Leadership training strengthens managers in Ånge municipality

The initiative has both contributed to employees growing in their roles and developing in their leadership.
"We first identified the need for leadership training in elderly care, and eventually it came to include the entire social services. We have long been looking at the school's headmaster training and lacked something similar for our managers," says Katarina Persson, head of social services in Ånge municipality.

The background was, among other things, that it has become increasingly difficult to recruit managers. At the same time as the training was intended to strengthen existing managers, it was seen that there were many employees with leadership potential who lacked formal university education.

"It is gratifying that not only Ånge municipality, but also Sundsvall municipality and Örnsköldsvik municipality see a value in managers and employees in the social services being able to take a longer leadership training course with a reduced study pace in parallel with working as usual," says CER's centre director Peter Öhman and continues:
"Something that distinguishes our approach is that the course participants will work and study in parallel because they bring their own, everyday problems to the course and relate these to literature and proven experience.

After completing the training, the municipality sees clear results. The participants experience a greater sense of security in their leadership and in the work with their working groups.
"The best thing has been to see our employees grow as leaders and employees. A lot happens to people who get to feel that they are seen and have the opportunity to take such a comprehensive education. It's a big investment from the employer," says Katarina Persson.

"It has been fun to see the development of the course participants during the course," says Edith Andresen, who is the one from CER who has held most of the training. 
"According to the evaluations, the course participants have appreciated the conversations about everyday issues, to be able to take part in theories and to have continuous exchanges of experience with other course participants.

Katarina Person believes that there is a need for qualified leadership training in many parts of the welfare sector.
"The social services have generally not been good at investing in qualified training for managers. At the same time, the role of first-line manager is extremely demanding. If we are serious about investing in welfare, we also need to invest more in education at all levels.

The initiative has also become a way to strengthen the municipality as an employer.
"  The fact that Ånge municipality, together with several other municipalities, chooses to follow up this contract education with a second round of courses according to the same structure is proof that the initiative is beneficial," says Peter Öhman.