Supporting future leaders at the Learning and Skills Council : Big savings result from identifying talent within the organization

Purpose – This paper's purpose is to show that the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which plans and funds vocational education and training to improve the knowledge and skills of adults and young people aged over‐16 in England, has run seven development centers across England to help to identify an internal pool of talented directors. Design/methodology/approach – Presents the views of Steve Lewitt, the LSC's director of organization development, who is pleased that more internal candidates are now coming through to take the top jobs. Findings – Details how the scheme – which is now being used for the next level down in the organization, the heads of department and managers who are looking to move up to director roles – has helped the LSC to save more than £100,000 on external recruitment costs, in six months. Practical implications – Argues that, with advertising charges and agency fees, response handling and interview time, the cost of externally recruiting a senior manager can be as much as £35,000. Organizations can therefore make significant savings if they identify individuals internally and develop them for top positions. Originality/value – Demonstrates that the scheme helped to identify people who were not interested in promotion, as well as those who were.