Exploring Why Managers Apply

Small accounts have been provided by each student to illustrate why they applied to study for the FdA in Retailing. In ELH graduates were restricted from applying as they already had a HE qualification. Four of the managers interviewed had studied in higher education previously but had not completed their courses. One student, employed for three years in the company left to start a full-time degree in Retail at

184 The University of Colerain. He did not enjoy the programme so went back to ELH, enrolled on the Options9 _{programme and immediately recruited for the FdA in}

Retailing pilot programme. His intention was to return to Colerain University at the end of the FD but remained with the company (Roger, Security Manager). Des, (Distribution Manager) embarked on an Open University programme in maths and computing whilst working full-time for ELH. The subjects both related to areas of personal interest but a family bereavement prevented him from completing his studies. The FD gave him a way out of a job he felt disillusioned with, and gave him what he described as being a “step up”.

Kara, (Compliance Manager) attended Glasgow Caledonian University to study Business. In her opinion she failed to give the degree the commitment required, she did not like the setting, suggesting it was more akin to college than university. She moved back home and joined ELH on the ‘A levels Option programme’. She was talent spotted by the manager responsible for the qualification and asked if she wanted to go to the assessment centre. She commented: “this gave me the chance to stay

with ELH and still achieve what I wanted” (Kara).

Ember, (Clothing Manager) took four A-levels at college; Sociology; Psychology; Media Studies and English Language. She took a gap year before going to John Moors University to study sociology. Whilst studying she obtained a part-time job with another large supermarket chain and found work more stimulating than university, commenting: “I got quite bored with it”. She did not regard herself as the ‘stereotypical student’ she had already moved in with her partner and did not tend to

9 _{An internal tailor-made training programme intended to develop employees at every level of the}

185 socialise much with other students. When she left the company and joined ELH she was accepted onto the A level Options programme and like Kara, was asked if she would like to do the FD. She commented:

The idea of university did not thrill me but the idea of gaining knowledge of what I am doing in my job role is really important and they were saying that it would help me when I want to become senior team, store manager, group roles. Having that knowledge from a different perspective and not just being completely corporate is a different spin that really intrigued me (Ember).

Gaining a greater understanding of retailing and career advancement were two of the key reasons students applied for the programme. For example, Andy, (Store Manager – Smaller Formats) wanted to learn more about retailing but also saw the FdA in Retailing as a means of advancing his career. Similarly, Roger (Security Manager) wanted to progress his career in ELH, but further motivation was “actually having

that nice qualification” (Roger). Two students were disappointed with their academic

attainments. John (Grocery Manager) stated that he never had a clear career path. He joined ELH whilst studying for his A Levels on ‘twilight shifts’. This involved work that started as he finished school and continued into the early hours of the morning. He suggested long hours working meant that his ‘heart’ was not in his studies; he was disappointed with his academic attainment knowing that he could have done better. He enrolled on the programme to gain “greater knowledge of the retail sector”. Tina (Bakery Manager) obtained a Diploma in Business and Secretarial Studies but again felt that she had underachieved whilst in education commenting she had not really achieved anything for herself:

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Having not achieved academically has pushed me forward and it has made me work harder to become a manager and succeed within the career that I have chosen (Tina).

She cited two reasons for applying for the FdA in Retailing, the main reason was personal in that she wanted to prove to herself that she could achieve academically, the second was work related, remarking the degree “will help me in my chosen

career”. She was apprehensive about returning to education but spoke positively

about the advancements she had made. Initially, Leia (Checkout Manager) was also worried about returning to academic study but observed “things clicked into place at

the end of the first year”. She, like Ember took a gap year after completing her A’

Levels, during this time she commenced work with ELH and decided not to return to full-time education. When enrolled on the A Level Options programme she received a letter inviting her to apply for the programme. Her Store Manager, also her in-store mentor noted:

I think there is always a bit of [Leia] that said she wanted to do a degree, she wanted to do more study and was not finished with education. This is just a very convenient route back into it…it must be quite daunting for someone who is in a managerial position to say, ‘I am going to give the salary up and go back to full-time education’…This provided the balance for her. Yes she could do some education but then she could also keep a good salary and keep doing the job she enjoys (Tom, Store Manager – Large Format).

187 The FdA in Retailing gave managers the opportunity to study whilst in full-time employment. Student expectations of the programme varied although it is evident that some clearly viewed the programme as a ‘fast-track’ to promotion and more senior management roles. Des (Distribution Manager) for example undertook the programme because he understood it to be a “fast-track option” that alleviated the need to undertake the Options programmes or other management training. He remarked:

Because if you are capable of doing the FdA in Retailing, you pass it then you are pretty much guaranteed a sort of promotion, as if it were the next step up. Get through all of this, do that, go through the process and you are done, but that never materialised at all (Des).

The FdA in Retailing was promoted within the company as being for the students own development, an “exclusive opportunity” but problematically it was also regarded an “easy ride to promotion” (Michelle, Manager Education and Skills). Michelle commented, the FdA in Retailing should aid development and ensure that managers who completed the programme were in a better position for promotion, but it is not going to get them there:

I know it is very difficult, maybe because their profile is raised a bit and they just get a bit big for their boots…it comes down to not what you know, but who you know. It is all about changing that ethos isn’t it? (Michelle, Manager

188 Michelle admitted this was a difficult, if not impossible situation for her to manage from head office. She believed the best way to promote this information was through the store mentors and past students sharing their experiences. One reason she stated for inviting students to the assessment centres was to “dispel these myths” so that potential applicants would not be left feeling disappointed (Michelle). The Education and Skills team endeavoured to change the ethos and manage student expectations but whilst the programme remained “exclusive” with limited numbers, they admitted this had been a challenge.

Initially, retailing was not a long-term career option for many of the managers involved in this study. Some had taken retail jobs when studying for a bachelor’s degree had failed to meet their expectations. Others had commenced in part-time work whilst completing A Levels or taking a gap year. However, by the time they were selected for the FdA in Retailing, all had commenced their management training with ELH although, the majority remained disappointed with their academic achievements. Disappointing educational achievement was one reason given when asked why they had applied to study for the qualification. Two further reasons were to gain a better understanding of retailing and the retail context and importantly to gain career advancement, the two in many cases being interconnected. What came through markedly in the findings was that individual objectives to study for the qualification did not align to those of the company. Individuals have been shown to be most engaged with workplace learning when it supports their continuity and career aspirations with regard to promotion and personal goals (Billett, 2004).

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5.4 Populating the Programme

A number of different approaches have been used to populate the FdA in Retailing since its launch in 2007, with varying results which will be reviewed in this section. When ELH agreed to pilot the programme, they became an integral member of the steering committee working alongside University North and other key stakeholders to design and develop the qualification. However, it was the sole responsibility of ELH to select appropriate candidates for the programme. No selection criteria existed for the pilot programme, instead, a select number of managers taking A Level Options10

were asked if they wanted to join, the shortfall being taken up by existing line managers. The company admitted they failed to match the programme correctly at this stage, as at the end of the pilot the organisation reported a 56% dropout rate with only five students from an initial cohort of 22 graduating at University North.

This wasn’t the best recruitment for it and this shows in the drop-out rate…but we did just kind of pin-point people and matched it through certain areas, so we weren’t a 100 % sure that we had it right, we just brought these people on as our trial cohort (Lisa, Manager in the Education and Skills Department).

After the pilot programme finished, the criteria for selection onto the FdA in Retailing was widened to include customer assistants and team leaders, on Options or due to attend sign-on prior to the start of the programme. Submission also extended to senior team, managers looking for a ‘stretch’ opportunity and aiming to sign on to Options in the next 12 to 24 months (Foundation Degree Internal Briefing Document, 2010).

10 _{An in-house management programme lasting approximately twelve months and only applicable to}

190 This resulted in students with little or no management experience studying alongside experienced managers, developing to store management roles, the rationale being “the

characteristics of the people…rather than the job’ should be taken into account”

when recruiting suitable candidates for the programme (Lisa, Manager in Education and Skills). In agreement with widening the selection criteria was one of the Format Resource Managers11_{, she commented: “It is good to have a mixture of employees} because then it can only enrich the dynamics of how it will work” (Nancy, Format

Manager, North). However, the Programme Coordinator from University North was unconvinced by this argument remarking “ELH does not know how the programme

fits into their ladder of progression” (Ivan, Programme Coordinator 1).

Although willing to trial a number of different options, it was clear the organisation had struggled to position the FdA in Retailing amongst its other management development offerings. In 2010, recruitment scaled back to line managers and managers developing to store manager roles. This was largely due to the launch of a new school leaver programme accredited at National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level three and targeted at 16 to 18 year olds. This decision was justified by a member of the Education and Skills team who commented:

This fits best with the younger population than the FdA in Retailing which

supports the more senior population because it goes into more depth. This part of my seven year career path is that they get the NVQ level three at sixteen to eighteen, then they come on to the ‘A Level Options’ and do the

11 _{Format resource managers operate in the field to support area managers/store managers with HR}

strategy, responsible for approximately 25 stores within one of the three formats across a geographical area.

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accreditation with University North, and then as part of your team we embed the FD (Michelle, Manager Education and Skills).

Although store managers are eligible, they have been discouraged from applying due to the demanding nature of their jobs. This has changed more recently with store managers from smaller formats joining the programme after scrutiny of their roles at the assessment centres. Lack of a coherent recruitment strategy has led to confusion in-store over who is eligible to study for the qualification. The organisation had a well-integrated training programme for managers that provided the relevant skills and knowledge required at each management level. New initiatives like the ‘school leavers programme’ introduced by the Coalition Government in 2010 were integrated into this pipeline yet, the FdA in Retailing, a qualification designed specifically for the organisation remained external. This caused particular problems when it came to advertising and promoting the award.