Personal Development Courses

Overview: This hands-on workshop provides an in-depth understanding of user stories within an Agile context through both knowledge sharing and practical exercises. We will explore the lifecycle of a story from how it is created to how we know it is ‘done’. It is aimed at those with or without prior knowledge and/or experience of Agile. You will leave the session with the tools you need to create refine and manage excellent appropriate user stories and use them effectively. This workshop is highly interactive and we actively encourage participants to bring along ‘troubled’ stories they may have so that they can be discussed and improved.

Overview: The AgilePgM® training course is aimed at aspiring and practicing programme managers and team members wishing to adopt a disciplined, flexible and collaborative approach to the management of large-scale business transformation activities (programmes). Developed by the Agile Business Consortium (formally DSDM Consortium), the new certification provides the ability to deliver Agile Programmes in organizations requiring standards, rigour and visibility around Programme Management, while at the same time enabling the fast pace, change and empowerment provided by Agile. AgilePgM® provides programme managers with a disciplined but flexible agile approach to the management of transformational organizational change, allowing for iterative and incremental delivery of outputs and benefits. AgilePgM® teaches you a disciplined but flexible agile approach to the management of organizational change – enabling you to play a crucial role in ensuring a programme captures its vision. The governance model, contained within the guidance, ensures a programme will capture its vision, whilst empowering teams to work without undue interference. Built on firm foundations, the programme can evolve and react to business change in our increasingly dynamic world.

Overview: This course has been updated to version 2.0 of the Agile Project Management Handbook. This five-day accredited course provides participants with a thorough grounding in the DSDM Agile Project Management framework. It is comprised of a Foundation-level introduction to the framework, and an in-depth Practitioner-level examination of how a project manager applies the framework. Presented by skilled lecturers with extensive experience in the practical application of project management, the course includes examination coaching and practice using sample questions. This course does not cover the Scrum Framework. Delegates should be prepared to set aside time to revise for the Foundation and Practitioner exams, in the evenings after the course lecture finishes. This includes studying the course Handbook, and working through sample exam questions.

Overview: This entry-level course provides a comprehensive overview of project management that focuses on applying the core principles to make better decisions, understand consequences and generate success. Relevant for any project in any area of business, the course covers the pragmatic skills and techniques necessary for effective project delivery. As more and more business critical initiatives are being planned and executed as projects, it is essential that organisations are fully equipped with the skills, tools, working practices, processes and mind-sets such that projects can be clearly defined, realistically planned and effectively managed.

Overview: Effective project management skills are becoming increasingly important. Organisations need good project managers, at all levels, to successfully deliver the change projects that will enable the business to adapt, grow and achieve its strategic objectives. The Association of Project Management APMP qualification allows delegates to demonstrate their knowledge of the various elements of project management and how projects fit into the strategic and commercial environment. APMP is recognised at IP

Overview: Appraisals which are planned, structured and implemented effectively allow managers to improve communications within their team and improve on training and development plans. This course teaches delegates how to manage appraisals and PDR's effectively.

Overview: Agile has caught the attention of business leaders in the UK and globally as a means of managing change, reducing time to market, eliminating waste and attracting and retaining customers. The question is - what is Agile Project Management and how does it differ from traditional waterfall? What are the roles, skills and competencies required? This two-day foundation certificate course is concerned with the use of Agile practices in projects, product and software development. The course is designed to ensure the delegate has suitable knowledge of the core concepts of Agile practices, the Agile values and principles, across a breadth of Agile methodologies. It is not aimed at preparing delegates to implement a specific Agile approach.

Overview: The course is delivered through a mixture of workshop led discussions, practical activities and PowerPoint presentations. On day two delegates are required to undertake a live audit (case study based) where delegates are required to apply the skills and techniques they acquired on day one. Delegates will be given feedback on how they performed during the case study and how they can improve on their auditing techniques

Overview: This course trains delegates in Third-Party Audit requirements against the BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 9. In addition, the course includes the relevant aspects of auditing within the food sector. Attending this course allows you to gain an in-depth and practical understanding of the BRCGS Standard and auditing methodology.

Overview: Effective teamwork is fundamental to the success of any organisation. Whether the focus is on service, quality, cost, value, speed, efficiency, performance, or other similar goals, teams are the central methodology of most organisations in the private, non-profit, and government sectors. With teams at the core of corporate strategy, your success as an organisation can often depend on how well you and other team members operate together. In most teams, the energies of individual members work at cross-purposes. Individuals may work extraordinarily hard, but their efforts do not translate into team effort, and this results in wasted energy. By contrast, when a team becomes more aligned, a commonality of direction emerges, and individual energies harmonise. You have a shared vision and an understanding of how to complement each others’ efforts. This one-day workshop is a basic course for team leaders and team members, designed to focus on the characteristics of an effective team player and the elements of an effective team. You will leave the workshop with plans for your personal development as a team player and ideas for developing your team.

Overview: A one day programme focused on written business communication. To write effectively requires knowledge of the process for constructing written business communications. When applied to various types of written communication such as a report, presentation, memo, letter, e-mail, this knowledge helps produce clear, concise, unambiguous communications. The programme provides delegates with a chance to obtain the knowledge, test its application, and thus become more confident when faced with a written communication task at work.

Overview: Whether you are new to Agile principles and have an idea of what Scrum is or have already spent time involved with teams talking about or implementing Scrum ensuring success with Scrum can be a daunting prospect. You have understood that the benefits of ‘going agile’ include improving quality productivity and time to market but how does this happen in practice? And how can you ensure that you can deliver these process improvements? If you have not undertaken Scrum Training with a formally Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) Trainer then you may be missing key knowledge and skills that will enable you to make the most of the opportunities afforded by effective implementation of Scrum principles and practices. The 2 day highly interactive CSM course investigates the Scrum framework in detail from theory and foundations to practical application and pitfalls covering all the team roles activities and artifacts so that you can be an effective Scrum Master or member of a Scrum team.

Overview: Whether you are new to Agile principles and have an idea of what Scrum is or have already spent time involved with teams talking about or implementing Scrum taking on the Product Owner role can be a daunting prospect. The role of the Scrum Product Owner is crucial to the overall Scrum Team acting as the liaison between the development team and the wider customer community. An effective Scrum Product Owner will work collaboratively with stakeholders to define the overall product vision and is responsible for communicating that vision to the team and motivating the team to deliver a high quality product. The Product Owner is responsible for creating and maintaining the Product Backlog and is a key contributor to the Sprint Planning and Review Meetings. The Scrum Product Owner can help maximise delivery capabilities enhance the planning and scheduling process improve project estimation and drive overall product success. If you’ve not undertaken Scrum Training with a formally Certified Scrum Trainer then you may be missing key knowledge and skills that will enable you to make the most of the opportunities afforded by effective implementation of Scrum principles and practices. This 2 day interactive course investigates the Scrum framework in detail from theory and foundations to practical application and pitfalls covering all the team roles activities and artifacts but focuses specifically on the role played by the Product Owner. You will learn about activities such as managing stakeholders vision definition ROI management Product Backlog definition and refinement creating effective stories defining acceptance criteria for stories and defining “done” with the rest of the Scrum Team.

Overview: Meetings are important for management and communication. When it comes to the serious stuff, face-to-face meetings are effective because they outdo the written words of emails and memos, and out-perform the effectiveness of telephone conferencing. Meetings are costly of both time and money. A poorly structured and managed meeting will waste the time of everyone, will cost the time of everyone, and make people dread attending in the future. This course aims to showcase the skills and knowledge needed to chair a meeting successfully

Overview: Coaching and mentoring is a highly effective way of raising awareness and driving performance at all levels of an organisation. However, good coaches and mentors need training. To embed coaching capability across your organisation, you must first equip managers with the abilities and training they need to coach effectively.

Overview: Conflicts can be resolved peacefully and effectively. Peacefully discussing differences of opinion is a healthy way to bring important issues to light and strengthen your relationships with co-workers, managers and suppliers, as well as friends and significant others. This course helps delegates learn how to effectively handle conflict in a way that minimises stress and relieves tension.

Overview: This course will give the participants the opportunity to develop the skills to deal with difficult and aggressive behaviour. Delegates will have the opportunity to examine the phases of aggressive behaviour and develop an approach to remain in control. They will be able to identify triggers which may provoke an incident; understand the tactics for dealing with the situation and methods to deal with the aftermath.

Overview: This 2 day course is designed to equip delegates with the knowledge and practical skills to either implement or enhance an existing Quality Management System (QMS). Discover the actions, tools and techniques required to implement or improve a QMS including procedural and process information.

Overview: This intensive one-day course is designed to equip delegates with an appreciation and understanding of the legislative structure across the UK, key areas of environmental legislation and regulations and how these are typically enforced. No company or organisation can afford to neglect the law, but many companies still do not realise the full extent of their obligations under environmental legislation. Lack of knowledge is no protection for either a company or an individual. This course is essential for those companies who are in the process of setting up an ISO 14001 or EMAS certified environmental management system and needing to build a Legal Register and need some guidance.

Overview: This two-day IEMA certified Environmental Sustainability Skills for Managers is designed to provide supervisors and managers with a strategic and operational overview of environmental sustainability as it affects their specific industry and work area. This course is invaluable in giving managers at all levels the confidence to get involved in, and fully engage in your organisation’s environmental sustainability challenges. Topics covered include: The understanding of the strategic opportunities and constraints that environmental sustainability presents organisations; The importance of resource efficiency; the impact of environmental sustainability across the value chain; The impacts of pollution, prevention, control and environmental legislation in organisations; How employees support environmental sustainability.

Overview: The IEMA Environmental Sustainability Skills for the Workforce course is a one-day awareness course developed to upskill all workers with an elemental understanding of environmental sustainability principles. Relevant to any job role across all sectors this course will help to embed environmental cultural change into an organisation. Those businesses seeking to refresh environmental management within their business and looking for true value from ISO 14001, achieve their environmental goals and actively change their culture will value the support this course delivers. The course covers the main environmental risks and opportunities facing organisations; the importance of resource efficiency; the impacts of pollution, prevention, control and legislation; the impact of transport; and knowing how employees can support environmental sustainability.

Overview: This hands on one day course is designed to introduce managers and business owners who do not have a background in finance to the financial reports, concepts and terminology which they are likely to come across in business management. It gives an introduction to the background and principles of UK accounting, and examines the most commonly used management reports which will give an understanding of the business from a finance perspective. Dummy company data and reports will be used on open group courses, however for a more tailored analysis bespoke training can use your own company reports within the exercises.

Overview: The new course covers changes introduced to Food Labelling requirements by the 2011 European Directive on the provision of food information. It explains the transitional arrangements on the new rules. These new requirements will have a major impact upon the information provided on food labels for consumers. The course is designed to provide candidates with the knowledge of the changes to help food manufacturers prepare for and comply with the law.

Overview: This course is aimed at staff within organisations who possess very little formal knowledge of personnel management but have a level of responsibility for it. The course is intended to raise awareness and understanding of the main areas of involvement. The workshops are designed to be highly interactive using a combination of discussion, exercises and quizzes, examples of best practice and recent case law to help participants apply the techniques to their every-day work and problems. It greatly enhances the relevance and understanding of the course if reference can be made to existing policies, procedures and problems experienced within the workplace.

Overview: This integrated management systems internal auditor programme combines the disciplines of quality, environmental and health and safety management auditing based on the ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 standards. This three-day interactive training programme is designed for those who need to be able to understand and apply recognised principles and techniques of effective management system auditing to quality, environmental and health and safety management systems. The modern management systems auditor cannot rely on procedural auditing, but also needs to be able to audit processes with an emphasis on risk-based thinking. An effective audit will bring benefits to your organisation and ensure the integrated management system (IMS) continues to meet its objectives. Internal auditors need to understand their role and responsibilities and be sufficiently competent in evaluating the IMS effectively. This course focuses delegates on the most important attributes of an IMS and helps them to understand the role of the auditor in its development and continual improvement.

Overview: This integrated management systems internal auditor programme combines the disciplines of quality, environmental and health & safety management auditing based on the ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 standards. This three-day interactive training programme is designed for those who need to be able to understand and apply recognised principles and techniques of effective management system auditing to quality, environmental and health & safety management systems. The modern management systems auditor cannot rely on procedural auditing, but also needs to be able to audit processes with an emphasis on risk-based thinking. An effective audit will bring benefits to your organisation and ensure the integrated management system (IMS) continues to meet its objectives. Internal auditors need to understand their role and responsibilities and be sufficiently competent in evaluating the IMS effectively. This course focuses delegates on the most important attributes of an IMS and helps them to understand the role of the auditor in its development and continual improvement.

Overview: Based on the leading global food safety standard, this highly interactive two-day training programme is designed for those people who require a sound understanding of the techniques and principles of food safety auditing. It also covers the role of the food safety auditor in the development and improvement of an effective food safety management system. This course is essential for those who will undertake internal food safety audits, or who will be required to plan, manage and implement internal audit programmes. This is a CQI and IRCA Certified training course.

Overview: This interactive course enhances interview skills by providing an opportunity to learn the different phases of interviewing: preparation and planning, conducting an interview, and following up. This includes a high level of delegate participation.

Overview: This course is designed for supervisors and first line managers who are new to their roles. This course aims to introduce supervisors and first line managers to their new roles, developing particular awareness and skills in the areas of leadership style, motivation and delegation.

Overview: A one-day awareness course designed to provide attendees with an introduction to environmental management systems based on the requirements of the ISO 14001:2015 standard and how this standard can be used to develop and improve an environmental management system. In the past some companies may have seen environmental management as a luxury that they could ill afford but things are changing. Legislation designed to protect the environment has steadily increased and many customers use environmental performance as a key selection criteria when awarding contracts. This means that a systematic approach to environmental management can often make good commercial and financial sense.

Overview: This interactive two-day training programme aims to help delegates to understand and apply the principles and techniques that are required for conducting effective environmental audits. This course is registered with the International Register of Certificated Auditors (IRCA). A good system of auditing is one of the most effective methods of ensuring that the Environmental Management System (EMS) continues to meet its objectives and for control and for identifying improvements. Auditors need to be sufficiently competent in order to evaluate the EMS effectively if the organisation is to achieve the full benefit from its EMS and have confidence that it is achieving its objectives. This IRCA registered course focuses delegates on the most important attributes of a modern and effective environmental management system and helps them to understand the role of the auditor in its development and continual improvement. It introduces delegates to business environmental issues and relevant legislative issues. The course is based on auditing with the ISO 14001:2015 standard.

Overview: This highly interactive, intensive and challenging 5-day training programme is designed for those people who require and in-depth understanding of auditing techniques and skills associated with the Lead Auditor role. This course is registered with both the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) and the International Register of Certificate Auditors (IRCA).

Overview: Aimed at all organisations in the food and feed industries, regardless of size or sector ISO 22000:2018 translates Food Safety Management into a continuously improving process. It takes a precautionary approach to food safety by helping to identify, prevent and reduce foodborne hazards in the food and feed chains. The 2018 version brings clarity of understanding and offers a dynamic control of food safety hazards combining the following generally recognised key elements: interactive communication, systems management, Prerequisite Programmes (PRPs) and the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). This intensive, challenging and highly interactive CQI and IRCA Certified training program is for those people who require an in-depth understanding of the knowledge and skills required to perform first, second and third-party audits of Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) against ISO 22000. Many of the skills acquired on this course can be applied to auditing other Food Safety Management Systems. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS This course is designed not only to help people perform food safety audits, but also to develop delegates’ wider understanding of food safety management systems design and implementation. It will help delegates understand how HACCP can be embedded into the Food Safety Management System of an organisation. Successful completion of the course and the achievement of the 70% pass mark will satisfy the formal training requirements for those wishing to register as an Auditor, Lead Auditor or Principal Auditor with CQI and IRCA Certified training under the food safety auditor scheme.

Overview: This five-day highly interactive CQI and IRCA Certified Lead Auditor training course will enable you to understand the new international occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) standard ISO 45001:2018. You will learn how you can use utilise the new standard to understand, manage and maintain internal and external Health and Safety Management duties and performance obligations. With knowledge and understanding of ISO 45001:2018 you can evaluate your own organisation's arrangements against OHS commitments and how they can be improved.

Overview: This one-day CQI and IRCA certified training course is for those wanting an introduction to the new international occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) standard ISO 45001:2018 and to understand how it can be used to develop, maintain and improve your health and safety performance. Knowledge and understanding of ISO 45001:2018 is more than simply reading the standard’s text. It demands an understanding of the requirements and a considered application of the standard to the organisation. After this course you will have sufficient insight to be able to evaluate your own organisation's arrangements and identify how they can be improved.

Overview: This highly interactive two-day CQI and IRCA Certified training course teaches the principles and techniques that are required to effectively audit occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS). Internal auditing is one of the fundamental mechanisms for maintaining but also for developing and improving existing working practices within an organisation. This course concentrates on the most important attributes of the ISO 45001:2018 management system and helps delegates to understand the role of the auditor in development and improvement of this system.

Overview: A one-day awareness programme for those requiring an introduction to the ISO 9001:2015 standard and how it can be used to develop and improve quality management systems. This foundation course gives an introduction to the most widely used standard for Quality Management in the world. Creation of a successful quality system relies on more than reading the text in the standard; it demands an understanding of requirements and a considered application of the standard to the organisation. This course will provide delegates with an insight into the important world of quality standards, their development and the certification process.

Overview: This highly interactive two-day training programme is designed for those people who require a sound understanding of the techniques and principles of quality auditing. It also covers the role of the internal auditor in the development and improvement of an effective quality management system. This course is registered with the International Register of Certificated Auditors (IRCA). The role of the internal quality auditor is changing. It is no longer enough that internal audits check procedural conformance, but auditors now need to be able to audit processes with emphasis on risk. Delegates will also become more aware that they play a key role in the development and improvement of working practices across the organisation. This IRCA registered course focuses delegates on the most important attributes of a modern and effective quality management system and helps them to understand the role of the auditor in its development and continual improvement. It introduces delegates to the ISO 9000 series standard and the 7 quality management principles that underpin them.

Overview: This intensive, challenging and highly interactive IRCA registered training program is for those people who require an in-depth understanding of the range of auditing techniques and protocols associated with the Lead Auditor role.

Overview: This course provides comprehensive first-level training for anyone involved in software testing. It is accredited by the ISTQB and follows the CTFL 2018 syllabus specified by the International Software Testing Qualification Board (ISTQB). The course covers the fundamentals of testing: definitions of testing standards, planning, managing the lifecycle, reviews and the tools available. Techniques for creating tests are described and practised. It culminates in a one-hour multiple choice examination for the Foundation Certificate in Software Testing. Successful delegates will also gain the ISTQB Certified Tester - Foundation Level, a globally recognised qualification.

Overview: The ITIL® 4 Foundation Certificate course provides comprehensive first-level training for anyone involved in provision, support, or delivery of IT-enabled services in a modern digital organisation. It teaches the fundamentals of the very latest version of the most widely adopted guidance on IT service management (ITSM) in the world. ITIL 4 Foundation introduces delegates to the Service Value System (SVS) which describes how all the components and activities of the organisation work together as a system to enable value creation. The ITIL SVS supports many work approaches, such as Agile, DevOps and Lean as well as traditional process and project management, with a flexible value-oriented operating model. The course is comprised of interactive learning sessions, exercises which reinforce the knowledge gained and practice exam questions. In preparation for taking the certificate exam on the final day, delegates will need to plan to spend 90-120 minutes each evening on revision and example examination questions.

Overview: This course is designed to provide the candidate with an understanding on how to integrate different value streams and activities to create, deliver and support IT-enabled products and services in a holistic way. The course explores areas such as development, testing, knowledge, customer and employee feedback, new technologies, sourcing, and ways of managing work. The course content reflects how service management has evolved in the 21st century and shows how service management today requires an open mindset and more collaborative ways of working. As practices and approaches for creation of value continually evolve, IT, digital and service professionals need to constantly review and develop their skills, knowledge, and definitions of excellence. Therefore, this course focuses on individual and team professionalism, culture and service mindset. This course will cover the use of relevant practices, methods and tools to enable successful creation, delivery and support of IT-enabled services and will also provide an understanding of service performance, service quality and improvement methods.

Overview: This course is designed to provide the candidate with the practical skills necessary to create a ‘learning and improving’ IT organisation, with a strong and effective strategic direction. While some topics are specialist in nature, others are valuable to all practitioners. Regardless of organisational role, everyone has authority, even if it is limited to personal direction. Everyone should plan. And everyone should be contributing to, if not leading, improvement. This course explores and explains principles, methods and techniques that can be universally used to direct, plan and improve. This course will also provide practitioners with a practical and strategic method for planning and delivering continual improvement with the necessary agility.

Overview: This modular programme is designed to further develop the skills of managers and potential managers. Building leadership capabilities across this level should not only strengthen individual skills but also facilitate the transfer of best practice across the organisation. Between each workshop delegates will be given work assignments to reinforce and embed the skills learned at each workshop. Recognising the busy nature of the delegates role, the design of these assignments will be thought provoking and practical rather than time consuming. Each module comes with its own set of support notes for delegates to put into a ring-binder, which then builds up into a comprehensive management reference book. This highly interactive and practical programme will give delegates an opportunity to learn more about themselves and the different working styles of others to increase individual and team effectiveness. They will be working as individuals, in pairs or small groups, engaging with each other to explore the different approaches. Building a team successfully requires awareness and understanding of the needs for a balanced team. This programme has been designed to give delegates both insight and time to explore their personal preferences, highlighting the benefits of getting the correct balance between both managing the task and leading the team. CLARITY 4D PROFILES As an optional extra, each delegate will receive either an 11 page Clarity4D Personal Profile or a 20 page Team Profile (recommended). The Profile provides delegates with information on their personality type as an aid to understand more about self and others, which can then be used to identify strategies for enhancing interpersonal relationships and improving communications within the team. The Profile includes sections on: Personal style and interacting with others Personal strengths and areas of hidden potential Value to the Team Effective Communication The Profile will be used as a working document throughout the programme as a basis for self-analysis and group discussions. Delegates may then go on to use it as a personal development coaching tool.

Overview: Lean Six Sigma is a pragmatic approach that emphasises the importance of focusing on delivering what the customer wants by utilising the skills and knowledge of the employees. Improvement projects aim to reduce the cost of poor quality, increase process capability, minimise process cycle time and remove waste to deliver what the customer wants, ultimately resulting in increased customer satisfaction. Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Practitioner provides the skills necessary to successfully complete DMAIC projects, including basic knowledge of planning, team problem-solving methods and improvement strategies. The training combines lectures with interactive group exercises and hands-on work using examples related primarily to the services industry. Please note: This course includes a refresher of the content encountered in the Yellow Belt course. It is therefore recommended that delegates who have attended the Yellow Belt course gain several months of practical experience before returning to complete this course.

Overview: Management of Portfolios (MoP) provides advice and examples of how to apply principles, practices, and techniques that together enable the most effective balance of organisational change and business as usual. Delivered by fully accredited trainers and industry leading experts with extensive experience of portfolio management, the course engages with the students to ensure that theory is embedded and delegates feel confident in the practical application of MoP.

Overview: A certain amount of risk taking is inevitable if an organization is both to achieve objectives and exploit opportunities effectively. The adoption of well-managed risk taking is likely to lead to sustainable improvements in service improvement and business growth. The Framework will allow organizations to perceive potential problems before they either arise or become a threat to achievement of objectives.

Overview: A certain amount of risk taking is inevitable if an organisation is both to achieve objectives and exploit opportunities effectively. The adoption of well-managed risk-taking is likely to lead to sustainable improvements in service improvement and business growth. The Framework will allow organizations to perceive potential problems before they either arise or become a threat to achievement.

Overview: Work-related stress (WRS) accounts for 37% of all ill health cases and 45% of all working days lost due to ill health. The total number of working days lost in 2015/16 was 11.7 million. The overall economic cost to Great Britain was estimated to be over £5 billion. (HSE) As an employer/ manager/supervisor, you have a key role in minimising the risk of stress in the workplace. Understanding how stress can affect the health of staff, reduce their productivity and lead to performance issues for both individuals, teams and your organisation, undoubtedly stands you in good stead to prevent harm and create a positive working environment. Because stress can be caused by external and internal factors, managers need to be able to help staff by controlling the pressure from the organisation. In addition to be able to offer support to any individual who either approaches you or who you identify as showing signs of stress.

Overview: A well run meeting can solve problems, encourage consensus, generate action and develop team spirit. However, meetings that are managed incorrectly can lead to frustrating results such as lengthy deliberations and/or inconclusive outcomes. This course will help delegates understand how to keep a meeting efficient and beneficial for all involved.

Overview: This three-day course will provide you with a thorough understanding of the internationally recognised and best practice programme management methodology Managing Successful Programmes (MSP), providing the skills you need to confidently use MSP to work within a programme. By the end of this course, you will have a comprehensive knowledge of the Management Successful Programmes methodology, its principles, themes and transformational flow. You will understand the need to identify and document the vision of a programme, thus aligning it to the strategic aims of the business. You will know how to coordinate the projects of a programme to ensure the correct application of resources and risk, issue and change management. You will also understand the importance of the interface with the day to day business to ensure the smooth transition of changes delivered by a programme into business as usual activity and ensure that the benefits that the programme is designed to deliver are achieved.

Overview: Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) is the best-practice, proven and internationally accepted approach to the successful delivery of transformational change through the application of programme management. MSP Practitioner is the second of the three MSP qualifications and is a pre-requisite for anyone wishing to pursue MSP Advanced Practitioner certifications. You are required to have passed MSP Foundation before attempting MSP Practitioner exam and you need to have your own copy of the Official MSP manual (ISBN - 13:9780113313273). The purpose of the practitioner qualification is to determine whether a delegate has sufficient knowledge and understanding of the MSP guidance to apply the guidance to their own work and, hence, act as an informed member of a programme management team. That is, someone responsible for managing, leading, supporting or advising on work within an MSP environment. Delegates should be capable of applying the MSP guidance in a relatively uncomplicated programme within an environment that uses MSP.

Overview: This two day, classroom based and tutor-led course is made of up four manageable sessions. Learning takes place through a mix of presentations, group discussions and workshop activities. Each session is built around a Mental Health First Aid action plan.

Overview: Minutes are a vital method of recording information and capturing thoughts and ideas. It is important that this becomes an easy process. This Minute Taking course illustrates the various stages of minute taking and covers invaluable techniques.

Overview: Motivated employees who are satisfied, sufficiently challenged and contributing to organisational goals are vital to organisational success. More than monetary compensation is required for employees to be truly motivated. This course shows managers how to maintain a high level of employee motivation.

Overview: Project management methods, of which PRINCE2® is the paradigm, offer the project manager a tried and tested structure and guidance in support of 'what, when, where and who', with two notable exceptions; PRINCE2® offers very limited guidance on 'why' and 'how', in that there are no detailed project management tools and techniques covered as part of the method. This is the remit of the APMP: The APM Project Management Qualification for PRINCE2® Practitioners course and examination. APM qualifications are aligned to the International Project Management Association (IPMA) Four-Level-Certification system, where the APMP: The APM Project Management Qualification is recognised at IPMA Level D. This three-day course provides delegates with comprehensive knowledge and understanding to prepare them for the APMP: The APM Project Management Qualification examination. It recognises the prior learning that a PRINCE2® Practitioner has attained by removing from the examinable syllabus, topics that would have already been assessed within the PRINCE2® Practitioner Exam.

Overview: This three day course provides delegates with a thorough understanding of the PRINCE2 Agile® guidance, and is aligned to the current version of PRINCE2. During the course we introduce the basic concepts of common agile ways of working, discuss the purpose and context for combining PRINCE2 and the agile way of working, evaluate the focus areas to a project in an agile context, fix and flex the six aspects of a project in an agile context, and be able to apply or tailor the PRINCE2 principles, themes, processes and management products to a project in an agile context. All relevant course materials are provided, including the official publication 'PRINCE2 Agile'. The course concludes with the PRINCE2 Agile Examination.

Overview: According to PeopleCert, PRINCE2 is “the world’s most practised and recognised project management method and provides the essentials for managing any project of any size or complexity.”. On this highly engaging and interactive course you’ll be introduced to the five connected elements of PRINCE2 - project context, practices, processes, principles with people at its centre. Reflecting the changing face of project management, this new version of PRINCE2 includes essential concepts such as sustainability, data management, commercial management and most importantly people management. The 5-day course is divided into a 3-day Foundation event and 2-day Practitioner. We help you to not only know PRINCE2, but also apply and tailor it for your projects. Our experienced PRINCE2 experts explain the method through a wide range of individual and group exercises, case-study application, learning games and practice exam questions.

Overview: This PRINCE2 Foundation course provides a definitive overview of the latest version of PRINCE2, the 6th Edition. We cover its four integrated components – the principles, themes, processes and project environment. We also look at management roles required in a PRINCE2 project and what management products must be created to ensure the project is delivered in a coordinated, consistent and transparent manner. We help you to not only know PRINCE2, but also apply and tailor it for your projects. The Foundation course has been designed by award-winning instructional designers to ensure that it provides an interactive and engaging introduction to PRINCE2. Our experienced PRINCE2 experts explain the method through a wide range of individual and group exercises, case-study application, learning games and practice exam questions.

Overview: This course takes up where the PRINCE2 Foundation course ends and prepares the delegates for the PRINCE2 Practitioner examination, or the re-qualification examination. The primary objective of this course is to prepare delegates for the Practitioner examination.

Overview: Common problems are just that - all too common. Often they require a standardised language and approach to problem solving across an entire organisation. This course assists organisations in developing a standardised, yet flexible problem solving process that integrates easily into any current organisational format.

Overview: This two day project management course covers the theory of managing a project. Anyone who needs to plan projects as a core or significant part of their job will benefit from attending. An essential ingredient of a successful project is the effective utilisation of the project resources over time. This two day course provides a structured approach to project planning, highlighting the concepts and techniques in a progressive series of steps to enable the delegates to produce realistic and achievable plans.

Overview: This programme is designed to further develop the skills of project managers. Developing and enhancing project management skills should not only strengthen the capabilities within the project teams but also facilitate a heightened awareness of the impact these skills have in all other internal working relationships. By training all project managers to the same level in the same methodology and practices it ensures there is clarity on their roles, responsibilities and objectives. This highly interactive and practical programme will give delegates an opportunity to learn more about themselves and the different working styles of others to increase individual and team effectiveness. They will be working as individuals, in pairs or small groups, engaging with each other to explore the different approaches. Managing a project successfully requires awareness and understanding of the needs for a balanced team. This programme has been designed to give delegates both insight and time to explore their personal preferences, highlighting the benefits of getting the correct balance between both managing the task and leading the team.

Overview: With a quarter of the planet estimated to be using Social Media today, Social Media has become a valid component of a comprehensive marketing communications programme. How can you use this opportunity effectively to promote your business? What do you need to do to use Social Media strategically? During this course we show you how Social Media can support your overall marketing plan. We will mix theory with practical, hands-on experience and discussion about your specific business objectives. This course is ideal for any marketing people or business owners who are new to Social Media or who are already active on Social Media but would like to learn how to use them more effectively. We will concentrate on the "Big 4" of Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

Overview: Managing others can be one of the toughest challenges we face at work, covering a huge range of responsibilities and tasks. This course gives a complete overview of what a manager needs to know, covering both technical and relationship skills. Delegates will leave with a thorough understanding of what good management looks like, and how to use it to get the best from others.

Overview: All of us, no matter how successful in our fields, will face adversity at some point in our careers. When the pressure is on, the difference between thriving or not is resilience. This practical course will give you the tools and knowledge to live and work with less stress by developing your skills in dealing with frustration, anxiety and pressure in positive ways.

Overview: The purpose of this highly interactive, practical and fun team development event is for team members to learn more about themselves and the different working styles of others. Personal effectiveness and communication skills influence both style and behaviour, which has important implications for the development and performance of teams. Further development in these skills will have an impact on many areas of day-to-day work e.g. meetings, problem solving; time-management; decision-making and all aspects of communication. Delegates will have an opportunity to focus on their own personal effectiveness and style and through this, further develop their interpersonal skills. Each delegate will receive a personal profile, which provides them with information on their personality type, as an aid to understand more about self and others. This will then be used to identify strategies for enhancing working relationships to maximise team performance. The Profile will be used as a working document throughout the programme as a basis for self-analysis and group discussions.

Overview: Effective use of the telephone is an essential skill within every department of every organisation. The telephone is an integral part of an organisation's success. Many people are unaware of the image they portray whilst speaking on the phone. This course teaches delegates how to make and take calls, and how to deal with tough situations on the phone such as complaints.

Overview: Time can only be used once. This course teaches delegates how to manage time effectively. It helps delegates keep priorities in focus and avoid time wasting. The course is interactive and includes a high level of delegate participation.

Overview: People benefit from training that's well organised and implemented, and the key to successful training is the trainer. Only a trainer who is properly skilled can maximise the learning opportunity. This course is highly interactive and requires attendees to give brief presentations and lessons to the other delegates.

Overview: This highly interactive 2-day course covers the basic training principles required to design and deliver courses on a one-to-one and group basis. This basic training skills course is aimed at those who are new to training, experienced trainers who want to review their current performance as trainers, or managers wanting to develop their staff.

Overview: Product Owners are the impresario of the scrum process orchestrating the work of the entire Scrum team. They also have an important role in also every aspect of the Scrum Process, except actually writing code. When adopting scrum, an organization cannot succeed without Professional Product Owners that effectively execute their responsibilities. The Product Owner is the primary influencer of work selected by the development team. Being a Professional Product Owner requires a specific skillset and techniques. This 2-day course provides delegates the necessary skills and the competency to be a leader in an Agile environment. This will better enable delegates to prepare for and achieve the recognised Scrum.org Professional Scrum Product Owner I Assessment. Achieving a Scrum Master certification will demonstrate a good understanding of the framework and exhibits a dedication to continued professional development.

Overview: This two day course provides a clear and solid insight into what Scrum is, the fundamental principles and values and gives delegates’ hands-on experience using Scrum. This will better enable delegates to prepare for and achieve the recognised Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master I Assessment. Achieving a Scrum Master Certification will demonstrate a good understanding of the framework and exhibits a dedication to continued professional development.