The Open University (OU) has launched a new initiative designed to empower the next generation of Black leaders in business and the community.<\/p>\n
The Black Leadership and Empowerment Programme (BLEP) is a product of the OU Business School<\/a> and will equip participants with the skills needed to thrive in leadership roles.<\/p>\n The programme is being led by Dr Fid\u00e8le Mutwarasibo<\/a>, a Lecturer in Work-Based Learning at the OU, in response to the ongoing call for racial equity, amplified by the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.<\/p>\n It has already received backing from the likes of The Prince\u2019s Trust, AutoTrader, Manchester Airport Group (MAG) and Inclusive Companies with more expected to support the initiative.<\/p>\n A two-year pilot will see an initial learning hub based in Manchester, followed by others around the country.<\/p>\n The first BLEP learning hub took place at AutoTrader in Manchester yesterday (Thursday 16 May) where footballing pioneer Tony Whelan, Manchester United Academy Advisor and an OU Humanities graduate, was the guest speaker.<\/p>\n Programme participants will be able to access 150 hours of free learning on the OU\u2019s OpenLearn platform including two bespoke leadership courses developed exclusively for BLEP.<\/p>\n \u2018Advancing Black Leadership\u2019<\/a> is a badged open course (BOC), co-authored by Fid\u00e8le and two former OU colleagues in Prof Owain Smolovic Jones and Dr Tom Morton, which launched in March.<\/p>\n