Continual professional development has been something that I have focused on heavily this year. In October, I qualified as a Mental Health First Aider which is something that I have wanted to do for a long time. Lockdown presented me with the opportunity to get qualified and I’m so pleased that I did. Being able to support clients with mental health and wellbeing has been so rewarding.
If you're interested in becoming qualified then get in touch with Kate Wooton who runs the 2 day course for Mental Health First Aid England.
Free online qualifications Recently I spoke with Lisa Ede from the Derby College Group. We spoke about how they have transitioned their free qualifications (subject to eligibility criteria) to online learning. It’s a great opportunity for anyone furloughed or not volunteering to complete short knowledge qualifications whilst shops and business are closed during lockdown.
They have a range of different subjects such as; Business and Administration, Customer Service, Team Leading, Retail and Warehousing. All of these are being delivered remotely during lockdown and I would really encourage you to see if you or your team could access these courses during lockdown.
Lisa Ede from Derby College says,
“We are able to enroll learners remotely and have an E-learning platform for short knowledge-based qualifications that can easily be accessed and completed with-in 4 weeks for those who have internet access at home." More information about the types of courses can be found here below (pdf download).
If you want to get in touch with Lisa here are her contact details:
M: 07973 686 749
The Charity Retail Academy
This year saw the launch of the Charity Retail Academy by Jayne and Vicki from the Charity Retail Consultancy. The Academy offers flexible, bespoke and affordable learning experiences for charity retail teams to ensure that everyone has the skills they need to bring in the best possible return for their charity.
I worked with Jayne and Vicki to develop a range of volunteer training modules for charity shop managers.
It is a really fantastic way to engage and access high quality training remotely.
We have also partnered together to provide a mentoring and coaching service which will support the wider charitable sector. Go to the link above to find out more.
Executive Coaching
Finally, I have been fortunate to work with some truly fantastic clients this year through my Executive Coaching practice.
What I have reflected on, is the passion and dedication my clients have had to self-improvement during the most challenging time that most of us have lived through.
Personally, it has been a huge motivator to see the progress that these individuals and teams have made against this back drop of uncertainty. To me, it demonstrates the power of coaching by focusing on yourself.
Having the time and space to think about your goals, how you can achieve them and then, just going out and doing it.
About Engagement Consultancy
Engagement Consultancy, run by Dan O’Driscoll, specialises in Executive Coaching and Third Sector Consultancy with a focus on strategic planning, audience engagement, and learning & development interventions.
Get in touch with Dan for a chat about your needs.
M: 07515 395 683