Minister announces 100% funding for management training

Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, has announced that his Department will cover 100% of the training costs on all of its approved management and leadership development programmes.

This will come into effect from 2 March 2009.

Speaking today at the Annual Management and Leadership Conference at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, Sir Reg said: “The need for improved management skills has never been greater than now. What we do now, the foundations that we lay in these difficult times in terms of our investment in skills, will determine how well placed our economy will be to take advantage of the recovery once it arrives.”

The conference was the final event of Management Month, a series of events focused on promoting improved management and leadership skills in Northern Ireland. Addressing the large gathering, which included employers and representatives from a wide spectrum of industry, Sir Reg said: “Now is the time to make some rapid improvements in our managerial skills to identify and reduce unnecessary costs and to increase innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in all of our businesses.”

The half-day conference took as its theme “Adapt…Adopt….Achieve” and was addressed by Roger Flynn, SDI Media Group, Paul Allen, The Tayto Group and Hugh Daly, the South Armagh serial entrepreneur. The keynote speaker was Karren Brady, Chief Executive of Birmingham City Football Club.

Notes to Editors:

1. The Management and Leadership Strategy, ‘Leading to Success’, was published in July 2007 and contains an action plan to promote better understanding of the value of effective management skills and to tackle any remaining barriers to management development among companies in Northern Ireland.
2. The Department’s Management and Leadership Development Programmes offers financial support for small to medium sized companies to participate in a range of approved development programmes to improve their managerial skills.
3. Media queries to the Department for Employment and Learning Press Office on 028 9025 7872. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.