New introductory course on Managing Public Money, delivered in partnership with CIPFA

The Open University Business School has partnered with The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) to offer a free four-week course targeted at those with an interest in financial management across the public and not-for-profit sectors.

The Managing Public Money course will give learners an insight into the main features of public financial management and highlight the many ways it differs from the private sector. Learners will discover where public money comes from, and examine how and why it gets spent, as well as learn about such issues as how to prevent fraud, ethics and the basics of taxation.

The course is ideal for anyone with an interest in public financial management. This includes people working in the public service and not-for-profit sectors with budget responsibility, those at the start of their careers and those wanting to refresh their skills.

Public spending reductions over recent years and a growing demand for citizen participation and transparent government have all increased the focus on how well public organisations manage the money they receive. The key differences between public and private sector financial management are often overlooked. Unlike in commercial businesses, money collected either through taxes or via charitable donations is given with the expectation that it will be managed effectively and create valuable services. By partnering with CIPFA we have developed this course to ensure that it provides learners with both the academic rigour and the industry best practice to apply what they have learnt in their places of work.
Gary Bandy
Visiting Fellow in the Department for Public Leadership and Social Enterprise at The Open University Business School and CIPFA member

Whether you work in Government or not, public finances affect everyone and understanding how the public purse is managed helps ensure the delivery of fairer, more sustainable public services. Public finance is a complex and varied area, one that requires many levels of specialism and numerous internal and external checks and balances. As the only professional accountancy body in the world exclusively dedicated to public finance, we’re pleased to partner with the OU to launch this set of tutorials which will provide an expert-led introduction for everyone with an interest in gaining a better understanding of how public money is generated and spent.
Rob Whiteman
CIPFA Chief Executive

On completion of the four-week course learners can upgrade their qualification for £59 to receive a Certificate of Achievement and progress to other programmes.

Managing Public Money starts on 11 September 2017, with two further start dates of 5 February 2018 and 12 September 2018. To find out more and to sign up please go to the FutureLearn website.