The National Audit Office has launched a development programme for managers who wish to move onto director level.

Speaking yesterday at the CIPD's performance management conference in London, John McCann, the National Audit Office's director of human resources, explained only managers who have completed the new scheme will be eligible for promotion to director level in the organisation.

Staff can apply for the scheme and, providing they pass a rigorous selection process involving an interview with a senior manager and a psychologist, they will receive tailored development, executive coaching, a senior member of staff as a sponsor, director-level assignments and masterclasses.

The launch of the scheme follows the success of the National Audit Office's future leaders scheme where more junior levels of staff are developed to become line managers.

McCann said: "We hope the new programme will give us a stronger talent pool for promotion, make it easier to predict succession of senior staff and give much clearer feedback to ‘serial applicants' who are not succeeding in getting a promotion."