Team and Leadership Development

ILM Level 3 in Leadership

Throughout the months of spring 2008, a core of ten DXM staff faced the challenge of designing a leadership programme to be delivered to final year Engineering Apprentices. The programme was certified by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) at Level 3. For the apprentices, the course was a pass or fail - no pressure then.

The accredited leadership programme was designed to develop the apprentices’ understanding of leadership and how it applies to their workplace. The course itself was highly interactive with the apprentices taking responsibility for their learning, which was recorded in assessed leadership logbooks and monitored by DXM staff.

One of the highlights is for the apprentices to participate in the Royal Navy’s Damage Repair Instructional Unit (DRIU), a sinking ship simulator. Representing the motion of the sea, the simulator rolls whilst cold water floods in from numerous ‘damage’ points. The damage requires the students to work as a cohesive team to repair the flood stricken ‘unit’ within a 45 minute timeline – pressure on!

DXM, with a combination of classroom theory, experiential activity and hard work, was determined to facilitate the highest possible pass rate. This led to quite a journey experienced by both apprentices and staff. Though tough at times, the learning was recognised as exceptionally rewarding. Post programme the apprentices did themselves proud by achieving a high pass rate in record time.

● ILM is a nationally and internationally recognised awarding organisation in the field of leadership and management.