1. Mark Cook, FE Business 17th February 2017
Employer Engagement and Commercial Development: Lessons learned from across the UK
Mark Cook, FE Business
17th February 2017
@febusinessnews

2. Five characteristics of commercially successful colleges Summary
Outline
Introduction
Five characteristics of commercially successful colleges
Summary
@febusinessnews

3. About Us
Specialists in employer engagement and creating commercial culture and capability
Supported over 60 providers in past two years
Over 20 years in commercial learning
Consultancy
Training
Interim Management
@febusinessnews

4. The need for commercialisation
Competition and Contestability
Pace of change under market conditions
Reconciling commercialisation with purpose
But why not more widespread?
@febusinessnews

5. Five Characteristics

6. 1. Mission, Vision & Values

7. 1. Mission, Vision & Values
Clearly defined/easily communicated
What you’re aiming at/what you’re about
The Elevator Pitch
The ‘Five Magic Numbers’
Integrated into objectives – the Golden Thread
Clear accountabilities, targets, KPIs
The ‘What’ – central to organisation, not hobbyist
The ‘How’ – delivering a competitive advantage
@febusinessnews

8. 2. Culture vs. Strategy

10. Culture vs. Strategy How to respond to external drivers?
Limitations of strategies and business models
Anyone can copy your strategy, but no one can copy your culture
Too much focus on strategy alone?
Importance of establishing the right culture
Makes strategy reliance redundant - building the ability to adapt and change
Creates environment for future proofing and success
However - no culture can offset poor strategic choices
What does ‘commercial culture’ look like in colleges?
@febusinessnews

11. A recipe for commercial culture?
All successful cultures are created from the same five components:
Behaviours
Values
Relationships
Attitudes
Environment
@febusinessnews

12. 3. The ‘S’ Word…

13. 3. Sales & Business Development
Professionalised
Structured and Targeted
Incentivised
Avoiding short-termism – Strategic Accounts
Integral to organisation – respected
Attracting and keeping the best
@febusinessnews

14. 4. An Appetite for Risk

15. 4. Risk & Entrepreneurialism
Especially important in lean times
Risk encouraged – and managed
Failure allowed – even required, demanded
Successful entrepreneurialism valued/rewarded
Long-term investments/activities – risky but vital
Collaboration - partnerships of purpose
Either Customers or Products
Avoiding ‘badge-swapping’
@febusinessnews

16. 5. Outcomes & Impact: The Value Proposition

17. 5. Outcomes and Impacts Focused on the end, not the means
Progression for learners
Impact on employers and economy
Causal link between skills and business objectives
What is your value proposition?
Drivers
Movement
Measurement
@febusinessnews

18. Summary Why is it not more widespread? Organisations too complex?
Too many stakeholders?
Centralised function - Is this the only way to make it work?
The only sustainable competitive advantage is the ability to adapt and change