Scottish local authorities have each nominated a staff member to take part in the Müller Milk & Ingredients ASSIST FM Scholarship, which will take place in May and involve a mix of in person and online learning.
Christopher Ross, chair of ASSIST FM, said: “I think we all know why we’re trying this, because it’s been part of the conversation across the wider public sector for some time. It’s about letting people know about the job opportunities and the career development available within the public sector.
“You know what they say about school meals, it’s the biggest restaurant operation in the whole country, so it’s the perfect place to start. Some of the nominees are relatively new to their roles, while others are more experienced, so it’s a good mix.”
Support for the idea quickly came from commercial partner Müller, while HIT Scotland was brought in to organise the format and teaching behind the learning programme. The leadership programme comprises three sections, the first is an in-person, two-day course on ‘Learning To Lead’.
It will include an overnight stay and group dinner. The overnight stay is important as it’s not often people in these positions get the chance to informally network with industry peers and feedback in the past has found this to be a valuable part of a leadership course.
The second part of the programme will be live online and is called ‘Boosting Resilience’. It aims to help participants to manage stress, pressure, and change, looking at the skills needed to cope successfully and the actions to take to start building their own resilience, and to support others to do the same.
The final part covers ‘Mental Wellness and Awareness’. Poor mental wellness was the number one reason people missed work and this module would look at creating awareness, reducing burnout, and providing support in the workplace.