Bespoke Training and Consultancy
You may have specific objectives for your organisation that cannot be met with a pre-written training solution.Equally, you may require a consultancy service that are not training-related, the assessemnt of a child's individual education plan and it's implementation.
I am able to prepare bespoke packages to suit your individual requirements. If you are not sure what your requirements actually are, I can help you crystalise your thoughts into a series of aims and then develop a programme to realise them.
Here are three examples to show you what is possible:
EXAMPLE 1
Policy, procedure and practice assessment and monitoring
Through setting visits an evaluation of policy and procedure is carried out which with accompanying observations of practice and interviews with practitioners enables an evaluation of the embedding of these into everyday practice to be made.
An action plan is created which identifies strengths as well as weaknesses in setting policies and procedures and in their implementation by practitioners. Advice and guidance provided will support the settings achievement of outstanding practice.
A follow up monitoring visit enables the setting to evaluate their success in policy, procedure and practice implementation as well as to identify what more needs to be done. A report is provided detailing achievements and providing further advice and guidance where necessary.
An annual review of policy, procedure and practice that will ensure the setting continues to maintain outstanding practice is also available.
EXAMPLE 2
A large county authority needed to know if its training was having any impact. Although evaluation forms were collected at the end of sessions, no analysis of the gathered information was taking place. The authority was, for instance, laying on evening and weekend training courses at considerable cost in time, effort and money believing that delegates would want these. No-one had checked to see whether this was true.
The authority retained me to analyse all their training returns for a number of years. By a combination of statistical and discourse analysis it was possible to identify previously unseen patterns emerging in delegate responses to training. It became apparent that the courses laid on by the authority and the needs of the delegates attending them were not a particularly good fit. Further, delegates were providing feedback on the courses they would like, and the ways in which these could be best delivered.
As a fresh pair of eyes taking a global view, I was able to recommend a series of measures to increase attendance and delegate satisfaction whilst also reducing the costs to the authority of the provision.
EXAMPLE 3
I have recently written a bespoke course on facilitating emotional development in the 0 – 5 age group. The client knew that this was a neglected area in their provision and instinctively that it was something to which attention should be given. Whilst they knew what they wanted the outcome to be, the client had no clear idea of how this could be achieved.
Through an initial meeting I was able to clarify for the client outcomes that could be quantified to demonstrate the initiative had been effective. After meeting with local area advisers, I arranged a focus group with a sample of the delegate base for this training to assess likely levels of existing knowledge, interest and motivation to learn more.
Armed now with a good sense of the start and end points for this training, I read around the subject, consulted with experts in the field and developed a one-day course. The challenge was to package dense theoretical material so it would motivate rather than deter. I also needed to ensure that the course material was delivered in ways sympathetic to all learning styles. This was achieved through developing a number of novel activities to be experienced by delegates in an atmosphere of experiential learning.
Once developed, the course was trialled with a sample group of delegates. This group completed detailed evaluations throughout the day, as activities and teaching unfolded. Small amendments were made in the light of their generally positive feedback. After this, the course went live to positive reviews from delegates. A plan is now in place to assess the degree to which the course has met the original aims. Happily, early feedback has been very encouraging!
