Partnership in practice: what can be learned?

This article explores a partnership arrangement between a public sector organisation and a university to jointly provide a management development programme for a group of new managers. It discusses the mutually beneficial outcomes of a partnership focused on learning, which can support public sector organisations and the universities themselves to embed continuous learning and promote organisational development initiatives. The article outlines the context of the organisation and the aims of the partnership. It provides some detail of the content of the management development programme, which was jointly designed, delivered and assessed. It concludes by considering the ways the partnership may change and develop in the future and by noting the learning points for similar partnerships planning to facilitate people and organisational development.