The New Zealand Institute of Management plans to introduce school leavers management cadetship programme next year. Businesses that join the scheme will offer year’s paid work experience to students entering the job market and who have completed at least four NZIM Certificate in Management papers. Cadets will, under the terms of the scheme, be allowed to continue studying during the yearlong cadetship programme.
The scheme, the brainchild of NZIM’s national chief executive David Chapman, has already been given encouragement by Education Minister Trevor Mallard and the Department of Labour’s deputy secretary Anne Thompson. NZIM is now moving to enlist the support of its 1500 corporate member organisations to provide the first pool of career opportunities.
The scheme is designed to put school leavers who have already shown interest in, or aptitude for, career in management in touch with employers looking for talented and enthusiastic young leaders, says Chapman.
“Management is an applied profession. And while there is essential theory that can be learned through courses and structured programmes, this is hands-on experience that will identify individuals with aptitude. It will simultaneously provide the cadets with first-hand experience of what is involved in management career.”
The scheme is also designed to reinforce and build on NZIM’s increasingly popular secondary school management learning programmes.
“About 80 schools throughout New Zealand teach our business-related Certificate in Management,” says Chapman. Students at these schools study and complete courses in areas such as employment relations, marketing, human resources, introduction to financial services, workplace communication and problem solving and decision making.
“We would like to help students find jobs relating to their study and so we are looking for employers who are willing to encourage them and give them the opportunity to also study further.”
Chapman sees the scheme as an ideal opportunity for the development of school and business partnerships. “We can see enterprises building links with schools to offer guest speakers, opportunities for class trips, advice and preparation of class material and additional links with local polytechnics.
“It provides an excellent opportunity for top performing students wishing to gain practical experience to try their hand in sympathetic and supportive environment, while at the same time completing and improving their qualifications. It also provides employers with some guarantee that the cadets have skills they will be able to use.
“This fits with NZIM’s belief that management skills can only really be improved through practice. The response from both the employers and the schools we have spoken to has been very enthusiastic and positive,” says Chapman.
The scheme has been approved by the National Board of NZIM and will be administered by NZIM’s national office through cadetship committee. NZIM will seek cadetships from employers, offering these through the career offices of schools participating in the programme. Students will then lodge an application for cadetship. Employers will interview prospective cadets, make selection and then offer the one-year work experience programme.
A business may offer one or more cadetships if they are approved by and meet the NZIM’s programme criteria.
To offer an NZIM cadetship, business must decide the specific details of the work experience opportunity and offer paid work experience for 12 months. Employment can be full- or part-time but if part-time the cadet must be employed for not less than 20 hours per week.
The work experience must provide the cadet with the opportunity to develop his or her understanding of the principles and practice of management and to apply the skills learned. Employers must also agree to give the cadet time off to study, either to complete the NZIM Certificate in Management or another NZIM-approved business qualification at an approved provider.
Businesses must also provide NZIM with brief written report on each cadet twice year. “The reports will enable NZIM to monitor the scheme and keep the national board up to speed on the success and development of the scheme,” says Chapman.
The five-person cadet committee will, among other things, oversee the scheme and consider specific details of the work experience opportunity from businesses proposing to offer cadetships. The committee will then make recommendations to Chapman on the approval or otherwise of the employment arrangements. It will also promote the scheme with schools that are accredited for NZIM schools programmes.
“We see this cadetship scheme as an exciting new development and process for forging closer links between schools and employers to develop individuals for career they might not otherwise consider until they have been in the workforce for some time,” says Chapman.
“We think the identification and development of management and leadership potential and skills can begin much earlier. The development of management and leadership skills is lifelong learning process and the sooner young people embark on the journey the better for every kind of organisation in New Zealand.
“Building management capability is critical to New Zealand’s economic and social future and the Government has already started to recognise that. This is critical first step in the process of building our country’s future management talent.”
Bring out your best
It’s that time again. Time for employers everywhere to nominate their most talented young executives for the 2005 NZIM/Eagle Technology Young Executive of the Year Award.
This is the 11th annual Young Executive of the Year competition and some of New Zealand’s most outstanding leaders have been finalists or winners. As 1997 winner Sue Lindsay put it: “Winning the NZIM Young Executive of the Year Award was defining moment in both my life and my career.”
This year, Eagle Technology has joined NZIM as sponsor of the Award. Entrants must be 35 years of age or younger and entries close on the 19th of this month.
All nominees are entered into the first round of Regional Awards – Southern, Central and Northern – and the winners of these regional awards become finalists for the NZIM/Eagle Technology Young Executive of the Year Award, the winner of which will be announced at the Deloitte/Management magazine Top 200 Awards in Auckland on December 1.
The winner receives an attractive trophy, $5000 worth of executive management development training with NZIM and return trip to London compliments of Air New Zealand.
Chief executives and other organisational leaders should recognise individual excellence in their young managers and at the same time promote their enterprise as leader in management development.
For more details or nomination form go to: www.management.co.nz/top200/youngexec.htm.
