Management : Notice |
Edexcel and the Croft Management Centre The Croft Management Centre is an independent management development company, that has been operating since 2004.
Like many centres offering training and qualifications in business and management, the Croft Centre had found that employers were becoming increasingly demanding in their need for flexible qualifications, that matched the needs of their staff precisely. The centre provides management training to staff working at all levels, through the BTEC Certificate in Management Studies (CMS) and the BTEC Diploma in Management Studies (DMS)*. | ||
| Since its inception in January 2004, the centre has now seen over 120 learners gain a management qualification, and has been short listed for the National Training Awards. |  | |
The centre has worked extensively with clients from the NHS, numerous Local Authorities and Councils, as well as many private sector clients. As General Manager Doris Bechstein states “Businesses choose to work with the Croft Centre not only for the quality of our service and our lecturers, but also for our flexible approach in understanding and meeting specific client needs”. When the time came to choose an awarding body, Chris Croft, Director, Education, says “Of the three awarding bodies we were considering at the time, Edexcel was the most flexible.” Chris also notes that “the value, advice and support we have got out of our External Verifier (EV) visits has been excellent. Both our EVs are extremely knowledgeable, experienced and supportive in terms of focusing our continuous improvements in delivery.” The Croft Management Centre found that flexibility has proven key in winning business, as being able to meet the exacting needs of clients, understanding and meeting specific training requirements has become increasingly important. In this way, BTEC qualifications provided a perfect match, as not only are BTECs built around the latest in business thinking and current issues, but they are also customisable, able to be tailored to meet the exact needs of the business. | ||
| Jeremy Hamilton, Director - Operations, notes that while some employers they work with may not be familiar with the benefits that a BTEC qualification provides prior to offering them for their staff, they quickly come to “appreciate the flexible modular approach offered by BTEC – they can choose which modules meet their training needs”. |  | |
Each programme is customised by the centre, working with the client to meet their specific requirements. As part of each programme the centre runs a large group research project looking at specific organisational issues. One of the key advantages to an employer is the ability to incorporate company specific assignments into a BTEC qualification. This feature is something that the Croft Management Centre makes full use of, by including the development of company specific assignments as part of every pre-course planning process. This ability to tailor qualifications to the needs of the businesses that the Croft Centre works with has obvious benefits. In addition to helping learners to explore company issues and identify areas of opportunity, the real-life examples and situations being used to teach concepts can better motivate learners and increase understanding more than a generic example, as learners can relate easier to the topics being taught. As Jeremy says, learners “enjoy both completing a longer and ‘joined up’ programme and the sense of achievement from gaining a recognised management qualification”. The fact that BTECs are nationally recognised qualifications means that they “act as a benchmark for the organisation and have intrinsic value for the learners” comments Jeremy. | ||
| Chris also notes that the centre has found assessment quite straight forward once the initial registration process was complete. “We use a pool of around 25 associates to deliver the training – each of whom is qualified and experienced in a different subject area. A carefully managed admin and communication system ensures continuity in the handover process from one to another, coupled with client review meetings and delegate feedback.” |  | |
Edexcel has harnessed the speed and ease of online technology and communication to introduce flexible e-learning and assessment, and cut bureaucracy and administration. Edexcel Online enables centres to register candidates and update their details online, view candidate information, check candidate eligibility, report assessment results, download exam results, and even claim certificates. As Doris notes “We do all of our registration and certification on line and find it straightforward”. This article is also available to download and print. | ||
