Investing in Workforce Skills and Culture - the University of John Lewis

I've become increasingly convinced from recent discussions with major accountancy firms and other major employers that workplace learning is going to challenge the preeminence of universities and colleges when it comes to obtaining higher level qualifications. The emergence of some industrial-strength Higher Apprenticeship programmes recently is a sign of that. And so to is the news that John Lewis Partnership is to extend its programme of workplace learning to offer Level 6 (university degree level) qualifications for some of its management.This story would provide the basis for some excellent analysis by students exploring how and why John Lewis Partnership has decided to extend its internal training programmes.Some clues can be found in extracts from the JLP press release: for example;"Our partners give us our competitive edge, and if we want them to stay with us for the long term, we need to make sure that they have the right skills to meet the challenges we face in an evolving retail environment."The so-called "University of John Lewis" will also offer a number of other development initiatives through its ‘skills programme’, which will include training in product knowledge, line management and leadership.

The existence of strong internal training systems in a firm is often good evidence of a business with an organisational culture that acts as a competitive advantage.

I remember from my time at PwC that staff training (both professional and personal skills) was a strategic priority of the business. Indeed, the training and recruitment functions worked very closely together, particularly during the key induction training phase. This had the effect of both introducing new recruits to the strong organisational culture and reinforcing the core values expected of those recruits.

The investment in workplace learning by JLP is a very powerful signal by the business to its partners that it values their long-term participation in the business. If the Level 6 courses are well designed and delivered, they should deliver specific business benefits - but it is the overall impact of the commitment to invest in their people that I sense will have the greatest impact in the long-term.