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Management and Leadership Development

October 8, 2008 by finntrack

Human Relations - Personal and Professional Development

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Professional Development often refers to skills required for maintaining a specific career path or to general skills offered through continuing education, including the more general skills area of personal development. It can be seen as training to keep current with changing technology and practices in a profession or in the concept of lifelong learning. Developing and implementing a program of professional development is often a function of the human resources or organization development department of a large corporation or institution.

Professional Development

In a very broad sense professional development may include formal types of vocational education, typically post-secondary or polytechnical training leading to qualification or a credential required to get or retain employment. Informal or individualized programs of professional development may also include the concept of personal coaching.

Professional development on the job may develop or enhance process skills, sometimes referred to as leadership skills, as well as task skills. Some examples for process skills are ‘effectiveness skills’, ‘team functioning skills’, and ‘systems thinking skills’. Some examples of task skills are computer software applications, customer service skills and safety training.

Examples of skills relevant to a current occupation are leadership training for managers and training for specific techniques or equipment for educators, technicians, metal workers, medical practitioners and engineers. For some occupations there is a provision for accreditation tied to “continuing professional education” and proving competence regulated by a professional body.

See also

Management Development is best described as the process from which managers learn and improve their skills not only to benefit themselves but also their employing organisations.[1]

In organisational development (OD), the effectiveness of management is recognised as one of the determinants of organisational success. Therefore, investment in management development can have a direct economic benefit to the organisation.

Managers are exposed to learning opportunities whilst doing their jobs, if this informal learning is used as a formal process then it is regarded as management development.

In 2004 the spend per annum per manager on management and leadership development was £1,035, an average of 6.3 days per manager.[2]

What management development includes:

The term ‘leadership‘ is often used almost interchangeably with ‘management’ Leadership which deals with emotions is an important component of management which is about rational thinking..[3]

The Management Charter Intiative (MCI) originally set out management competencies for management S/NVQ’s, these comptencies are now part of the National Qualification Framework (NQF), it is from these competencies that managers can be assessed and development needs determined.

One of the biggest growth areas in UK education since the early 1980’s has been the growth of university level management education. As well as weekly part time attendance at College/University many students are also undertaking distance learning. Whereas there were only two business schools in the early 1970’s, there are now over a hundred providers offering undergraduate, postgraduate and professional courses.

Management Development

Learning Organisation

Programmes and Workshop Outlines

Related Workshops

Learner Support Resources

Recommended Texts

Resources

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Vocational and Foundation Education

October 8, 2008 by finntrack

Introduction to Business

Introduction to Business

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Pre-university Foundation Courses such as shown here and the British Foundation degrees are considered a part of vocation education which has been defined as follows:

Vocational Education (or Vocational Education and Training (VET) – now called Career and Technical Education (CTE)) prepares learners for careers or professions that are traditionally non-academic and directly related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation, hence the term, in which the learner participates. It is sometimes referred to as technical education, as the learner directly specialises in a particular narrow technique of using technology.

Learning Cycle

Learning Cycle

Vocational Education (or Vocational Education and Training (VET) – now called Career and Technical Education (CTE)) prepares learners for careers or professions that are traditionally non-academic and directly related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation, hence the term, in which the learner participates. It is sometimes referred to as technical education, as the learner directly specialises in a particular narrow technique of using technology.

Vocational education might be contrasted with education in a usually broader scientific field, which might concentrate on theory and abstract conceptual knowledge, characteristic of tertiary education.Vocational education is in most cases a form of secondary or post-secondary education. In some cases, vocational education can contribute towards a tertiary education at a university as academic credit however, it is rarely considered in its own form to fall under the traditional definition of a higher education.

Up until the end of the twentieth century, vocational education focused on specific trades such as for example, an automobile mechanic or welder, and was therefore associated with the activities of lower social classes. As a consequence, it attracted a level of stigma. Vocational education is related to the age-old apprenticeship system of learning.

However, as the labour market becomes more specialised and economies are demanding more skills, governments and businesses are increasingly investing in the future of vocational education through publicly funded training organisations and subsidised apprenticeship or traineeship initiatives for businesses. At the post-secondary level vocational education is typically provided by an institute of technology, or by a local community college.

Structure of the Commercial Training Programme

Structure of the Commercial Training Programme

Vocational education has diversified over the 20th century and now exists in industries such as retail, tourism, information technology, funeral services and cosmetics, as well as in the traditional crafts and cottage industries.

Programmes, Courses and Modules

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Undergraduate Curriculum and Learning Contents

October 8, 2008 by finntrack

Business Administration

Business Administration

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BA/BA(Hons) Business Administration

 

Certificate in Business Administration

Diploma in Business Administration

BA Business Administration

Research Methods in Business Studies

Research Methods in Business Studies

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BA/BA (Hons) Business Studies

Certificate in Business Studies

Diploma in Business Studies

Accounting Options

Management Options

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Marketing Options

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BA/BA (Hons) Business Studies

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BA/BA (Hons) Business Administration and BA/BA (Hons) Business Studies Workshops

Quantitative Approaches in Business Studies

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Undergraduate Education

October 8, 2008 by finntrack

The Business Students' Handbook

The Business Students

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In some educational systems, Undergraduate Education is post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelor’s degree. Students of higher degrees are known as postgraduates (or often simply graduates).

First degree students

First degree students

Programmes

  • North American system

In the United States and Canada, most undergraduate education takes place at four-year colleges or universities. In the United States, students in their first, second, third, and fourth years of study are often called, respectively, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors (although some institutions, such as many women’s colleges, substitute “first-year” for “freshman” in an attempt to remain more gender-neutral). Some institutions (e.g. liberal-arts colleges) offer primarily or exclusively undergraduate education, while most universities offer graduate study as well. Successful completion of undergraduate work generally requires the completion of many courses of varying subject and difficulty, and a concentration or “major” that focuses on a particular academic discipline.

See Also: Universities in the United States

  • British system

In the United Kingdom undergraduate refers to those studying toward a Bachelor’s degree which usually takes three or four years. The three year system predominates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the four year system in Scotland, although there is some overlap. The old Scottish masters degree after four years undergraduate study is being phased out to avoid confusion with postgraduate masters degrees.

See also: Universities in the United Kingdom

An Undergraduate Degree (sometimes called a first degree or simply a degree) is the most common and primary academic degree available and is normally studied at a higher education institution, such as a university.

By far the most common type of undergraduate degree is the bachelor’s degree, which typically takes three or four years to complete. First professional degrees sometimes contain the word ‘Doctor’ but are, at least in the U.S., not considered doctorates[1] and are, in Canada, considered to be undergraduate degrees. Oxbridge Master of Arts and Scottish Master of Arts degrees are considered to be undergraduate degrees. In the United Kingdom, a Master’s degree is sometimes awarded as an undergraduate degree for an undergraduate student whose final year consists of higher-level courses and a major research project;

A student following an undergraduate degree programme is known as an undergraduate because they have not yet graduated (received a degree). Once they have graduated, undergraduate degrees allow their holders to get a better job than they would otherwise be able to get or continue into postgraduate education.

Number of qualifications obtained by students on Higher Education courses, England, 1996/97 to 2004/05

It is the academic equivalent of the more vocational Higher National Certificate, awarded following further education and training courses.

In Scotland a CertHE is worth 120 credit points at Level 7 on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. (As a guide an Honours Degree is worth 480 credit points.)

They are not externally regulated but are instead accredited by the universities themselves.

It is the academic equivalent of the more vocational Higher National Diploma, awarded following further education and training courses.

In Scotland a DipHE is worth 240 credit points (at least 120 at Level 7 and at least 80 at Level 8) on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. (As a guide an Honours degree is worth 360 credit points.)

They are not externally regulated but are instead accredited by the universities themselves.

A Bachelor’s Degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, and in some cases and countries, five years. (Note that some postgraduate degrees are entitled Bachelor of …, e.g. the University of Oxford‘s Bachelor of Civil Law and Bachelor of Philosophy.)

Curtin Pathway

Curtin Pathway

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International Baccalaureate Organization

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Postgraduate Curriculum and Learning Contents

October 8, 2008 by finntrack

Doing Postgraduate Research

Doing Postgraduate Research

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Postgraduate Education or graduate education involves studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor’s degree is required, and is normally considered to be part of tertiary or higher education. In North America this level is generally referred to as Graduate school.

The organisation and structure of postgraduate education is very different in different countries, and also in different institutions within countries. This article sets out the basic types of course and of teaching and examination methods, with some explanation of their history. More detailed treatments of the different types of degree can be found at the relevant specific articles: Master’s degree and Doctorate.

Degree ceremony at Cambridge.

Degree ceremony at Cambridge.

A Master’s Degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate or graduate course of one to three years in duration. In the United Kingdom it is sometimes awarded for an undergraduate student whose final year consists of higher-level courses and a major research project. The ancient universities of Scotland (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews) award an MA (Master of Arts) as their normal undergraduate degree after four years of study in Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences. In the recently standardized European system of higher education diplomas, it corresponds to a two-year graduate program to be entered after three years of undergraduate studies and in preparation for either high-qualification employment or for doctoral studies.

Master’s degrees are often prefixed with magister, which is Latin for master, teacher. In some languages, magister or its cognate is the word used for person who has the degree.

See Also

 Masters Degree Online Guide

Current Programmes and Courses

A Doctorate is an academic degree of the highest level. Traditionally, the award of a doctorate implies recognition of the candidate as an equal by the university faculty under which he or she studied.

Resources

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Teacher Tube

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UK-China Partnerships in Higher Education

October 8, 2008 by finntrack

Ministry of Higher Education in People's Republic of China

Ministry of Higher Education of PRC

GlobalHigherEd

The Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges

The duties and functions of Department of International Cooperation and Exchange are as follows:

  • To formulate guidelines and policies for the foreign affairs of China’s educational sector, and
  • to draft relevant laws and regulations; to manage, coordinate and supervise educational cooperation and exchanges between China and other countries;
  • to manage the cooperation and exchanges between China’s educational sector and international organizations as well as inter-regional governmental organizations;
  • to formulate guidelines and policies for Chinese students studying abroad and international students studying in China, and
  • to undertake overall management of this issue;
  • to plan, coordinate and instruct the work of teaching Chinese as a foreign language;
  • to manage educational aiding programs provided to other countries by China as well as educational aiding programs offered by other countries to China;
  • to participate in the administration of employing foreign teachers by schools of different levels, and
  • to supervise the selection and employment of foreign teachers by the affiliated universities;
  • to examine, approve and administrate institutions and programs engaged in educational cooperation and exchanges;
  • to give instruction on the operation of education departments in Chinese embassy and consulate abroad;
  • to manage the Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan affairs on behalf of the Ministry of Education,
  • to formulate concerning policies, manage, coordinate and supervise the educational exchanges between education systems of inland China and that of Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan District.

Higher Education in China

Since the implementation of reform and opening up, the reform and development of higher education have made significant achievements. A higher education system with various forms, which encompasses basically all branches of learning, combines both degree-education and non-degree education and integrates college education, undergraduate education and graduate education, has taken shape.

Higher education in China has played an important role in the economic construction, science progress and social development by bringing up large scale of advanced talents and experts for the construction of socialist modernization.

In 2002, there were all together 2003 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), among which 1396 were Regular HEIs and the other 607 were higher education institutions for adults. In 2002, the total number of new entrant admitted by and the total enrollment of the regular HEIs were respectively 3,205,000 and 9,033,600. The total number of new entrant admitted by and the total enrollment of new recruitment and total enrollment of adult higher education institutions were 1,175,000 and 2,223,200.

The total number of graduate students newly admitted by HEIs and research institutions was 202,600 among which 38,400 were for PH.D and 164,200 for master’s degree. The total enrollment for graduate students was 501,000 in 2002.


The System of Vocational Education and Its Development

The system of vocational education consists of education in vocational schools and vocational training.

Vocational education in China is provided at three levels: junior secondary, senior secondary and tertiary.

Conducted mainly in junior vocational schools and aimed at training workers, peasants and employees in other sectors with basic professional knowledge and certain professional skills, junior vocational education refers to the vocational and technical education after primary school education and is a part of the 9-year compulsory education. The students in secondary vocational school should be primary school graduates or the youth with equivalent cultural knowledge and its schooling lasts 3 to 4 years. To meet the needs of labor forces for the development of rural economy, junior vocational schools are mainly located in rural areas where the economy is less developed.

The secondary level mainly refers to the vocational education in senior high school stage. Composed of specialized secondary schools, skill workers schools and vocational high schools, and as the mainstay of vocational education in China, secondary vocational education plays a guiding role in training manpower with practical skills at primary and secondary levels of various types.

Consisting of secondary technical schools and normal schoo1s, specialized secondary schools enroll junior high school graduates with a schooling of usually 4 years and sometimes 3 years, A few specialities are open only to senior high school graduates with the schooling lasting 2 years.

The basic tasks of these schools are to train secondary-level specialized and technical talents for the forefront of production, and all the students should master the basic knowledge, theory and skills of their speciality in addition to the cultural knowledge required for higher school students.

Aiming at training secondary-level skill workers, skill worker schools enroll junior high school graduates and their schooling lasts 3 years. Quite capable of practicing and operating, their graduates will directly be engaged in production activities.

Developing on the basis of the structural reform of secondary education after China adopted the policy of reform and opening to the outside world and directly coming from the reorganization of regular high schools, vocational high school enrolls junior high school graduates and its schooling lasts 3 years. Its main task is to train secondary-1evel practice-oriented talents with comprehensive professional abilities and all-round qualities directly engaged in the forefront of production, service, technology and management. Accordingly, the specialities offered in vocational high schools are mainly related to the third industry.

In 2001, there were altogether 17,770 secondary vocational schools (including vocational high schools, specialized secondary schools and skill workers school), with the enrollment of 11,642,300 students and the recruitment of 3,976,300 students.

With the schooling lasting 2 to 3 years, tertiary vocational education mainly enroll graduates from regular high schools and secondary vocational schools. In recent years, the proportion of graduates form secondary vocational schools has been increased, establishing the link between secondary and tertiary vocational education gradually. Aiming at training secondary and high – level specialized technical and management talents needed in the economic construction, tertiary vocational education emphasiz6s the training of practice-oriented and craft-oriented talents.

At present, institutions providing tertiary vocational education are divided into four categories. The first is the higher vocational technology institutions; the second is the 5-year higher vocational classes provided in the regular specialized secondary schools; the third is the tertiary vocational education provided in some regular higher education institutions and adult higher education institutions; the last is the reformed regular institutions offering 2 to 3-year higher education with the emphasis on training practice-oriented talents, namely high-level professional technical talents, for the forefront of production.

Vocational training of various forms has been playing a more and more important role in vocational education. At present, vocational training is mainly conducted and managed by the departments of education and labor, but enterprises are encouraged to provide vocational training for its own employees. In 2001, short-term training are proved for 100 million person-time.

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