Learners report additional job responsibilities, promotions and pay rises following completion of online course with The Open University and CMI

FutureLearn, The Open University (OU) and Chartered Management Institute (CMI) collaborate to boost employees’ job prospects in free online course: ‘Management and Leadership: Growing as a Manager’

London, UK, 2nd October 2017: In a survey taken by learners on The Open University and Chartered Management Institute’s course: ‘Management and Leadership: Growing as a Manager’, learners reveal the impact of the course on their careers and employment prospects, with 1 in 5 indicating they had received a pay rise following completion of the course in October last year.

Endorsed by the CMI, the professional body for managers and leaders, supporting 40,000 students a year to develop their management skills, ‘Management and Leadership: Growing as Manager’ first launched on the FutureLearn platform in June 2016. The course has since accumulated a community of over 90,000 learners, which continues to grow as the next course prepares to launch on 2nd October. Over 65% of respondents on a previous course run indicated they had received additional responsibilities following completion of the course, and 20% stated they had received a promotion.

Terry O’Sullivan, MOOC Director at The OU Business School, said: “The Open University Business School is committed to delivering relevant management learning founded on rigorous research and practice. Partnering with CMI to create this great course on FutureLearn has leveraged the power of online to boost managers’ success all over the world.”

Nigel Smith, Head of Content at FutureLearn, said: “The workplace is a very competitive place to be today, so employees are looking for ways to get ahead, and ultimately take control of their career development. We’re very proud to be offering this course with the OU and CMI, enabling learners to demonstrate their continuing professional development and maximise their career prospects.”

Aimed at new, aspiring, or experienced managers with few or no formal qualifications, the course examines different management styles and encourages learners to ask the question: ‘What kind of manager am I?’ Learners will progress to look at their personal development plans and produce a personal swot analysis, as well as look at learning styles, the decision making process and relationships with stakeholders.

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:

• Describe the concepts of management and leadership
• Understand and evaluate different management and learning styles
• Identify the need for and the importance of data as evidence in good decision making
• Identify and define the term ‘stakeholders’ and gain an understanding of why they are important
• Begin and develop the on-going process of personal development planning

A learner on the course and respondent to this particular course survey, said: “I am personally more confident on my management terminologies and theories than before”, while another added: “My additional qualification has led to a promotion, pay rise and a bonus”.

This course, together with Management and Leadership: Leading a Team, is part of a two-course program produced by The Open University in partnership with The Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

As with most FutureLearn courses, the courses can be taken for free or there is the option to upgrade to receive additional benefits.

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Notes to Editors

FutureLearn surveyed learners four months after they had completed the course. FutureLearn received responses from 229 learners in total.

For further press information, please contact:

Rachel MacPherson, PR Executive, FutureLearn, comms@futurelearn.com

About FutureLearn

Founded by The Open University in 2012, FutureLearn is a leading social learning platform, enabling online learning through conversation. With over 6.5 million people from over 200 countries across the globe – a community that is continuously growing – it offers free and paid for online courses from world-leading UK and international universities, as well as organisations such as the European Space Agency, the British Council and Cancer Research UK. FutureLearn’s course portfolio covers a wealth of areas to promote lifelong learning for a range of applications including general interest, an introduction to university studies, continuing professional development and fully online postgraduate degrees.

About The Open University Business School

Established over 30 years ago, The Open University Business School is home to more than 25,000 MBA alumni from all corners of the globe. This not only makes us one of the largest schools in the world, but also maintains our position as a truly international business school.

The Open University Business School is a pioneer in flexible learning and allows a diverse student population to achieve their potential through our innovative, practice-based courses. The quality of our programmes is underpinned by the latest leading-edge research and enriched by a global network of partnerships.

Our internationally-recognised teaching and learning methods take education right to the heart of leadership and management practice. Tutors are experienced business professionals and because our distance learning approach allows managers to continue at work while studying, you can apply new knowledge and skills right from the start, enabling you to progress your career while you study.

Our quality is assured and accredited by the world’s best accrediting bodies. We hold the prestigious triple accredited status from AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB which bears testimony to the quality of business education that we offer, positioning us in the top 1% of business schools worldwide.

Global employers also recognise and value our qualifications, 86% of FTSE 100 companies have sponsored students on OU programmes, which bears testimony to the practical focus and effectiveness of our MBA.

Over 100,000 people from more than 125 countries have already graduated with The Open University Business School. We invite you to join them.

For more information, please visit the website: http://business-school.open.ac.uk/