David Brown, Strategic Relationship Manager, National School of Government, is one of the many executives that have undertaken the Roffey Park MSc in People and Organisational Development. It has enabled him to develop his skills while specialising in the aspects of leadership that he finds most interesting.
As a Strategic Relationship Manager at The National School of Government, David's responsibility is to develop collaborative relationships with government departments and then deliver bespoke training programmes tailored to their needs.
“Before taking on the new position of Strategic Relationship Manager, I wanted to enhance my skills so I began researching the different courses available in the UK. I'd already done CIPD certifications but was looking for a course that would provide more academic rigour,” explains David. “Roffey Park's MSc was a perfect fit for my requirements and flexible enough to fit in around my existing workload. By taking part in five residential sessions at Roffey Park and combining these with home study, I could work at my own pace while still having access to Roffey Park resources.”
Roffey Park takes a unique approach to its MSc programme. The Roffey Park Masters in People and Organisational Development is an innovative, two-year, part-time MSc programme which is designed and run by practising developers and consultants for professional developers since 1991. Accredited by The University of Sussex, it enables students to bring together theory, practice and experience, as well as learning new skills to increase personal and professional impact and has attracted experienced professionals from a wide variety of organisations such as British Airways, Cornhill Insurance, Cancer Research UK, Institute of Management, Nat West Group, Morgan Stanley,Tesco Stores, United Biscuits and Vodaphone as well as local authorities, central government departments, NHS trusts, regional health authorities and voluntary organisations.
The Masters in People and Organisational Development is specifically geared to participants and their organisations, both for current and future development needs. As a consequence, David gained a far greater understanding of management and organisational development enabling him to become a more effective developer and change agent.
“Roffey Park is an attractive choice because it offers a combination of a well-respected programme with the ethos of a charitable establishment. It also puts the focus very much on people and organisational development which reflects my own approach,” continues David. “The intellectual rigour of the university-endorsed course is then complemented with practical, hands-on experience - no other institute provides both.”