Newsletter September 2008
September Assignments
Schools are back so the summer lull is well and truly over. September has been an exceptionally busy month.
Planning and development for the next phase of a management development programme designed for an agency of the UK government started this month. This will be the third year this programme has run. This year delegates will receive a certificate that shows that the programme has been awarded Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) Development Accreditation.
September assignments included:
- A one day Development Centre was run for one of the largest, independent training organisations in Wales. Six observers were trained prior to the day to understand the tasks and the key qualities or behaviours being measured. A group of managers then undertook an intensive day of individual and team exercises that were observed and scored. The scores and comments from the observers have been consolidated into a report for each manager. They will receive the feedback in October.
- Over eighty new employees at a large engineering and manufacturing company attended an Interaction Event as a part of a week long induction to the company. The Interaction Event ran over two days with the new employees encouraged to participate in a number of challenging tasks and interactive, learning exercises. The new employees include apprentices, non-graduate and graduate trainees and other new people hired in recent months.
- A Graduate Induction Programme was delivered over three days to 28 graduates in the Peak District National Park. The graduates have been hired by a large engineering consultancy. The programme was designed to be both intensive and enjoyable to help the graduates make an effective transition into corporate life. The graduates will be deployed around the UK so this was an opportunity to create a sense of team and cohesion as a graduate cohort.
- A formal review was held of the graduate Assessment Centre that was run for a large English County Council last month. This was to review what had worked well and what lessons have been learned for future reference.
- In addition to the Interaction Event described above, three additional assignments were delivered to the same company. These were Mentor Training for a group of managers nominated as mentors to individuals; a briefing for apprentices and non-graduate trainees who will be attending Lifeskills I in late October; a Stress Contacts follow up, the Stress Contacts Programme has now been in operation for six months and this was an opportunity for the nominated stress contacts to feedback their experience of the programme to date.
- Two Sales Training courses were run for groups of SMEs. The first was run in conjunction with a government funded business support organisation and focused on basic sales skills for small businesses and sole traders. The second focused on more advanced selling skills and processes and was delivered to larger SMEs primarily selling to other businesses.
- A course, Conducting and Facilitating Effective Meetings was delivered to a Welsh County Council.
- Four days of Appraisal Training were delivered at various locations for a large international engineering consutancy.
- A second cohort of managers at one of Wales largest, independent training organisations undertook two more modules of their development programme which focused on applying and using Key Performance Indicators in their respective business areas.