM's Certificate in Management and diploma in Management. The IM also offers a range of short courses and management training programmes to support managers with their continuing professional development.

Courses are available throughout the UK in hundreds of further and higher education establishments and also through in-company training programmes, Students are attracted to study for IM qualifications for a variety of reasons. For example, Vivienne Manning, who recently won an IM award for outstanding achievement on the Certificate programme, opted for the course on the advice of her college tutor. She was unable to continue with a course in personnel management because courses in that discipline clashed with work commitments.

"My tutor suggested that an NVQ Certificate in Management would give a good grounding and that I would get a lot from the course," said Vivienne Manning, who lives in Gloucestershire. "I particularly enjoyed the human resource modules. I funded the course myself and actually managed to get another job as a personnel administrator. I assist the manufacturing director of a packaging company with a staff of 120 employees and am responsible for training and development plans and also deal with a range of resource issues," added Vivienne Manning.

Another recent IM award winner is Gordon Rutherford, a police sergeant with Cumbria Constabulary, based in Carlisle. He says his studies helped him to win promotion last September. "I always think in terms of outcomes and my aim is to achieve an MBA," said Sgt Rutherford. "I took the Diploma in Management courses as it offered a fast-track system. You learn a lot very quickly. It's very intensive. I scored high in my interview for promotion because of studying and researching for the Diploma," he added.

The IM is the leading management organisation in the UK and the largest in Europe. Through its wide ranging management development programmes it enables a broad cross section of people to develop their skills and confidence and increase their personal effectiveness.

It's students also benefits from a unique support package which includes access to the Management Information Centre, the largest management library in Europe; special discounts on books and other services and subscription to Professional Manager, the Institute's own journal.

The IM's mission is to promote the art and science of management. It aims to:

• Encourage and support the lifelong development of mangers
  
  
• Raise the level of competence and qualifications of management
  
  
• Initiate, develop, evaluate and disseminate management thinking, tools, techniques and practices
  
  
• Influence policy-makers and opinion formers on management issues.
  
  

As a membership organisation, the IM id committed to meeting the development needs of managers at every level and in every industry, in order to equip them with the knowledge, resources and access to training they increasingly depends upon to further their career ambitions.

The IM also plays an important role in influencing policy-makers and opinion formers in the UK on management issues, supported by the publication of substantial research reports on a wide range of management issues, including employment trends remuneration, management tools and the work/life balance.

Fast Track To Success

In today’s competitive world, students need skills that will equip them for a fast-changing work environment. Technical and communication skills are highly desired by companies and the need for proficiency in English is becoming essential for many posts.

With 80 per cent of international business communications written in English and most of the world’s trade and financial business transacted in the language, companies worldwide acknowledge the necessity of having workforce able to communicate in English if they are to take advantage of the opportunities in the global marketplace.

Aspiring professionals, too, recognise that English is increasingly the language of discourse in many professional and fluency in it can open the door to numerous opportunities. An effective option for those wishing to perfect their language skills is to take an English language course.

Each year over 300,000 students come to Britain for language training. Britain’s thriving English language teaching industry has more than a hundred years’ experience behind it, but can still confidently claim to be a world leader in range and quality of courses.

The range of courses on offer in Britain is extensive so you need to have a clear idea of your objectives and expectations. Choose from General English courses, courses with a business or vocational option, English for Academic Purposes, intensive courses, examination courses and many others.

Intensive courses
Intensive courses are an ideal way of making rapid progress in a very short time. Comprising at least 30 lessons per week, the course can be as long or as short as you wish and can be taken at any time of the year.

Students can expect to improve their listening, reading and writing skills through practical exercises, projects, case studies, free discussion and self study at the school’s language laboratory. Specific attention is given to grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary.

English for Academic Purposes
Study and writing skills are of considerable importance to students embarking on a degree course or post-graduate studies at a British university. An English for Academic Purposes course is a great confidence booster. In addition to focusing on lecture listening, note-taking, seminar/tutorial participation, report and essay writing and using reference sources – all the skills that a student needs – some courses include options in specific academic subjects.

Examination courses
There are a variety of examination courses that students can take to demonstrate their level of proficiency in English to prospective employers or academic institutions. The British Council IELTS (international English Language testing system) preparation course or the UCLES Certificate in Advance English and Certificate of Proficiency in English are prerequisites for further study.

Vocation courses
Business and communication courses are in great demand as students seek to obtain skills that will prepare them for the workplace. These days you can take specialised courses that combine English language studies with business, management, marketing or tourism. Diploma courses provide a good grounding covering a comprehensive range of topics and skills needed in the business environment. Courses vary in length from 3 to 9 months.

Whatever your interests and needs, there will always be a course to meet them. And as with most things, the secret of a successful language course is careful planning and preparation.

Your next step is to obtain information about reputable language centres in the UK. The only assurance of quality in the UK is provided by the English in Britain Accreditation Scheme, run jointly by ARELS, BASELT and the British Council. If a school is “English in Britain accredited” that means that it has been rigorously inspected by independent experts. Every aspect of that school’s English language provision has been scrutinised including teacher qualifications, class sizes, materials management, accommodation, student welfare and premises.

Over 370 establishments in the UK are English in Britain accredited. In addition 208 of those schools are also members of a professional body for independent English language schools, ARELS (Association of Recognised English language Services). ARELS was set up in 1960 to raise standards in English Language Teaching in the UK. ARELS has its own Code of Practice which member schools must abide by.

ARELS members

• Offer assurances of quality through the English in Britain Accreditation Scheme
  
• Provide high quality teaching and expertise
  
• Offer a complaints procedure for students
  
• Select accommodation of a high standard
  
• Have a Welfare officer and a 24 hour emergency help line for students
  
• Ensure high standards of health and safety
  
• Explain all charges clearly
  
• Provide extensive social programmes

A useful source of information is the ARELS website www.arels.org.uk or the ARELS guide “Learn English in Britain with ARELS”. Alternatively you can contact your local British Council Office or British Tourist Authority for further information on English in Britain accredited schools.