Business owners are constantly competing with one another for the most talented people, and sometimes just a 
look at somebody’s CV is enough to convince employers that they’re right for the company. Other times, however, a candidate’s qualifications can go a long way to helping them get a foot in the door – particularly if they are still relatively new to their industry.
Postgraduate qualifications like these http://www.mdx.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/index.aspx demonstrate to employers that a candidate is disciplined and committed enough to their chosen field to follow through a degree that takes years to achieve, often at great personal expense to themselves. In some cases, a relatively inexperienced but well-qualified candidate may be preferred over somebody who has worked in the industry for years: some managers like to take on people who can give them fresh perspectives and hasn’t had time to develop bad habits.
Business-related courses are usually a mixture of theory and on-the-job training, so a completed degree or qualification also shows that a candidate can handle both the mental and practical aspects of the job. Recently, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) published a report in which it argued that the standard of management in the UK is being held back because employers are failing to take full advantage of the benefits of qualifications.
Although 90 per cent of the managers surveyed said their qualifications had improved their performance, 41 per cent said they were not supported by their employer to take full advantage of their skills. A similar proportion said their bosses did not even discuss their new knowledge with them, meaning they may be missing a vital opportunity to spread good practice across an organisation.
Ann Francke, chief executive of the CMI, said: “Professional qualifications are designed to ensure that managers learn skills that can make a real difference in their workplace. So if professionally qualified managers are not being encouraged to share learnings and challenge the status quo, how can we hope to raise the standards of UK management?”
Business qualifications can take all kinds of forms, from National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) to postgraduate degrees like a Master of Business Administration diploma. They may be funded or part-funded by employers, or employers may be lucky enough to attract candidates who have them already and may be able to supervise the training of others in the company. As businesses seek the talent to lead them out of the recession, the need for the right qualifications is only set to grow in future.