KYRA has developed a Foundation Degree in Leadership for Community Regeneration
Posted on 27 May 2015
Are your employees adding enough value in your business? Do they shape the processes, make improvements that bring more profit?
We share an exclusive insight from one of the UK’s most powerful and successful entrepreneurs (as seen on BBC’s The Apprentice), Baroness Karren Brady, on how to get more from key individuals on your team…
Learning stops as soon as the final school bell rings, right? Wrong. In a recent article, serial entrepreneurial billionaire, Bill Gates, stated: “Every now and then I like to pick up a copy of Time Magazine and read every article from beginning to end, not just the articles that interest me most. That way you can be certain to learn something you didn’t know previously.”
“In this business, by the time you realise you’re in trouble, it’s too late to save yourself,” says Gates. In order for Microsoft to have maintained its status and popularity for the past three decades, it was crucial for Gates and all his employees to engage in a process of continual learning.
So I ask you; if learning is an essential ingredient behind any successful business, what are you doing to optimise and fulfil your employee’s true potential?
We’re all guilty of getting wrapped up in the day to day running of the business. But with the benefits of your employee’s self-improvement and learning proving imperative, why, as business owners, do we not do more to help our employees grow? After all, if we’re so passionate about getting better results, earning higher levels of customer service and growing our business, why not start with our employees?
I can tell you for a fact, 90% of like-minded business owners aren’t getting the best out of their employees – but acting on it is another matter in itself.
One of the UK’s most powerful and successful entrepreneurs (as seen on BBC’s The Apprentice), Baroness Karren Brady, also believes in self-improvement for a more sustainable and successful business.
She personally endorses a special Leadership Training Organisation called KYRA founded and based here in the West Midlands.
KYRA’s origins are in regeneration and enterprise, helping those in business achieve their ambitions while contributing to society.
Working with Staffordshire University, KYRA has developed a Foundation Degree in Leadership for Community Regeneration that suits those in work and with family commitments, relating work to a form of part-time study that insures you are learning and developing on the job, while your business or enterprise benefits and local communities thrive.
The programme helps your employees academically, looking at different types of leadership and management; and skills wise, in focusing on leadership and management skills in the working environment.
Here’s what Karren had to say about KYRAs Leadership Foundation Degree:
“As a former board member for KYRA, I know first-hand how much value the Foundation Degree in Leadership can deliver for all of students involved.
Through a mixture of work experience where you’ll gain transferrable skills and support from the master tutors – you’ll not only learn valuable lessons in leadership, management and communication but also get to know what it is to be successful in business.
If you are looking to seriously boost your career, develop your skills and ultimately become more successful, without giving up your day job or any other responsibilities you may currently have, this course will be perfect for you (or your employees).”
KYRA believes that the key to social regeneration is investing in the training and development of individuals, and in this, Higher Education plays a unique part. The programme encourages people to innovate, create and do well, while harnessing your power to make a difference in your community too.
And the best part of all, it doesn’t cost you a penny or interrupt with the day to day productivity of your business.
The benefits include:
- Improves their approach to their colleagues and dealing with higher management issues, saving you valuable time to focus on other aspects of your business.
- Develops skills in mentoring and coaching, so they can teach and drive other employees to work harder and grow as individuals.
- A superior ability to adapt their approach to individual needs and personalities, making a more sociable and enjoyable environment in your workplace.
- Extra support and new fresh ideas that can help the growth of the business.
- Transfers theory into practice and an ability to undertake necessary analysis, enabling you and your business to see positive steps in the workplace every, single day.
- It won’t interrupt with any business hours and doesn’t cost you a penny. All expenses are made on their own accord.
- Study via supported distance learning with 4 residential weekends in the year. So you can study anywhere in the country.
KYRA has helped males and females of all ages and backgrounds, including father of three, Praful Ladva.
Two years after completing the foundation degree, Praful has made time and labour saving changes to how his employer, Worldwide Baggage Services, operates at Birmingham Airport.
And now, Praful is proving that age is no barrier to learning, by starting a BSC in Management at Birmingham University.
He reflected on the impact the two-year Leadership and Management course has had in his business place.
“People weren’t passing on important information throughout the day, so I decided to create a handover form as one of my assignments for the course.”
“I also created a list of important contact details for companies we work with at the airport. It has helped us reduce time spent on errands and queries that other companies are better placed to deal with.”
Self-confessed ‘learning addict’, Amandip Sandhu, also relished in the opportunities and skills KYRA provided him.
“While before I was a jack of all trades, it has made me realise what I want to focus on,” he said.
“One of my projects during the degree looked at a process we had introduced at work called Total Productive Management, and how successfully implemented it had been.
In that respect, the programme has widened my interest and knowledge of the job. Now I have seen the bigger picture, I want to go further – both academically and at work.”
What can we, as business owners and Directors, learn from this?
The message is simple really, find a formula, like KYRA and see the benefits in your workplace.
This isn’t a case of you having to go out of your way to deliver this, learning at KYRA is an opportunity accessible and waiting to be digested by your employees – all you need to do is make it available.
If you’re serious about growing and improving your business, while getting 110% out of each and every employee, why not tell them about KYRA?
KYRA is actively looking to help companies like yours, by developing their employees for their own individual gain and for a brighter future as a business.
Drop KYRA a line on [email protected] or pick up the phone and speak to Anne on 01564 638 018 and we’ll discuss how you can help employees who are actively interested in developing their own careers and improving your business through the power of learning.
As Albert Einstein infamously said: “keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow – perhaps it all will.”