Despite the typical gloomy summer skies and persistent drizzle, an Ashes defeat to the Aussies looking ominous, and the Home Office admitting that it is perilously close to blowing its ID card budget after just 14 months, it’s been a much brighter outlook for the long-term future of consultancy.
Firstly, the industry should be delighted with the news that after overcoming
the cancellation of its annual conference because of events on 7/7, Lynda
Purser, director of the Institute of Management Consultancy, announced that it
had opened new routes for people to become members. This will allow more people
to enter what can be an extremely rewarding profession both financially and
personally.
Previously the IMC only allowed people to join at associate level and then
proceed through the grades if they gained the certified management consultant
award. Now it has established six membership grades based on experience and
qualifications, and separated the CMC award from these membership requirements.
With attractive salary levels comes a demand for high-calibre consultants.
Often, people don’t realise how important the role of a consultant is. In
essence the work they do profoundly changes businesses and lives.
The IMC’s openness can only be viewed as an extremely positive move
especially as the industry, along with the accountancy profession, is struggling
to find the right talent that can meet the required operational standards.
The good news doesn’t end there. Research carried out by our sister title
Management Consultancy confirmed that the NHS has, and will for many years to
come, provide the industry with unprecedented revenues due to the government’s
national programme, Connecting for Health.
For instance ,Accenture saw its NHS-related fee income inflate by a
staggering 320%. Alongside the ongoing success and growth of financial services
and central government, the NHS now ranks, for the first time, as a major market
for consultancy.
The consultants of tomorrow that the IMC will soon be nurturing can look
forward to a bright and prosperous future.
James Bennett is editor of Management Consultancy