Press Release

Minister Martin Announces the Establishment of the Management Development Council

Thursday, 3 May 2007

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr. Micheál Martin, T.D., announced the establishment of the Management Development Council, which was one of the key recommendations of the Small Business Forum.

Commenting, Minister Martin said, “I believe management development within SMEs is an issue of high priority for Ireland given their importance as large net job creators and drivers of economic growth.” The Minister said he was delighted that Professor Frank Roche, who is the Deputy Principal of UCD’s College of Business and Law and Head of Management has agreed to chair the Council. The Council membership is drawn from the key stakeholders in the provision and usage of management development training.

The Council will build on available and ongoing work, specifically that of the Small Business Forum and the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs Report SME Management Development in Ireland. The Management Development Council will have two main strands of work:

• Firstly, the Council will benchmark Ireland’s current management development provision, determining whether or not this meets the requirements of SMEs, identifying any gaps and developing action plans to address these gaps.
• Secondly, the Council will be charged with developing a coordinated approach to building appreciation in the SME sector for the value and need of leadership and management skills.