Management scholarship established at Cranfield

A Manufacturing Technologies Association product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 10, 2006

Scholarship at Cranfield School of Management covers three courses - the Business Development and Growth Programme, Cranfield General Management Programme and Developing General Management Potential.

The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) has established an MTA scholarship at Cranfield School of Management.

The MTA has been working with Cranfield School of Management for three years, promoting management development training to members through MTA grants.

Some 30 delegates from member companies have so far been awarded grants to attend short courses at Cranfield and feedback on the benefits has been positive.

When Gerard Burke, Director of the Business Development and Growth Programme (BGP), at Cranfield approached the MTA about setting up a scholarship, the association's education and training committee was happy to proceed.

A scholarship of £2500 is available for individuals from MTA member companies if they are accepted onto one of the scholarship programmes.

The scholarship money is derived from a grant from the MTA and by Cranfield offering a preferential rate for managers registering on the MTA scholarship.

The three programmes for which the scholarship applies are the BGP, Cranfield General Management Programme and Developing General Management Potential.

The BGP is for ambitious owner managers and MDs of established smaller businesses with turnovers between £0.5m and about £20m.

This is the BGP's 19th consecutive year and, in that time, it has helped over 700 owner managers and MDs to exploit the true potential of their businesses and to fulfil their business and personal ambitions.

The Cranfield General Management Programme is for senior managers in larger organisations wishing to move beyond functional and specialist expertise to broaden their general management perspective and work effectively to add more value to their businesses.

Participants are typically aged 35 to 55, with an average age of 40, and have at least 10 years' management experience.

The Developing General Management Potential programme is for those in the early stages of their managerial careers again in larger organisations who want to develop more confidence, greater credibility and a wider business perspective, to fulfil their promise.

Participants are typically aged 25 to 36, with an average age of 32, currently in operational rather than senior management roles, implementing rather than developing corporate strategy, but with the potential to become future high flyers.

Each of the programmes take place over a number of weeks and includes project work carried out within the participant's company.

Review modules take place three to six months after completion of the programmes to check progress.

Mary Lee, the MTA's Company Secretary, said: "I'm delighted that our work with Cranfield has progressed to a formalised relationship".

"We have been working to promote its courses for a number of years as we are extremely impressed with their quality and scope".

"Our management development programme continues to provide subsidies to enable members to attend a range of programmes and our members have reported positive outcomes from the training".

"The MTA scholarship at Cranfield now provides the opportunity to send managers on more intensive and comprehensive programmes to maximise their potential".