The Group aims to make a significant investment in management development and training in the coming years in order to ensure that we are able to meet the majority of our management needs from within the Group in line with the business integration strategy. Structured management and senior management development programmes will operate across the Group. These should prove extremely effective both in identifying a substantial population of capable managers and in enhancing retention rates. Development of skills for line managers will also be a key target for 2006.
In order to improve objective setting and performance management, performance development plans and appraisals are used across the Group. This is supporting continuous professional development in line with Investors in People (IIP) requirements, which has already successfully been awarded to some parts of the business.
