The Education and Training Foundation and the Institute of Directors announce leadership and governance development programmes for college boards

The Education and Training Foundation (ETF), the government-supported workforce development body for the Further Education (FE) and training sector, is working in partnership with the Institute of Directors (IoD) to help equip key members of college governing bodies with the skills they need to drive success in their organisations.  The programmes are sponsored and part-funded by the Department for Education and will support governance improvements in the FE sector.

In partnership with the ETF and DfE, the IoD will be working with college chairs and governance professionals across England to deliver an enriching development experience.  This approach will not only develop the knowledge, skills and mindset of participants but also have a positive and lasting impact on the effectiveness of college corporation boards and the sector overall.

For 2022, the IoD and the ETF are enhancing their offer with an additional programme aimed at aspiring college chairs, and a qualification for governance professionals.

The Chairs’ Leadership Programme provides a unique opportunity for college chairs and aspiring chairs to reflect on their role, develop their performance, and ultimately enhance the value they add to the board and their wider organisation. This will support the government’s strategy of developing a highly trained cadre of board members of FE and sixth form colleges, thereby enhancing performance, and strengthening governance within the sector.

The Governance Professionals’ Leadership Programme is designed for clerks to boards, company secretaries and those fulfilling similar roles.  The governance professional has a critical role to play in meeting the administrative and procedural requirements of the board, as well as being the trusted adviser – enabling efficient, effective discussion and decision-making. This year’s programme will also include a qualification.

The Chairs of the Future Programme is a new leadership development course aimed at supporting established governors with the objective of becoming a chair in the FE sector to identify the skills and competencies they have and the ones they need to develop to lead a board.

Jonathan Geldart, Director General of the Institute of Directors, said:

“We are delighted to be working with the Education and Training Foundation and the DfE to continue to support chairs and governance professionals in the FE sector by providing access to our co-designed world class professional development programmes.  We are also pleased to welcome participants as members of the IoD. Our branches across the country will provide them with ongoing CPD and access to a community of directors at a local and national level.  Our programmes are designed and delivered by directors for directors and provide an enriching peer learning experience, helping us to develop better directors for a better world.”

Kurt Hall, National Head of Governance Development at The Education and Training Foundation said:

“We are delighted to be working with the IoD again to build on the excellent governance training that was delivered last year. The Skills for Jobs white paper highlighted the critical role of governance to creating the conditions for long-term institutional resilience and success. Our partnership with IoD allows us to deliver on the policy expectations and meet the learning and development needs of colleges in the area of governance. ETF and IoD have worked with the sector to ensure that those attending this year’s leadership programmes will gain valuable insights and positively impact governance in their colleges”.

Further information and booking details are available by contacting developing@iod.com