News – Leading edge opportunities

A new menu of professional development opportunities for cultural leaders is being rolled out through a £12m initiative launched last week by Chancellor Gordon Brown and first announced in last years budget statement. A wide-ranging programme of activity has been designed to ensure that the skills base and support networks for creative leaders are fit for purpose, and that a more diverse range of people is equipped with leadership skills.
The two-year initiative will comprise six strands, including a programme of short courses associated with the Clore Leadership Programme, an online service and web portal with information on professional development opportunities, a Black and minority ethnic development programme, and measures to improve the effectiveness of organisations governance and to address the needs of cultural entrepreneurs. A work-based element will focus on peer learning, networks, coaching and mentoring with the aim of supporting participants in experimenting with new ways of working within their current organisations. Arts Council England, Creative & Cultural Skills, the sector skills council, and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council have joined forces to create the Cultural Leadership Delivery Partnership, responsible for ensuring the new programme of activity provides value for money and generates maximum impact for the cultural sector.