The paper takes a critical view of current approaches to training administrators or managers in education in the United Kingdom. Criticisms focus mainly around the hands-on approach whereby the trainee learns the best techniques from colleagues and dismisses most academic studies of management practices. The paper summarizes the thinking behind a supported open learning course in management development in education taught by the Open University in Great Britain, and explores the extent to which initial evidence suggests it is achieving its purposes. The course is attempting to promote a more reflective approach to management issues as a means of linking close-to-the-job training with academically rigorous work. The paper concludes that while much personal and organizational learning is being promoted by the course, one of its more innovative ideas, that of students acting as internal consultants, has not yet been successful. The reasons for this are considered. (Contains 24 references.) (Author/DM)