SHL helps develop competencies at the University of Edinburgh Management School

The University of Edinburgh Management School is using profiling tools from SHL, the global company in objective assessment, to help students with their future success. The class of 2005 have used the SHL tools and feedback has been very positive. The School, which was ranked in the Financial Times top 20 for assisting student career progression, has also gained in credibility itself, as this project was one of the factors assessed in their recent accreditation by the international organisation (EQUIS).

This initiative is part of the Schoolís careers and personal development suite. One of the project leaders, Eddie Cochrane commented: Business success is about more than gaining the intellectual knowledge an MBA provides. We also believe it should provide the softer skills, the competencies and behaviours, and particularly the requirement to provide enhanced feedback on these to our students. We approached SHL, because it is a worldwide company with the most credible and professional products on the market.

Merri Scotney, the other project leader, added: So far the programme has been a huge success. The students were eager to receive one to one feedback. Iíve been running OPQ for several years, but now using the online version, we could administer it to a larger group of persons in a much quicker and easier way. We believe that after this experience, they will be better prepared to reach their chosen career goal.

The emotional intelligence report was especially important to us. After a survey conducted with 300 MBA recruiters, we found out they considered it to be one of the key competencies they valued in any potential recruit, emphasised Eddie Coachrane.

Maria Jeffers, SHL senior business consultant commented: This online process has saved students and the Management School a lot of valuable time. Just one assessment tool has been able to meet a number of the schoolís needs, because of its variety of reports available that use a range of management models.

James Bywater, a leading psychologist at SHL (UK), emphasises the importance of a wider competency-based approach: By asking employers what they need in their MBA students, and then aggressively targeting this via development, the Management School has adopted top business practices to ensure their courses are fit for purpose.

The schoolís practices have been recently awarded with an accreditation by the international assessment body EQUIS. They are now one of the only 38 business schools worldwide EQUIS and AMBA accredited. Merri Scotney
concluded: Our recent successes are to us the confirmation that we are on the right track and so we will continue with our philosophy of bringing real world techniques into the classroom.