Lookers joins strategic skills partner Corndel to unleash new potential, drive careers and grow leadership capability

Leading automotive retail and service group Lookers has launched a pioneering group-wide initiative with strategic skills partner Corndel designed to drive learning, performance and career growth.

The dedicated partnership will provide Lookers colleagues with a unique opportunity to gain accredited, professional qualifications across three dedicated leadership programmes, driving career development and opportunities to progress.

The Lookers Leadership and Management Programme marks a major milestone and significant investment by Lookers in the development of its teams and its mission to accelerate operational excellence, financial performance and an enhanced customer experience.

Those who successfully complete the three expert-led Lookers programmes – Aspire, Accelerate and Advanced Executive Leadership – will gain level 3, 5 and 7 diploma qualifications accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), with the level 7 diploma also delivered in partnership with global top 10 university Imperial College Business School.

Designed to improve productivity and task management, each course will take 12 months to complete and will require onsite and online learning, one-to-one coaching and group workshops.

Applications for aspiring managers, senior managers and ambitious directors keen to propel their careers and opportunities across the group are open now ahead of enrolment, for an official programme kick-off in February 2024.

 

Lookers’ Head of Learning and Development Danny Bishop, (pictured above) who has led on this initiative, said:

“Elevating our development proposition for our people has been a fundamental part of our people strategy. The Leadership Academy is another great example of our ambition to ensure Lookers continues to be a great place to work.

“We chose Corndel as a partner due to their fantastic track record in providing world class training programmes to other large organisations. Corndel were also recently named winner for British Training Awards 2023 for Apprenticeship Provider of the Year.

“As I pass my two-year anniversary of joining Lookers, I’m extremely proud of what we have achieved as a Leadership and Development and wider HR team. Our group learning curriculum has grown by over 400 percent in the past two years, providing colleagues with development and support to further enhance their skills and career growth within Lookers.”

 

Lookers’ Chief People Officer Chris Whittaker said the Lookers Leadership Academy would provide a catalyst to empower a new generation of aspirational, forward-looking and ambitious leaders to excel as part of an enterprise-wide transformation.

“Serious about learning and development, Lookers recognises the importance of upskilling and investing in our teams by delivering world class learning opportunities that supports careers, powers confidence and ambition to strengthen performance.

“Our partnership with Corndel, supported by The Imperial College and accredited by the Chartered Management Institute, delivers a groundbreaking programme of learning as part of a unique approach that will deliver personal, professional and group-wide results.”

 

All programmes under the Lookers Leadership Academy are designed to fit around participants’ work responsibilities and offer regular professional one-to-one coaching support.

Corndel’s specialist trainers will work with every individual involved to develop a personalised learning plan that will enable time spent working on the job to be more efficient, leading to improved productivity and task management.

 

Corndel CEO, James Kelly, said:

 “Our partnership with Lookers is set to empower their workforce with accredited leadership qualifications, driving career development and operational excellence.

 As a strategic skills partner, our leadership programmes ensure organisations and individuals are equipped with the core workplace skills needed to survive and thrive in the 21st Century. Together with Lookers, we’re committed to fostering a new generation of resilient and forward-thinking leaders, building a stronger future for the company.”

 

Founded in 1908, Lookers is one of the largest multi-franchise dealer groups in the UK and Ireland, representing 33 volume and premium car manufacturers and specialising in new and used electric car sales across a network of over 150 franchised locations.