What is Role

Role Qualifications What is ROLE: ROLE is a nationwide programme supporting the aspirations of girls and women in education and the workplace. We deliver CMI management and leadership qualifications and a digital route map, providing women everywhere in the UK with access to information on careers, enterprise and equality. We intend to give every woman from the age of 13 upwards digital access to a role model.

We are building a network of 500 Ambassadors across the UK from industry, education, sport and government with the support of the British Chambers of Commerce. These will be influential women who can challenge the status quo. Our founder, Wendy Bowers, is a director of the British Chambers of Commerce and we therefore have direct access to government.

We intend to continue to shape policy until every UK business is enabled to recognise the value of diversity and is supported to develop practices which invest in and retain female talent.

Introduction: ROLE delivers a range of Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 5 qualifications in Management and Leadership. These qualifications are recognised globally and are accredited by Ofqual.

The Chartered Management Institute is the only Chartered professional body in the UK dedicated to promoting the highest standards in management and leadership excellence. With over 100,000 members, their voice is heard in government, education and business.

CMI qualifications are for the development of the role and skills of managers and business owners.

ROLE delivers these qualifications in partnership with the University Centre, Blackburn College which is an approved CMI centre.

ROLE qualifications are tailored to individual requirements and delivered in the main in the workplace, during normal working hours. This style of delivery is particularly suitable for female managers and business owners who may have roles and responsibilities outside of work.

CMI Level 5 in Management and Leadership delivers confidence in personal management capabilities, trains delegates to make effective use of information in decision-making and develops the skills required to manage people. The qualification is offered at three levels, Award, Certificate and Diploma, with delegates completing units with the help of a mentor or coach and evidencing the completion in a digital portfolio. Delegates can take up to 3 years to complete level 5, from the date of enrolment.

(Please see attached CMI qualification factsheet for further detail of units required for each level etc.)

The Development of the ROLE Qualification: From 2009 to 2012, Blackburn College worked extensively with the founder of ROLE, Wendy Bowers and her business So Business Solutions (SBS), to support businesses through the recession, providing funding for the development of a range of business programmes which were subsequently delivered by SBS to over 400 small and medium- sized (SME) businesses. One of these programmes was the Aspire programme which was delivered to 80 female owned micro businesses during 2010/11. The results were tracked for 12 months following completion of Aspire and were phenomenal, with growth in turnover, profit, employment and successful access to finance reported in more than 90% of cases. But in every case, the participants reported increased confidence and a clear and revitalised plan for themselves and their business. (Please see Aspire Exec Summary attached) SBS built upon this pilot programme and working with the University Centre, developed a Level 5 CMI Certificate in Management and Leadership, for female owned businesses, which was piloted successfully in 2011/12. This qualification was aimed at female owners of established businesses with 5 – 10 employees who wanted to take their business to the next level.

Since 2012, Wendy has worked increasingly with larger SMEs and has continued to support women in enterprise through her current role as representative for Women’s Enterprise on the board of the British Chambers of Commerce. With more than thirty years experience building and running her own businesses, various board positions in public, private and third sector organisations and a mother of four, she has a deep understanding of the issues faced by women in management and women in business.

In 2013 she therefore developed a further Level 5 CMI qualification for women in middle management who aspire to reach senior management or board level roles.

Taking A ROLE Qualification: Both qualifications, ROLE for Female Business Owners and ROLE for Female managers are delivered mainly in the workplace within normal working hours. ROLE recognises the demands already placed on working women and does not want to add to them. The qualification is typically delivered over a 6 month period with delegates attending a group experiential and planning ‘Away Day’ in month one followed by a Leadership peer group workshops in month 2. The remainder of the qualification is delivered in one to one sessions within the workplace and timings and content are bespoke for each delegate. Delegates need to prepare a portfolio of evidence and are supported with a further half day group workshop to support the preparation of this. On average, a delegate will spend approximately 20 hours of their own time putting together the portfolio of evidence over a 6 month period (i.e approx. one half day per month).

Why Choose ROLE: ROLE has been developed by women, for women.

We have conducted in depth research into the success of the US female business support system which, over 30 years, has resulted in some 33% of US businesses being majority female owned and one seventh of the US working population being employed by female owned businesses.

We have developed the ROLE qualification as a direct response to requests from Women in Business and Women in Management. The UK needs to retain its female managers and equip them with the skills and confidence to continue upwards rather than drop out of the pipeline. Our qualifications encourage employers and managers to work together to benefit from the retention of female talent and embrace

equality. The role of mentors and coaches within the workplace is demonstrated during delivery of the qualification and embraced by both delegates and employers, with delegates being given the opportunity to act as role models for girls aged from 13 – 21, whilst also being matched with their own role model, someone who has ‘broken the glass ceiling’ or built their own successful business.

This combination of gaining a qualification whilst at work, meeting a peer group of like- minded women and the opportunity to become both a mentor and mentee is unique to ROLE. ROLE does not require women to study in the evenings or at weekends when precious family and relaxation time is crucial. It combines the support of group learning with bespoke one to one mentoring and gives women the freedom to ‘go at their own pace’ which is so important when dealing with the demands of work and home.

It is delivered by both male and female experienced Leadership and Management trainers and experienced business mentors and coaches who understand the issues faced by women in the workplace and who embrace equality in every sphere of life.

It is cost effective, (the cost comparative to an online Level 5 CMI qualification), with delegates receiving CMI membership for 3 years from the date of enrolment alongside a globally recognised qualification, which will enhance not only their management skills but ultimately the performance of their department or their business.

50% match funding from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills may be available for delegates who are employed by businesses currently participating in the England wide GrowthAccelerator or Growth Voucher services.