MCCANN MANCHESTER STRIKES GOLD WITH IPA FOR TALENT INITIATIVES AND PICKS UP TOP EMPLOYER’S AWARD
McCann Manchester has struck gold. Its approach to talent and development has been recognised by the IPA with a prestigious Gold Standard accreditation and in the same week the company has been recognised as one of the country’s top employers.
The recognition by two separate organisations tops a strong year for the agency which launched what is believed to be one of the first apprenticeship schemes in the UK that allows 16-18 year old school leavers to start a career in advertising and marketing.
To achieve the Gold Level IPA CPD accreditation, agencies have to exceed the full criteria for regular practice. Judges reward agencies that are able to demonstrate a clear link between a holistic approach to continuous professional development and business success. McCann Manchester’s submission highlighted how its development programme is being championed by employees as well as the talent department with a wide range of initiatives and it was this employee driven approach to development that set the agency apart from the competition.
McCann Manchester’s senior management remains fiercely committed to an impressive array of internal and external training, according to the IPA judges. This is the fourth year in a row that the Prestbury-based agency has been handed this prestigious accreditation.
Darren Minshall, Talent & Development Director at McCann Manchester said: “The judging process is very rigorous and we had to produce a substantial amount of evidence to support how we link continuous professional development to commercial strategy.
“The submission was based on all of our talent tree initiatives such as our apprenticeship scheme and is a real testament to its success.”
In addition to securing the prestigious IPA Gold award, the agency has also been recognised as one of Britain’s Top Employers (www.britainstopemployers.co.uk/McCannManchester.aspx) for the third year running.
And the agency has topped its two awards with the news that it has signed a pledge with local Macclesfield MP David Rutley, which commits the company to the long term development of its apprenticeship scheme in conjunction with Macclesfield college.
Sue Little, Chief Executive of McCann Manchester said: “We are one of only a few agencies in the UK to be accredited. Talent is so important to us – our business is built on it. Continuous learning and development initiatives are at the heart of our people strategy and one of the high profile cornerstones to our programme is our apprenticeship scheme. To be recognised in successive years by both the IPA and Britain’s Top Employers is something we are justifiably proud of.”
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