New "Academy" to make recommendations on Corporate Social Responsibility

September 26, 2003

New “Academy” to make recommendations on Corporate Social Responsibility

Plans for a new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Academy have been announced by Stephen Timms, Minister for CSR, that will take forward recommendations for driving forward skills for CSR.

Members of a new Steering Group, including Mike Emmott, Head Employee Relations at the CIPD, will explore and test the recommendations of the “Changing Manager Mindsets” report on the development and spread of skills and competences for the practice of CSR, which aims to adopt a social, ethical and environmentally responsible approach to business practice.

The report, which was published in April, was produced by a working group set up by the Corporate Responsibility Group. It recommended:

the development and testing of a competency framework establishing the core skills and characteristics needed to integrate CSR practice within organisations of all sizes
the need for a wide range of development opportunities such as mentoring, shadowing, and experiential learning to support the integration of CSR into decision-making processes
a dedicated website providing access to details of the range of learning and development opportunities available from all providers, and
the setting up of a CSR Academy to work in alliance with relevant institutes and providers to support the development of CSR skills for managers.

Clive Mather, Chairman of Shell UK and Chair of the Steering Group, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to look further at developing and promoting skills for CSR. I am looking forward to helping the Group with proposals that will really make a new contribution to CSR practice across business in the UK”.

The Steering Group will have its first meeting at the end of September and make recommendations to Government with a view to establishing an Academy in the summer of 2004.