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 CETC students have cause to celebrate with an excellent set of exam results in the December 2007 professional qualification exam sitting. 83% of students studying across the six CETC locations passed their exams. Particularly high pass rates were achieved in several papers including Taxation (96%), Governance & Public Policy (93%), and Management Accounting (90%). Students on the bespoke courses for KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Grant Thornton performed excellently with 100% pass rates for all certificate and diploma papers sat.
CETC students have also scooped eight of the nine available CIPFA prizes and will be attending the prizewinners’ ceremony in April.
For more information on CETC’s pass rates and prizewinners visit www.cetc.org.uk.
5th March 2008, Glasgow
This course aims to help those in public services who either purchase or provide services and wish to use a Service Level Agreement to contract for these services. SLA’s will be considered within the wider procurement agenda and delegates will examine SLAs in the context of different organisational models including shared services.
13th & 14th March 2008, Aviemore
Bookings are now being taken for the Scottish Annual Conference. Please visit www.cipfascotland.org.uk/conference for more information.
19th March 2008, Edinburgh
CIPFA in Scotland has developed a one day training course for audit committees. The training helps participants consider how the audit committee can gain an overview of the overall control environment, review the effectiveness of risk management and monitor the performance of audit.
CIPFA in NORTHERN IRELAND |
Access to Information – Policing the Process
19 March 2008, The Culloden Hotel, Belfast
This seminar examines the collective impact of Access to Information (ATI) requirements upon organisational efficiency in the areas of individual accountability, process effectiveness, policy compliance, legislative requirements and organisational resilience. Seminar speakers will challenge participants to examine the impact of interlocking and often conflicting legislation; the need for proactive management and reinforcement of organisational policy; and process compliance.
Branch Lunchtime Event – The Role of Political Advisors in a Devolved Government
20 March 2008, CIPFA Offices, Belfast
A devolved government in Northern Ireland has led to an increase in the role and influence of political advisors. In this session, Brian Barrington will de-mystify their role, explain how they work within the structures of government and outline the best way to work with advisors to influence government.
CIPFA Northern Ireland has developed a new series of half day courses for grant-funders. The courses are aimed at front-line staff in grant-funding roles and will focus on providing practical advice and developing knowledge and skills that will be of real value in the workplace.
Courses for Spring 2008 include:
| Management of Risk Accredited Training – Foundation Level |
3-5 March, Belfast |
Fraud Awareness for Managers
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5 March, Belfast |
Grants Series – Capital Projects
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6 March, Belfast |
Management of Risk Accredited Training – Practitioner Level
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6 & 7 March, Belfast |
Business Continuity and Contingency Planning
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6 & 7 March, Belfast |
On Board
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7 March, Belfast |
Essentials of Project Management
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10 & 11 March, Belfast |
Investigative Interviewing (CIPQ)
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10 & 11 March, Belfast |
Conducting Verification Visits
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12 March, Belfast |
Cognitive Interviewing (CIPQ)
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12 March, Belfast |
*NEW* Best Practice in Performance Management
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13 & 14 March, Belfast |
| PRINCE2 Accredited Training - Foundation Level |
31 March – 2 April 2008, Belfast |
PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AND POLICY ASSOCIATION NEWS |
Constitutional Reform
6 March 2008, BT Centre, 81 Newgate Street, London EC1 - 5.45pm
 The Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke MP is Chairman of the Conservative's Democracy Task Force and a respected former Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The Democracy Task Force has been strident in its demands for restoring the power of Parliament, MPs and Select Committees, and for reforming the Civil Service and Cabinet. Its recommendations have been welcomed by David Cameron, the Conservative Party Leader, and the Government has now put forward its own proposals for reform in the Green Paper “The Governance of Britain” published last July.
This is your opportunity to hear, at first hand, this eminent parliamentarian put the case for constitutional reform.
Thursday 20 March 10.30am – 1pm with lunch to follow
Building effective partnerships with the private and voluntary sectors. With speakers Nigel Kershaw, Chief Executive of Big Issue Invest and Chairman of The Big Issue Company and Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector.
For more information on both of these events email info.pmpa@cipfa.org or call Janet Grauberg on 020 7543 5683.
Register to access the Improvement Network's management tools, which outline the decision-making process to help you make proactive choices to improve an outcome or situation.
www.improvementnetwork.gov.uk/imp/core/page.do?pageId=1900004438
CIPFA is now inviting nominations for the Tom Sowerby Award 2008. The award honours those who have given outstanding service to CIPFA students. If you have a colleague, tutor or mentor who has shown particular dedication to CIPFA students, why not make a nomination?
The deadline for nominations is Friday March 7, 2008.
Find out more and nominate at www.cipfa.org.uk/sowerby
We are pleased to announce Healthcare Alliances (www.healthcarealliances.co.uk) has gained CIPFA accreditation for its training programmes for professionals working in health and social care. The programmes are:
Premier Programme: The Premier Programme is a series of carefully chosen masterclasses on the core competencies needed to effect change.
Knowledge and Skills Programme: The Knowledge and Skills Programme courses and workshops help to develop powerful and practical management skills for leaders & managers.
Performance Programme: The Performance programme (mainly) one-day management skills workshops provide performance management skills development for middle managers.
In June 2006, HM Treasury hosted a conference of financial management advisors to Government to explain the key elements of the Government’s 'Financial Management Change' agenda. The event presented a valuable opportunity for specialists currently engaged in providing services to Government departments and the public sector more generally, to act as a sounding board, and to offer advice and reactions on the key challenges.
Following that conference, four ‘Advisory Panels’ were established. The work of the four panels culminated into the following two publications that were formally launched in February 2008:
'Doing the Business: Embedding Financial Management Skills in Government'
'Doing the Business: Managing Performance in the Public Sector – an External Perspective'
The publications can be downloaded from http://thegfp.treasury.gov.uk. There are also a limited number of hard copies available from CIPFA, please call 0207 543 5600 to request one.
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Dear Colleague,
