When Simon Plummer joined the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) at Canterbury Christ Church University he was Business Manager at the Medway Safeguarding Children Partnership (MSCP) which, amongst other things, undertakes child safeguarding case reviews and promotes the learning to help keep children safe from harm.

Four years later, Simon has taken up a new position as Assistant Director for Social Care at National Children's Bureau (NCB), a move that, in his view, was assisted by his involvement on the CMDA.

Simon was employed by Medway Council, one of three MSCP Safeguarding Partners alongside Kent Police and NHS Kent and Medway, when, with the support of his line manager, he decided to apply for the CMDA as a progression from another management qualification programme.

The CMDA is for professional managers who want to develop all aspects of their managerial and leadership practice. Co-designed with employers and validated by the Chartered Management Institute (of which graduates become members), the programme sees Apprentices engage with theory and practice associated with ever-changing organisational landscapes.

The course draws upon the Christ Church Business School’s academic expertise and is distinctive in its integration of academic learning with the world of work. For three years during term time Apprentices attend the University for one working day per week, with considerably more time spent on learning outside the classroom.

Simon was well suited to the CMDA in that he had previously completed a degree in Sociology which, he said had been instrumental in directing him towards the public and third sectors in career terms, and his specific focus on children and young people. Whilst the academic terrain was familiar (the CMDA draws heavily on the social sciences), a challenge lay in his finding the time to ensure he could complete the course to his satisfaction.

Simon comments: “I learned quickly that I needed a routine where I wasn’t rushing around, trying to juggle work and study and instead could find to time to reflect on what I was doing.” Having one regular day a week dedicated to the CMDA made this easier, not least as Simon felt able to protect his time away from the office. He continues: “My team knew that I wouldn’t be in on Thursdays, and, in turn, I had good support from the organisation in making sure that the team didn’t suffer through my absence.”

Apprentices on the CMDA bring real management problems into the classroom, and by applying academic ideas develop understandings of how they might better tackle them. Each module on the programme challenged Simon to look at his work, and working context, from fresh angles. He said: “Sometimes at the beginning of a module I could struggle to see how the theme might relate to my work, and then the more we talked the more I realised that there could be a relevance and my perspective would shift accordingly. Once you get into the habit, it becomes easier to identify work issues or areas to consider in assignments, and to think more carefully about them.”

Looking back, Simon considers the legacy of his work on the CMDA to have been powerful. The recommendations of his final management project for MSCP on learning from child safeguarding reviews look set to survive his recent departure, underlining the value of the CMDA to employers and well as the Apprentices themselves. For Simon, one valuable result has been a rediscovery of the pleasure he can take in learning, and also the broadening of his interests. He said: “I have tended to be focus my reading on specialist children and young people articles in a way that was directly relevant to the role, whereas I’ve now realised the value of a more generic interest in management. The CMDA helped me in getting the new job, not only in terms of skills but also giving me more confidence to apply for something more senior and with a broader remit. I’ve come to realise that many management skills are transferrable, not only between roles but also across sectors.”

Simon’s new position should give him plenty of scope to put his recently acquired skills and interests to the test. He concludes: “NCB undertakes research and policy influencing as well as delivering programmes to support children. I’m excited to be able to contribute at a national level to improving outcomes for children and young people.”