Graduate recruits – trainees or the finished article?
Last week, the Association for Graduate recruiters (AGR) released their annual development survey. As reported in school and university bashing newspapers the main focus of the report was, apparently, about how young people joining the workforce in graduate programmes lack team working, problem-solving and other so-called soft-skills when they start work. Employers are, if media […]
History and context: the changing face of apprenticeships
At their heart, apprenticeships are about combining working, learning and earning. This is an attractive combination for both individuals and employers, which is why they have been around for hundreds of years. However, in this time they have changed significantly and will continue to evolve in the years ahead. Richard Marsh, from Kaplan, explores the […]
Potholes: The Very Definition of Insanity!
I am going to start by admitting that I have a very particular reason to dislike potholes, having broken my foot many years ago by stepping into one whilst wearing some (oh so beautiful) strappy sandals – but that’s a whole other story. But, experience tells me that, whilst my tale may be unique, almost […]
How to become an inclusive leader who values diversity
The evolution of human consciousness as studied and documented by a great number of people – from historians, to anthropologists, philosophers, mystics, psychologists and neuroscientists – has been found to develop in stages. Organisations, as an expression of the same human consciousness, have evolved over time too and correlate with each stage of consciousness. Gaining […]
Corporate obsolescence, emotional agility and never changing your mind
Give yourself a well-earned break and take five to catch up on some highlights of this week’s L&D news and opinion. Let us know what you think of the articles we’ve shared, and tell us what you’ve enjoyed reading too! Learning – Learning should be global, but not necessarily digital, say L&D leaders (People Management) – As […]
Workshop dynamics – understanding and shaping the flow
Isn’t it strange that you can deliver the exact same workshop materials with two different groups and one session will go like a dream and the other can feel like an endless nightmare? Same materials, same trainer, completely different outcomes. The magic factor, of course, are the delegates themselves, their characters and the way they […]
Individual learning plans: Why create one?
Self-directed learning is a phrase that is being used more and more within the field of L&D. You may have heard your L&D department talking about it. So what is self-directed learning and what does this mean for you? It’s everywhere. It’s when you read a book, watch a video, ask someone how to do […]
The Department Game
I was almost stuck for ideas of what to write about this week, but luckily two suppliers came to my aid and inspired me: 1. Our bank of 17 years, who I discovered last month were charging new customers a flat fee about 70% less than what we were paying, this week refused to accept […]
Are UK employees crying out for financial wellbeing training?
UK adults believe their financial situation will worsen, says new CIPD research. With economic factors driving down wages and raising living costs, just 15% of the population say they live comfortably. Financial pressures are always highlighted as particularly damaging to mental health, work-life balance, personal stability and identity and relationship health, all of which have […]
Catchy title needed!
I need your help in coming up with a cathcy title for a new workshop for crew and pilot rostering team Details: 1-day workshop focusing on: Our company brand, Communication, Telephone Etiquette, Behaviour Styles, Stress Management and Teamwork Previous title of workshop was 'ELEVATE' with us tasked to keep the new workshop title in line with […]
Change leadership: how to give employees a sense of control
A few years ago a group of London psychology students were charged with carrying out a survey on the general public. Their study consisted of approaching strangers in the street and posing the question, “Which of the following would you find the most physically challenging? (1) deep sea diving, (2) power gliding, (3) addressing a […]
Breaking Out of Our Boxes
Recent political events have led to a plethora of politically inspired posts on Facebook, which at least makes a change from photographs of food or posts about the weather. I’ve seen insightful quotes, heated exchanges about the merits of Brexit or Trump’s Travel ban and news of an apparent terror attack in Sweden that even […]
Soft skills: everybody wants them but no-one really knows what they are!
Emma Sue Prince is the founder of Unimenta, who are running a FREE webinar this Friday on the topic "Soft Skills: what are they and why do we need them?" This webinar emphasises that soft skills can only be built from the inside and that developing and practising a set of competences that we all possess will […]
How Age Affects Employee Training
When it comes down to employee training there is no “one-size-fits-all.” You have to adopt your training to fit the various learning styles, personalities and even age. First let’s be clear, an employer shouldn’t have any reservations about hiring older employees, as there are many advantages with them. Additionally, cumulative research has shown that there […]
10 influencing tactics at work (or at home!)
Influencing is: ‘the ability to affect someone’s beliefs or actions’ – Oxford English Dictionary In work and pleasure, we need to get others to do things for us willingly at times, or persuade them of a point of view, without losing respect or be seen as aggressive. Some top 10 influencing tactics…. 1. Broken Record Broken Record […]
5 Tips on Dealing with CEO Stress
Everyone likes to admire the freedom which comes with being a businessman, but that freedom comes with different restrictions and responsibilities. Dale Carnegie talked about how a person may start a business in a field in which he enjoys, only to lose that enjoyment as he becomes overwhelmed by his responsibilities. With that enjoyment replaced […]
“I WAS a “Linkedin Lurker”…
"Hello, I'm Ade. I WAS a "Linkedin Lurker". It's Social Media group therapy night here in Shropshire! I've just stood up. My fellow trainers and I are discussing the pros and cons of digital marketing for our training companies. The results are in… Carol enjoys Twitter. It's simple and straightforward. She Tweets like a crazed canary with moments […]
Who are you under your suit?
Steve Jobs once said that intuition is more powerful than intellect. As it turns out, he was onto something big. And the scientific community backs him up. It seems we’ve been giving intuition far too little respect. “Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next.” – Jonas Salk The importance of slowing down […]
Rethinking training for empathy-driven innovation
You know the scenario. There’s a group of you sitting around chatting, mulling over the next steps for the organisation and out of that discussion an idea starts to grow. Maybe someone’s pointed to a problem or a discussion they have had with another member of the team or a customer, or maybe something on […]
Is Learning Obsolete?
When I began working in learning and development many years ago, we didn’t call it learning and development, we called it training. But the word training became unfashionable – it suggested something directive, something given, rather than received. Over time, Training Managers became Learning and Development Managers. But did anything really change? I’ve been wondering […]
