A new bursary will open doors for employees working within charities and not-for-profit organisations to allow them to gain a world-class management education qualification.
Cranfield University and leading business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK LLP have launched a Third Sector Bursary, aimed at enabling workers to more easily access Cranfield’s Executive MBA course.
From January, up to five £9,000 bursaries per cohort will be allocated to eligible applicants.
Professor Daniel Prior, Director of the Cranfield Executive MBA, said: “We are delighted to be able to provide this additional funding to help people working in the charitable and not-for-profit sectors access the Cranfield Executive MBA. We know from our work with industry that there is strong interest among third sector organisations to develop the leadership and management potential of their employees, and we hope that this new bursary will help remove barriers they may face in accessing the same world-class education available to commercial organisations.”
Carol Rudge, Global Head of Not-for-Profit, Grant Thornton UK LLP, commented: “We know that leaders in the public, private and third sectors recognise the critical need to develop their people to ensure sustainable long-term results. But we also know that not every organisation has the financial means to do so.
“We believe though that everyone should have the opportunity to access world-class business management education and are therefore delighted to introduce this scholarship to help not for profit organisations prepare their leadership for the future.”
Cranfield School of Management was the first business school in the UK to accept students onto an EMBA via the apprenticeship levy. In March 2017, Grant Thornton partnered with Cranfield to develop and deliver their Executive MBA programme.
The Cranfield and Grant Thornton Third Sector Bursary will be open to new applications from January 2019. Up to five £9,000 bursaries will be awarded per cohort (c. 60 participants) to sponsored employees of eligible organisations. The funding will match the portion of the course cost not already eligible to be covered by individual employers’ apprenticeship levy funds*.
Applicants through the bursary fund will follow the same application process as other EMBA applicants, with the final decision on awards being made in advance of commencement.
For more information on studying for the Cranfield Executive MBA, please call +44 (0) 1234 754432 or email studyMBA@cranfield.ac.uk.
Notes for editors
*The cost of the Cranfield Executive MBA is £27,000. When accessed as a MastershipTM through the apprenticeship levy, employers are able to use £18,000 funding from their levy pot towards the cost of the course. Traditionally, employers or individuals are then required to pay a £9,000 ‘top-up’ to cover the full course fees.
About Grant Thornton
Grant Thornton is one of the world’s leading organisations of independent assurance, tax and advisory firms. These firms help dynamic organisations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, forward-thinking advice. Proactive teams, led by approachable partners in these firms, use insights, experience and instinct to understand complex issues for privately owned, publicly listed and public sector clients and help them to find solutions. More than 38,500 Grant Thornton people, across over 120 countries, are focused on making a difference to clients, colleagues and the communities in which we live and work. The UK Grant Thornton member firm provides services to over 40,000 privately held businesses, public interest entities and individuals. It is led by more than 185 partners and employs more than 4,600 of the profession's brightest minds.
Find out more at www.grantthornton.co.uk
About Cranfield University
Cranfield has been a world leader in management education and research for over 50 years, helping individuals and organisations learn and succeed by transforming knowledge into action. We are dedicated to creating responsible management thinking, improving business performance and inspiring the next generation of business leaders. We work to change the lives of our students and executives by encouraging innovation and creative thinking, as well as the drive to succeed and make a real impact on their organisations.
Organisations as diverse as Jaguar Land Rover, BAE Systems, Royal Dutch Shell, L’Oréal, UNICEF and the African Development Bank have benefited from our work, which ranges from management research projects, through staff talent management development on our MBA courses, to customised executive programmes.
Cranfield is one of an elite group of Schools worldwide to hold the triple accreditation of: AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) and AMBA (the Association of MBAs).
We are in the Top 10 International Business Schools in the Forbes’ ranking.
Our open and customised executive education programmes are ranked in the top five in the UK, according to the latest Financial Times survey, and in the top ten in the world for international reach. Over 10,000 people come to Cranfield each year to benefit from our executive and professional development programmes.
