Business and Professional Services Funded Projects

Details can be found below of projects funded by the Pathfinder.

Round 1 funded projects

Blackburn College – Foundation Degree in Financial Services and Law
The Foundation Degree in Financial Services and Law was developed to meet the demands of local employers. The College has worked with a cohort of six employers - led by Acorn Financial Management - to assess the training needs of the local Financial Services Sector and identified the key skills shortages within the sector.

The employers have been actively engaged in the design and development of the course. Pathfinder funding has been awarded for the development of learning, teaching and assessment materials including e-learning materials to facilitate different modes of study to meet the needs of the local employers. The development of e-learning materials will facilitate learning in the work place and enhance modular delivery across and beyond the region.

The degree incorporates the key knowledge outcomes for the Financial Services Industry including contemporary development of financial services, information management, research methods, ethics, risk management, legal aspects and regulations, and e- finance.

Work based learning and personal development is a key component and the employees on the course will develop their skills in terms of communication, customer care, research, team work and management skills. The course will enable progression to a number of honours degrees.

Round 2 funded projects

Manchester Metropolitan University - Postgraduate Certificate in Legal Practice Management
The Postgraduate Certificate in Legal Practice Management is being developed in partnership with employers to address the major changes in the Legal Sector as a result of the Legal Services Act of 2007 and the Solicitor’s Code of Conduct (2007).

The Legal Services Act of 2007 is a result of the Clementi review to determine a regulatory framework that would best promote competition, innovation and the public and consumer interest in an efficient and independent legal sector. In essence, the focus of the Legal Services Act of 2007 is new forms of practice and regulation.

The Act will allow new kinds of legal practices to be developed in which solicitors may join with other kinds of lawyers to form legal disciplinary practices. In the longer term, alternative business structures will allow lawyers to go into multidisciplinary practices with other kinds of professionals, and allow non-lawyers to own firms which provide legal services.

It is widely accepted that the reform of the sector will be radical, resulting in the establishment of new structures, new owners and new capital. The end result is that legal services firms will have to think more strategically to survive.

In brief, managers at legal practices will require a new set of skills to meet the increased demands placed upon them. The Solicitors Regulation Authority has identified management and leadership as a core requirement for experienced legal professionals and organisations. e.g. ‘firms will be expected to be able to produce evidence of a systematic and effective approach to management.’

The Postgraduate Certificate in Legal Practice Management will be delivered on a part-time basis from September 2008. The course is a joint enterprise building on the strengths of the Business School and the Law School. The course modules will cover Leadership and Management, Employment Law, Financial Control and Legal Practice Accounting Methodology and Trends in the Legal Profession.

The delivery will be flexible and will consist of a blended learning programme of class-based, e-based and one-to-one tuition. The course is taught at Master’s level and offers added value allied to academic credibility. An innovative feature of the programme, which will meet the work based needs of participants’ employers will be the compilation of a Practice Portfolio. This encourages students to reflect on the content of the course and relate it directly to their position within the organisation. Employers will be encouraged to act as in-house mentors to participants.

Round 3 funded projects

University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) - Postgraduate Certificate in Managing People in Financial Services
The innovative Postgraduate Certificate in Managing People in Financial Services course has been specifically designed and developed by UCLAN to meet the management needs of North West Financial Service practitioners. The course, which is due to start in October 2008, is primarily targeted to meet the needs of managers who work in the Financial Services customer management centres and shared service centres in the North West.

This ‘demand led’ management development programme has been designed and developed in unison with representatives from the Financial Sector including Barclays Bank, Co-operative Financial Services, E Sure, MBNA/Bank of America and the Royal London Group. The purpose of the course is to meet the companies’ demands to develop managers who can successfully implement change and get the best out of teams and individuals.

Giles McClelland, Project Lead states ‘’The Financial Services industry is going through changes. It is progressively moving to be dominated by high value added services being delivered by a highly educated labour force. It is important that the North West continues to retain and attract the high value added roles within the sector by supporting the development of the current and next generation of managers. The course seeks to enhance the sustainability of the Financial Services sector in the North West’’.

Higher Level Skills Pathfinder funding has been awarded to develop managers who understand and demonstrate the people skills to coach and motivate individuals through periods of significant change. The course will develop the manager’s ability to implement change by focusing on developing their coaching and inter personal skills.

Round 4 funded projects

University Campus Oldham - Foundation Degree in Paralegal Studies
The course is innovative in that it will be the first Foundation Degree in Paralegal Studies to be offered in England. The Foundation Degree in Paralegal Studies is also innovative in that it has been designed by a cohort of employers as a response to the education and training needs identified for their staff.

The emergence of paralegals is linked to the ‘commoditisation’ of Legal Services i.e. where practice becomes streamlined and mechanised so as to be able to be sold as commoditised “services” supported by technology. The impact of technology has enabled a method of working whereby law practices do not need the services of a qualified lawyer as Case Management Systems and e-conveyancing can be undertaken by less qualified staff.

The Foundation Degree will consist of core modules integrated with personal development plans and work related optional modules allowing students to meet the needs of their work place. Students will agree to a learning contract and the Law Practice will nominate a workplace mentor to work in partnership with the university to support the employee/student’s development. The optional modules identified by the employers include conveyancing, criminal litigation, insolvency, medical negligence and personal injury. These modules will complement experience gained in the legal work place.

The delivery of the course will be innovative in that it will involve a range of learning techniques utilising both face to face teaching and distance learning using a variety of technological provision.

University of Chester – Education Pathways for Housing Practitioners
The University of Chester has been awarded Pathfinder funding to develop education and learning pathways for Housing practitioners - including Foundation Degrees - which is the qualification recognised by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH). Roger Keller, Head of Education at the CIH, believes that the methodology used by the University of Chester in delivering programmes via a flexible, work centred approach will be beneficial for the Housing sector.

The University of Chester is working with Housing employers in the Cheshire, Merseyside and Staffordshire areas. The University of Chester’s Work Based and Integrative Studies (WBIS) programme is demand led with multiple pathways. This flexibility of programme design, distance learning and the integration of learning with practice are all attractive features of the provision for the employers.

A dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for specialist housing education programmes will enable the development of a range of qualifications according to learner needs, which in turn are based on individual and organisational requirements. Modules will be developed in key disciplines such as Housing Management Practice, Housing Finance, Housing Law, Housing Policy and Supported Housing. The modules will be based upon the requirements of the CIH and QAA benchmark.

In addition learners will be able to access pre-existing modules on a variety of relevant topics and project based modules. This flexibility ensures that the provision can be tailored to the needs of the individual and is relevant to the needs of the workplace.

Liverpool John Moores University - Accredited Leadership and Management Development for Law Practices
This project is being developed in response to employer demand from legal firms who have expressed a specific need for accredited leadership and management training bespoke to their sector. These demands have arisen from the impact of the economic downturn, the Legal Services Act of 2007 and the Solicitor’s Code of Conduct (2007).

The Legal Services Act of 2007 Act will allow alternative business structures to come in to existence. In essence, the legal market will grow and prosper, the legal profession may not. The Solicitor’s Code of Conduct has resulted as the Solicitors Regulation Authority has identified management and leadership as a core requirement for experienced legal professionals and organisations. E. g. firms will be expected to be able to produce evidence of a systematic and effective approach to management.

The University is working in partnership with Law Practices and the Liverpool Law Society to provide an innovative and flexible learning structure, which will enable staff to study whilst adhering to the fee earning culture of Law practices. The project will develop online electronic learning materials and resources, supplemented by support from academic staff. Each participant will be further supported through membership of an action learning set with staff from Law Practices and an academic facilitator. Participants will therefore be able to undertake training at a time to suit the demands of their professional and home lives.

Flexibility is also built into the award system in that participants have the opportunity to satisfy the legal sector’s yearly requirement for CPD training. The provision of CPD will allow lawyers/students to study on a modular basis. In addition, those students who acquire sufficient training credits will achieve graduate status of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), a Certificate of Academic Development (CAD), and a Postgraduate Certificate/Diploma whilst those who complete a dissertation will achieve a Masters level qualification.

This provision will fill a current gap in the market by delivering a programme that provides a regionally based accredited leadership and management programme for law firms whilst minimising time away from the office.

For further information please contact Lindsey Muir: L.H. Muir@ljmu.ac.uk or on 07917 835590 or 0151 231 3672.

University of Salford - Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Housing by Blended Learning
In response to employer demand, the University of Salford is developing a postgraduate qualification in Housing via a blended learning approach which will start in September 2010. Extensive engagement with housing employers in the region has highlighted the need for a course which offers flexibility of learning and overcomes the problems of attendance with traditional class-based provision. The course will be especially attractive to Housing employees progressing in their career and are making the transition into more senior management roles.

Housing providers are seen as having a pivotal role in supporting and sustaining local communities. The impact of Government Economic and Social policies has meant the housing sector has had to respond to a changing regulatory environment. The changing nature of Housing provision is reflected in the multi-disciplinary nature of the profession including Regeneration and Sustainability. The employer cohort has determined the content of the course to ensure that it is practically relevant to meet the needs of Housing Practitioners.

The core modules cover the Social, Economic and Policy context, Housing Law, Housing Economics & Finance, Data Handling & IT, Project Management & Collaborative Working, Engaging with Diverse Communities, Residents & Neighbourhoods and Understanding Modern Regeneration and Delivering Neighbourhood Change. Successful completion of these modules will lead to a Postgraduate Diploma in Housing. An MSc in Housing can be gained by undertaking a research methods module and dissertation.

Key learning outcomes for students will be an ability to apply knowledge of the economic, legal, policy and societal contexts in which Housing Services take place. The aim is to improve practice in key Housing disciplines as Business Practice, Customer Services and Staff Management. It is important that students link their study to the workplace and undertake reflective practice to improve their performance. From the employer perspective, the outcome will be a more qualified workforce, especially at senior level, staff with a more holistic appreciation of Housing within a business environment; and staff who are responsive to the changing nature of housing service provision.

The Chartered Institute of Housing supports the development of the proposed ‘blended learning’ approach, as it has highlighted the need for more innovative approaches to training and learning beyond the classroom based approach.

For further information please contact Anya Ahmed: A.Ahmed@salford.ac.uk or on 0161 295 2185