In-company education: an example of best practice?

Purpose – Nottingham Business School recently validated a suite of generic qualifications based round the theme of leisure retailing. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Advanced Diploma, where one of the first cohorts on the programme was pub managers and area managers from J.D. Wetherspoon. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents the findings of a telephone survey of 17 pub managers and three area managers who had successfully completed the Advanced Diploma in 2005. Findings – Around eight out of ten pub managers interviewed reported positive impressions of the course and went on to state that their property had increased sales, profits, customer and staff satisfaction. Results from company sales and performance data support the impressions created by these qualitative interviews. Sales, gross profit and unit profit performance all show overall improvements in performance compared to company averages. Practical implications – Apart from students obtaining a university qualification it would appear that in every case individual pubs reported a substantial improvement in their business. The other implication is that the way in which these students are able to obtain a degree might well become the accepted alternative to full time education and all the financial implications that go with it.