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Fire officers pioneer leadership foundation degree |
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The first station managers from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to study for a pioneering new foundation degree have graduated from the University of Bradford.
The tailor-made course, which was the first of its kind when introduced two years ago, was established for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS).
The Foundation Degree in Leadership and Management was developed in conjunction with the University of Bradford’s School of Lifelong Education and Development (SLED), which delivers it, and the Institute of Leadership and Management. It intends to equip managers, specifically in the Fire and Rescue Service, with a dual academic and vocational qualification and with the skills needed to carry out their role.
West Yorkshire is still only one of a handful of brigades in the country to offer this type of course, which it sees as a cost effective approach to providing modern, innovative leadership and management training. CFO Phil Toase said: “I would like to congratulate all the station managers on their successful completion of the foundation degree course. The Foundation Degree in Leadership and Management is a good example of how partnership working can improve the service we provide to our community. This successful collaboration between West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and the University of Bradford will provide our officers with the skills and knowledge they will require to manage an innovative public service in the 21st century.” Dr Alan Maybury, Course Leader of the Foundation Degree in Leadership and Management, said: “We are very proud of our first cohort of students on this course who have all passed with flying colours. When we launched the Foundation Degree in Leadership and Management, it was very much tailored towards middle managers in the Fire and Rescue Service. Now we have expanded the remit of the programme and we are attracting students from a wide range of sectors and professions.”
The new course came about following the advent of the Integrated Personal Development System (IPDS), which for the Fire and Rescue Service led to the disappearance of traditional routes of development and qualifications. It prompted WYFRS to look for more effective, family friendly approaches that could be delivered locally. WYFRS first linked up with Huddersfield Technical College to deliver supervisory development in the form of Institute of Leadership and Management courses, which in turn led to the service considering the development of the foundation degree with the University of Bradford. WYFRS provided the university with a copy of the Emergency Fire Service Management Standards, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Development Modules and a set of Middle Manager Personal Qualities and Attributes to help develop the tailor-made course.
ACO Allan Hughes said: “This course allows our officers to develop first class managerial skills and this approach will complement our more traditional emphasis on incident command skills. The partnership with the University of Bradford has allowed West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to provide first class training to our officers in a flexible, family-friendly way that meets both the needs of the service and of the individual student.”
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