The survey published yesterday by Warwick Business School, highlighting the effectiveness of its contribution to a national trainee scheme for local government, is another demonstration of the defensiveness now being felt by much of the public sector.
Both the business school and the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA), which sponsors the programme, have leapt to its defence, after suggestions last week that the IDeA was considering cutting the scheme.
"We haven't got a problem with funding it at the moment, but looking forward, everyone's trying to do everything more efficiently," commented Sara Williams, strategic adviser at the IDeA, which is carrying out a review of the programme.
The results of the review will be released in the autumn and are likely to include recommendations on changing the way the programme is funded. "We want the programme to benefit all councils," she commented.
The two-year postgraduate diploma programme is now in its seventh year and saw applications for places jump by 15% in the past 12 months. The survey of the course, carried out by pollster Ipsos Mori, reports high levels of satisfaction with the scheme. Of the more than 550 graduates who have taken the course, 85% have remained in public sector jobs, with 80% remaining in local government.
"Individuals give us fantastic feedback, but we wanted to get independent evaluation of the impact of our teaching and training," commented John Benington, professor of public policy and management at Warwick Business School. "One of the big dilemmas facing those in leadership and management is how individuals' performance gets translated into organisational improvement."
Benington said the benefits to local authorities of the programme are clear and said any attempt to dilute or cut back on the academic element of the course would be shortsighted.
"The intellectual stretch graduates get changes thinking and helps people become better managers and leaders, literally within the next week," he commented. "At a time of difficulties we do have to continue to invest in our seedcorn for the future. This is not the time to cut the artoa bringing the blood right to the heart of the system. This graduate training programme has brought in some of the brightest and best people to local government."
Comments from some recent graduates include compliments for the way the programme broadens views and provides an "excellent" theoretical underpinning for practice work in local government. Some 87% of graduates in the survey said the diploma had enhanced their capacity to learn and apply new ideas and said they believed they are capable of acting "more strategically" as a result of the programme.
"The thought of cutting [the programme] at a time like this is crazy," said Benington.
Figures published today by the Local Government Association show that local authorities in England have suffered millions of pounds in lost revenue as a result of the recession. The LGA says income from property sales has fallen £2.7bn since 2007-08, and low interests rates have led to a drop of £1.3bn in the amount earned by councils on their savings.
