Hosing down the flames: The art of email etiquette
Think twice before you hit the send button to email and post comments on sites, says writing skills trainer Giulia De Cesare, if you can read it in a sarcastic tone of voice, chances are others will too. And before you know it, you’ve got a major slanging match online. “Email is no longer simply […]
British Computing Society is letting the IT community down
The British Computing Society (BCS) must urgently revamp its strategy for supporting the UK’s IT professionals, or accept it no longer has a place in today’s industry, says the IT Training Company of the Year. Firebrand Training, which has been the UK’s IT Training Company of the Year for the past three years, is concerned […]
High tech, low carbon colleges to train 21st Century workers
A £2bn strategy to develop new low carbon colleges marks a radical new approach to the delivery of public buildings, John Denham the secretary of state for Innovation and Skills has announced. For the first time, contracts will be required to spell out how they will deliver on-site apprenticeships and work-based learning. Building Colleges for […]
Opinion: What’s in your development tool box?
As with any DIY project you need the right tools, and managing your own development is no different, says Andrew Mayo. Ensure you have the right training culture behind you, personal expectations and knowledge and skills, he advises, to avoid a DIY disaster. One of today’s familiar mantras is to say to employees that ‘we […]
Free thinking: How to become a charismatic speaker
If you’ve ever sat through a tedious, rambling speech and wished you could wave a magic wand and turn the speaker into a charismatic, engaging one, Martin Shovel’s article will strike a chord. In extreme cases – I’m thinking of Gerald Ratner’s infamous ‘total crap’ speech – it has been known for a chief executive […]
McQualifications: Would you like some perspective with that?
There was widespread derision when three private sector companies announced they had been granted the right to award their own nationally recognised qualifications, the majority centred on McDonalds. Matt Henkes discards the McJoke headlines and looks at the facts. The dust has barely settled on the media outcry following the announcement that McDonalds was among […]
Free thinking: Out of the mouths of babes
We’ve a lot to learn from children about the simplicity of language, so use those high brow ‘impressive’ phrases in your next report or presentation at your peril. As Martin Shovel explains, less is definitely more. In the Marx brothers’ film, Duck Soup, there’s a scene in which Rufus T. Firefly (played by Groucho […]
Is the McDegree Next on the Menu?
A new not-for-profit consultancy is launching in March to assist employers wanting to develop their own higher-level qualifications.HE@Work will help organisations develop their in-house training programmes to meet the standards required by higher education institutions. Instead of being restricted to a company-specific qualification, employees will be awarded recognised and transferable higher education credit within an […]
Back to Basics: Good Handouts
What makes a good handout? What should you avoid? And are the days of paper handouts numbered in our waste-conscious, electronic age? Dawn Smith investigates. Handouts present trainers with some nice dilemmas. For example, there’s the thorny issue of how much to give out and in what form. For usability and eco-friendliness, a trainer may […]
Trainer’s Top Tips for Mental Fitness
In today’s tough business climate we’ve become very focussed on keeping our bodies in good order, but we often forget about keeping the mind in shape. We generally feel that our mental functions will look after themselves, but they require TLC and regular workouts to stay positive and sharp. Steve Miller, management and personal development […]
Ask the Expert: Top Tips for IT Training
The question: I am fairly new to my ICT trainer role and have to plan out and deliver training of Office 2007 to 250 people within the London office and also to numerous other international offices. I have no idea where to start! Does anyone have any tips/documents/roll out plans etc. I can use for […]
Union-Led Learning Trumpeted as “Magic Bullet”
The key to workplace learning is cooperation between the employer and the union, according to the TUC’s unionlearn.Liz Smith, unionlearn director, is due to set out her beliefs in a meeting at the College of North East London (CONeL) with the secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills, John Denham MP. Smith said: “Union […]
Free Thinking: Purposeful Presentations
Got a presentation looming? Don’t even think about it before you’ve read Martin Shovel’s advice… The road to lacklustre presentations and speeches is paved with good intentions. It often begins with a positive desire to stop navel-gazing and get stuck into the business of getting the job done, or it may simply be a […]
UK Must Rise to Finance Skills Challenge to Maintain World Leader Status
Union leaders, employers and minister for skills David Lammy have set out the skills challenge facing the UK finance sector at a seminar hosted by unionlearn, the TUC’s learning and skills organisation.The finance sector has grown by more than five per cent a year since 2002 and currently accounts for eight per cent of GDP. […]
Police Service Technology Conference Scheduled
The Police Service’s foremost forum on learning methodologies and their associated technologies – the Policing Learning Technologies conference – takes place on 2 April.This attracts leading learning experts from the Police and the wider community, with more than 12 speakers and 120 delegates expected for the day.According to a conference spokesperson: “Learning methodologies and technologies […]
More Progress Needed to Meet Britain’s Skills Needs, Says TUC
Official statistics released by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) show an increase in the number of young people and adults in work based learning and further education. But even more needs to be done, says TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber:“It is encouraging to see that the number of young people and adults achieving accredited […]
Advice Books Are for Christmas, Not for Life
Addiction to business self-help books is causing a shortage of leadership skills among UK managers, says a training and recruitment expert.Millions of pounds are spent on management guides each year in the UK and, with more than 100,000 business management titles currently listed on Amazon, they are sure to be popular stocking fillers.Stephen Seymour, of […]
Female Trainer Awarded for Business Steel
The female founder of a company providing training for unemployed steel workers has received a prestigious award for her outstanding entrepreneurial success.Emma Harrison, founder of A4e, was the overall winner of the NatWest everywoman Award, which recognises the most passionate and dedicated woman business owner whom the judges felt had overcome significant challenges to achieve […]
Search Starts for the Top Apprentice Employer of the Year
The search is on for the nation’s top apprentice employers as the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) launches its fifth annual Apprenticeship Awards. Employers of all sizes and from all sectors of industry are being asked to enter the prestigious national awards. Speaking at the launch in London, skills minister David Lammy MP, said: “Apprenticeships […]
Surviving and Thriving in Stressful Environments
Stress is an avoidable side effect of working – or playing – in a competitive arena. At its best, it can exhilarate and energise. But at its worst, stress crushes and drains. And it isn’t always caused by a major event like a cup final or company restructure, it can simply be the result of […]
