“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," said Ann Francke, Chief Executive of the CMI, the Chartered membership body for over 170,000 UK managers and business leaders.The CMI is also urging ministers to include mandatory reporting requirements on diversity and inclusion in all funded training programmes to ensure they reach individuals and communities across the UK. 

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Levelling up and investment in skills

“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,” said Ann Francke, Chief Executive of the CMI. “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."

Embedding management development in procurement

As well as seeking firm commitments to the funding of higher education and apprenticeships in the Chancellor's upcoming CSR, the 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.“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.”

The CMI's five requirements

The CMI has identified five key requirements that the Review needs to include to ensure that the UK workforce and economy thrive in the coming years:

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

“Our five asks aren’t just nice-to-haves – they’re absolutely vital if levelling up is to become a reality,” said Ann Francke.

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