Newcastle Business School and Newcastle City Council: a developmental partnership

The public sector in the UK now seems to be on a new course. The sharper business focus within the public sector has brought a recognition that organisations must invest training and development in their greatest asset – their staff. Regular surveys by the Industrial Society reveal a trend to using universities as external providers of training and development. Newcastle City Council and Newcastle Business School are building a developmental partnership through postgraduate management education. The aim of the partnership is to focus attention on the development of individuals, running parallel to organisational development and culture change. The article outlines the organisational contexts, the aims of the developmental pathway and the postgraduate provision. The logistics of the developmental partnership are presented, from selection to individual learning and development and the article concludes by offering significant learning points to those planning similar partnerships to facilitate HR development.