Enterprise Ireland
Annual Report and Accounts 2007
Annual Report and Accounts 2007
Within the Enterprise Ireland client base a step change in the awareness of the importance of management development and strong leadership to future export growth has taken place over the past three years. The strength of management teams is of major strategic importance to Enterprise Ireland, and to Irish companies competing internationally.
In recognition that building management capability is key to growth, Enterprise Ireland significantly increased resources and investment in this area during the 2005-2007 period. As a consequence, clients are investing significant time and resources in developing the skills of their management teams.
A total of 272 Irish managers of client companies took part in advanced management development programmes in 2007, a 40 per cent increase over the previous year. These programmes, lasting over 100 hours, require considerable commitment and follow-through by clients.
In 2007 Enterprise Ireland approved €26.8 million of the Productivity Improvement Fund for training, against a client investment of €53.1 million.
The world-class management development programme, Leadership 4 Growth, has been developed by Enterprise Ireland in association with the Irish Software Association and Stanford Graduate School of Business in the United States. It brings together key players from the business world and academia to fast-track the growth of Irish companies. An initial tranche of 31 CEOs from Irish high-growth software companies completed the first programme, while a group of CEOs from Irish Technology and Lifesciences companies commenced a second programme in 2007.
Enterprise Ireland is intent on ensuring that Leadership 4 Growth participants operationalise their learning. Accelerated growth will be more achievable if the knowledge gained on the programme is cascaded down through the CEOs' organisations, driving belief, increasing company ambition and translating learning into success.
Consequently, Enterprise Ireland introduced a number of initiatives and supports to help the CEOs apply their learning to achieve strategic change within their organisations. These included continuing the coaching and mentoring elements of the Leadership 4 Growth programme and providing training and development programmes for middle management to gain a shared vision for future growth.
The International Selling Programme, developed and delivered for Enterprise Ireland by the Dublin Institute of Technology, specifically helps Irish companies compete more successfully in export markets. It focuses on three core themes: developing international sales strategies, building international selling skills, and managing international sales processes. Following on from its successful launch in 2006, the programme was expanded in 2007 and delivered in two locations, Dublin and Cork. In all, 55 companies participated.
The MSc in International Business, delivered in association with Trinity College Dublin, makes a significant contribution to increasing new strategic directions and opportunities for Enterprise Ireland clients. The programme develops and enhances participants' managerial competencies with particular emphasis on international strategy development and execution, and is a further element of Enterprise Ireland's support for Irish companies in meeting the rapidly changing global business environment. In 2007, 33 participants graduated from the two-year programme and 25 enrolled on the 2007-2009 programme.
International research has shown that businesses and sectors benefit from a network approach to sectoral development. Accordingly, Enterprise Ireland provides customised strategic management development programmes to drive change in a number of key sectors, including Pork, Seafood and Consumer Foods. These programmes involve collaboration and networking between companies, input from international experts and exposure to world-class practices.
In 2007 we launched two new sector programmes. The Management Development Programme for the Irish Bakery and Desserts sector arose from intensive work with client companies to identify the key challenges facing their sector. This programme focuses on helping companies address issues such as meeting multiple retailer requirements and responding to the demands of rapidly changing consumer trends. Exposure to external expertise and best practice includes study visits to the San Francisco Bakery Institute, the Academy of the German Bakery Institute, and the National Bakery School at the Dublin Institute of Technology.
The second programme, the Strategic Management Development Programme for Growth and Change in the SME Beef Processing sector helps drive change, and enables companies to achieve measurable business results, including sharper strategic focus; more targeted innovation; market and product diversification; increased export sales; and enhanced profitability. This 10-month programme incorporates an overseas training visit to the Centre for Food Marketing at St Joseph's University, Philadelphia.
