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This study examines the existing and potential strategies for sustaining and building greater levels of management and leadership capability in training organisations.
- Vocational education and training (VET) providers are well aware of the urgent need to develop the leadership talent that presently exists to guarantee both the current and future success of their organisations.
The good news is that the talent is seen to be there at various levels and, if not, it is being brought in mostly from private sector organisations, particularly to meet leadership needs at the executive level.
- The programs and initiatives used to build the existing and future management and leadership talent are still in the very early development stages in most VET organisations.
Most organisations are still working to reach agreement about the capabilities required for their managers and leaders. While the progress is slow, what is being done is being executed soundly. Appropriate financial and in-kind support—especially time—is required to help assure success.
- Existing management and leadership development programs are often fragmentary and short-term, and not focused on longer-term corporate strategies and needs.
Consequently, the needs of the majority of staff in leadership roles at various levels in the organisation are not being met. To reap better returns from their investments in leadership programs, training organisations need to make stronger links between their corporate strategy and objectives, and their training and development plans and initiatives.
- VET organisations need to embrace the wide range of available approaches to develop their current and potential leaders and managers.
More support is needed for learning on the job and action-learning projects that bring staff together from across the organisation, particularly in terms of developing both lower- and middle-level leadership talent. In addition, better use can be made of strategies such as coaching.
- Currently, there is considerable duplication of effort in developing resources and tools for meeting managers’ professional development needs across the sector.
The sharing of these resources and the enhancement of support mechanisms at a national level is a more efficient way to build leadership and management capabilities in the VET sector.
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