IKANO
The IKANO Group was created in the 1980s by Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA and operates in finance, real estate, asset management, insurance and retail. The Financial Services division operates throughout Scandinavia and in the UK, Germany and Russia.
In the UK, IKANO is a major player in the credit and loyalty services market and employs over 300 people in Nottingham.
The challenge
IKANO had a good record of staff development, having devised their own management development programme, aligned against a standard management award.
However, the alignment process caused constraints to both the content and the mode of delivery.
There were elements which IKANO wanted to include, but these did not fall within the scope of the recognised qualification.
Additionally, whilst IKANO had delivered the programme themselves in the past, they now wished to pass on responsibility for most of the training.
The solution
The Derbyshire Business School subsequently utilised the University of Derby's flexible Learning Through Work qualification process.
The entire programme was developed into a customised award and validated through the University. This not only provided a nationally recognised Certificate of Achievement, but also provided university credits which can be used towards obtaining a full degree.
The programme was delivered by The Derbyshire Business School, but specific elements were delivered through IKANO itself.
To meet IKANO's needs, delegates were required to demonstrate their learning through a group project, determined by IKANO which addressed a specific and current organisational challenge.
On completion, an awards ceremony was held at the University, attended by the Managing Director of IKANO, senior team delegates and their managers with certificates presented by the Deanery of The Derbyshire Business School.
The outcome
IKANO now have a management development programme which specifically:
- Meets their needs in terms of current challenges within the business itself
- Meets the needs of managers with varying ranges of experience
- Provides a benchmarked level of achievement
- Provides accreditation of University credits and a certificate which recognises personal achievement and an opportunity to progress towards a full degree
- Provides an opportunity for all parties to celebrate achievement.
