Category Archives: online colleges

Leading Training Provider ‘AVPT’ Approved To Deliver CPD ‘Soft Skills’ Courses To The UK Legal Industry

Posted on April 4, 2014 | 4 comments
CPD does not have to be hard anymore

CPD does not have to be hard anymore

Press Release  Press Release

London UK, Thursday 3rd April 2014 – A national organisation specialising in the delivery of vocational and professional training has been approved to deliver recognised ‘soft skills’ courses to the legal profession, following formal assessment and accreditation by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority.

The Academy of Vocational and Professional Training (AVPT) now offer ‘soft skill’ courses within the legal sector after successfully becoming the latest organisation in the UK to reach the expecting standards required by the national regulatory body. Not only are the courses approved and recognised industry wide, but also count towards CPD certification of course candidates.

Within professional development arenas, it is now widely accepted the development of ‘soft skills’ within a workforce plays a significant part in the performance and continued success of companies and organisations across every niche. This has lead to an upsurge in organisations looking to complement the traditional ‘hard skill’ base with ‘soft skill’ development programmes.

Law firms begin to up skill their staff with soft skills

Law firms begin to up skill their staff with soft skills

In contrast to the occupational ‘hard-skills’ – those needed to physically undertake a role, ‘soft skills’ focus on the personal characteristic traits which allow individuals to excel in the work place, such as communication, empathy, emotional intelligence and social interaction.

As the legal industry settles after a fundamental reshaping which has resulted in a considerable increase in competition from smaller firms and individuals, law firms across the country are adapting their approach by improving the soft skill abilities of their employees and partners. Modernisation has helped them recognise the importance of technology in the learning environment to overcome geographical, language barriers and time constraint when up-skilling their entire business, so as to become more customer and user friendly.

The current range of ‘soft skill’ development packages for the legal profession have been specifically tailored to meet the needs and requirements of clients working in legal niches. Skills such as HR, Marketing with Social Media, Information management, Leadership & Management skills, Business development, Negotiations and customer services to name but a few from the list of 300 which can now count towards their annual CPD requirements.

Diane Shawe, CEO of AVPT commented “in 2013 the Legal Services Policy Institute estimate as many as 3,000 high street law firms (or 35% of the total) will have to disappear in the subsequent upheaval, law firms with good local reputations will be able to withstand competition if they can successfully reach the demands of clients for greater convenience and ease of access to services by generating greater efficiencies within their practices.”

AVPT is the only UK globally accredited online and workshop based provider of over 300 Soft Skills courses, which uses a cutting edge proprietary online learning management system. Workshop courses are professionally executed in 1-3 days which are delivered as foundation to expert levels.

AVPTLTD LOGO 6As a provider of Soft Skill training courses which are accredited by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and globally by the IAO, AVPT are now offering CPD applicable courses to the legal profession. For further information please visit the official website at www.academy-of-vocational-and-professional-training.comor get in touch using the details shown with this release.

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Can traditional law firms innovate on-time to save their practices?

Posted on April 3, 2014 | 1 comment
Can legal services face up to the 21st Century challenges?

Can legal services face up to the 21st Century challenges? it’s clear that the web is now an important channel for law firms and this trend will only continue.

By now the severe challenges facing the legal profession will be familiar to all but the most complacent of high street firms. The UK’s regulatory environment which once protected solicitors from competition has just undergone the most radical shakeup in its history, a moment akin to the big bang in financial services of the mid-eighties.

article by Richard Cohen Chairman of Epoq Group

Is it time to herald the death of the high street? When accessing legal services consumers prize expertise, trust and local knowledge; all the key values of a smaller firm. This suggests that law firms with good local reputations with be able to withstand competition if they can successfully reach out to and meet the needs of this potential client base. To do so will require these firms to overcome two major obstacles; the demands of clients for greater convenience and ease of access to services and the now pressing need to generate greater efficiencies within the practice. With advances in technology both are now within the capabilities of small firms.

the scales adjust for the legal services

Legal Services Policy Institute estimate as many as 3,000 high street law firms (or 35% of the total) will have to disappear in the subsequent upheaval

The small size of most firms and a set of engrained cultural problems have prevented many from investing sufficiently in customer service. The result has been a very high number of complaints and a poor public reputation.

It’s clear that innovation is required but many firms still operate only during traditional office hours and require clients to visit the office; a practice which is more and more out of step with the modern lifestyle. A large segment of today’s consumers of legal services are part of an ‘internet generation’ which is highly receptive to new methods of online delivery. Our own research, conducted by YouGov, revealed that 56% of consumers expect good law firms to give customers the ability to use their services online in the next couple of years.

Far from being peripheral, it’s clear that the web is now an important channel for law firms and this trend will only continue. The question is can law firms offer more than just brochureware for their online presence? Technology platforms have come to market which operate on a ‘software as a service’  (SaaS) model,  which allow a law firm’s clients to collaborate with their solicitor and perform legal tasks over the internet.

The impact of these web-based, interactive applications is to save lawyer time and often increase lawyer productivity and profit margins, while providing a more convenient and satisfying experience for the client. Small law firms can now adapt their business model without prohibitive capital investment, service their clients in a very different way to the traditional high street firm and overcome many of the barriers described above.

An example of this new model is DirectLaw, an online legal document drafting solution  which uses pre-programmed logic to ask the user the same questions a lawyer would ask in a client interview. As the user answers these, the system determines the right language and clauses to be inserted into the document to reflect the client’s circumstances. The end product is a highly detailed first draft of the legal  document which has been individually tailored for the client. Once completed, the draft can be securely sent through to the solicitor for review and further changes. The client is also able to log into a secure client extranet, communicate electronically with the firm, pay fees and check the progress of their matter.

Using this approach, legal documents can be produced at a fraction of the internal cost thus increasing a law firm’s recoverable hourly rates. The time that solicitors have to spend on the interview process is massively reduced, yet from the clients perspective, the firm is providing a more convenient and accessible way of delivering law.

Furthermore, by shifting a proportion of the legal work onto the client fee-earner time can be freed up to concentrate on more complex matters and consultative elements of the solicitor-client relationship. And, as the service can be paid for online, further cost savings can be achieved by negating the need to issue and chase up invoices.

cpd soft skills training for legal firmsFor law firms implementing this model the website is increasingly becoming the primary way to relate to clients and manage the flow of legal work. Firms can add information to their home page about their interactive capabilities, which save clients time and money. These will set firms apart from others and increasingly attract a client base that prefers to do business over the Internet.

Another area of opportunity is that of pricing. With an online strategy that reduces internal costs, law firms could use their improved margins to address client demand for clarity of price as they will be able to provide certain document services at a fixed fee.

The market in which we have been used to operating is changing beyond all recognition. The entrance of retailers, banks and insurers into the market will introduce consumers to new models of legal service delivery; multiple service levels, legal packages, efficient customer service and greater accessibility. However this can serve as a catalyst for change amongst traditional law firms, offering scope for some real innovation, and affording firms the opportunity to build better relationships with clients, generate new revenue streams, and tap into latent markets.

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What key areas should Diversity courses cover?

Posted on April 2, 2014 | 39 comments
DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE 1 DAY TRAINING COURSE BY AVPT

Empowering your Workforce

Is there cause for Celebrating Diversity in the Workplace?

When looking for a course that covers some of the  Grey shaded areas, what is it that we should strive to help participants explore and learn?

article by Diane Shawe M.Ed AVPT

I would like to present  the  10 pointers that I believe need clarification in a Diversity training course.

  1. What diversity and its related terms mean
  2. To be aware of how aware they are of diversity and where they can improve
  3. Understand how changes in the world can affect them and their view
  4. To identify their stereotypes
  5. What terms are politically correct and which are not, and why
  6. The four cornerstones of diversity
  7. What the pitfalls are relating to diversity and how to avoid them
  8. A technique for dealing with inappropriate behavior
  9. A management style to encourage diversity
  10. What to do if they or one of their employees feels discriminated against

Defining Diversity

Participants will begin by defining diversity and related terms, including affirmative action, bias, stereotype, and Equal Employment Opportunity.

How Does Diversity Affect Me?

Help participants identify how a changing world has affected them. Participants will also complete a self-awareness inventory to identify possible areas for improvement.

 

Leadership: Becoming management material

Identifying Stereotypes

Identifying Stereotypes

Identifying Stereotypes

Help participants to explore stereotypes from different angles through a lecture and group exercises.

Wise Words

In this era of political correctness, it’s sometimes hard to keep up with words that have become inappropriate. It is important to take a look at some phrases that are considered universally incorrect and some basic guidelines. It is also important to take a humorous look at some phrases that have gone too far.

The Cornerstones of Diversity

Diversity experts Armida Russell, Amy Tolbert, and Frank Wilderman have identified four cornerstones of diversity development. They are knowledge, acceptance, understanding, and behavior. These need to be examined in more detail.

How to Discourage Diversity

There are some practices that discourage diversity more than they encourage it. We need to  look at four common mistakes and how to avoid them.

The STOP Technique

Diversity expert Lenora Billings-Harris has developed a four-step technique that you can use when someone is behaving in an inappropriate manner. It’s called STOP. Participants will learn about this technique.

Managing for Diversity

We need to look at some simple things managers and employees can do to encourage diversity in their workplace.

Dealing with Discrimination

Gather ideas on how to deal with discrimination as a manager and an employee.

1 day course: Diversity in the workplace

In the past ten years, the workforce has changed dramatically. More than ever, a workplace is a diverse collection of individuals proud of who they are: their gender, their sexual orientation, their religion, their ethnic background and all the other components that make an individual unique. In order for your workplace to succeed, your employees must be able to appreciate and celebrate those differences.  Click here to read more about our online or workshop course

 

Order your in-house Kit today

Order your in-house Kit today

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The development of Soft Skills helps to compliment Hard Skills

Posted on March 31, 2014 | 1 comment
Softskills image with avpt logo

Soft Skills the new Hard Skills

Soft skills is a sociological term relating to a person’s “EQ” (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterise relationships with other people.

article by Diane Shawe M.Ed

Soft skills complement hard skills (part of a person’s IQ), which are the occupational requirements of a job and many other activities.

So why does contemporary society place great value on standardised achievement tests to sift and sort people, to evaluate schools, and to assess the performance of nations?

Despite the widespread use of standardised achievement tests, the traits that they measure are not well-understood. Cognitive ability like IQ the important skills that achievement tests miss or mismeasure, are now being recognised as the skills that also matter in life.

Achievement tests miss, or more accurately, do not adequately capture, soft skills— personality traits, goals, motivations, and preferences that are valued in the labour market, in school, and in many other domains.

The larger message is that soft skills predict success in life, that they produce that success, and that programs that enhance soft skills have an important place in an effective portfolio of public policies.

Teacher Facilitated Learning Strategy AVPTMeasurement of cognition and educational attainment has been refined during the past century. Psychometricians have shown that cognitive ability has multiple facets.

Many social scientists—even many psychologists— continue to use IQ tests, standardised achievement tests, and grades. Even though scores on IQ tests, standardised achievement tests, and grades are positively correlated with each other,  recent literature shows that they measure different skills and depend on different facets of cognitive ability. Recent research also shows that all three measures are associated with personality, but to different degrees across various cognitive measures.

Standardised achievement tests were designed to capture “general knowledge” produced in schools and through life experiences. Such knowledge is thought to be relevant to success inside and outside of the classroom. However, achievement tests are often validated using other standardised achievement tests or other measures of cognitive ability—surely a circular practice.

Success in life depends on personality traits that are not well captured by measures of cognition. Conscientiousness, perseverance, sociability, and curiosity matter. While economist  up until now have largely ignored these traits, personality psychologists have studied them over the last century.  They have constructed measures of them and provide evidence that these traits predict meaningful life outcomes.

Many scholars—inside and outside of psychology—have questioned the existence of stable personality traits, arguing that constraints and incentives in situations almost entirely on the magnitudes of measurement error on a variety of economic measures, see Bound et al. (2001).

These authors report that at most 15–30% of earnings variance is due to measurement error.

Some early studies in economics are Bowles and Gintis (1976), and Bowles et al. (2001). An important study in sociology is Jencks (1979). Work in psychology going back to Terman et al. (1925) shows that personality traits matter (see Murray, 1938; Terman et al., 1947; and the discussion in Gensowski, 2012).

There is no tape measure for perseverance, no caliper for intelligence. All cognitive and personality traits are measured using performance on “tasks,” broadly defined. Different tasks require different traits in different combinations. Some distinguish between measurements of traits and measurements of outcomes, but this distinction is often misleading.

However, traits are not set in stone. They change over the life cycle and can be enhanced by education, parenting, and environment to different degrees at different ages.  It is my opinion  people try harder when doing  achievement tests so you can scores and capture both cognitive and personality traits.

Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies within educational institutes will help with promoting self- control, emotional awareness, and social problem-solving skills. 

80% students get qualified

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High Blood Pressure, Hypertension: The New AIDS Epidemic?

Posted on March 28, 2014 | 1 comment
high blood pressure check your now

Strokes, Heart attack, thinning arteries

High blood pressure could be as devastating to global health as AIDS, causing more deaths over the next two decades than the infectious disease, a group of international experts is warning.

article by Diane Shawe M.Ed

Writing in the International Journal of Epidemiology, three British experts in international health said most governments and aid agencies around the world are doing too little to combat high blood pressure, and that current efforts to target the condition mirror the halting global reaction to HIV/AIDS 20 years ago.

hypertension can move you towards high blood pressure

Manage your Hypertension

In an editorial entitled “Is hypertension the new HIV epidemic? ” the authors — Peter Lloyd-Sherlock from the University of East Anglia, and Shah Ebrahim and Heiner Grosskurth of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine — suggest that “valuable lessons for hypertension could be taken from HIV/AIDS policies,” but health officials are not applying them to the growing rate of high blood pressure.

“Our response to the global epidemic of hypertension seems little better than our response to HIV/AIDS two decades ago: too little too late,” they write. “Can we not wake up earlier this time, before millions have died?

Hypertension is seen as a disease of the West, of prosperity and therefore of little relevance to poorer countries. This is despite the growing body of evidence that prevalences in poorer countries are quickly catching up.” They noted that hypertension is a non-communicable (NCD) disease and argued that the behavioral factors associated with it —obesity, lack of physical exercise, and poor diet — make it difficult to persuade funders and taxpayers to help people who “eat and smoke too much.”

They added that the situation is reminiscent of the slow response to AIDS prior to 1990. “HIV was faced with political denial and public misunderstanding in the early years of the pandemic, especially in some poorer countries,” they said. “There is a similar pattern of denial with hypertension … based on the misguided view that hypertension does not affect poorer social groups.”

“Yet there is substantial evidence that hypertension is highly prevalent among poorer groups and that they are less likely to have access to effective treatment. As with HIV, hypertension can be both a cause and a consequence of poverty, over work, non satisfaction in your job, debt, no job.”

hypertension caused by stress at work can move you towards high blood pressure

Job burnout and stress in epidemic proportions

Managing your stress and Hypertension in the West.

Today’s workforce is experiencing job burnout and stress in epidemic proportions. Workers at all levels feel stressed out, insecure and misunderstood. Many people feel the demands of the workplace, combined with the demands of home, have become too much to handle. A one-day workshop explores the causes of such stress and suggests general and specific stress management strategies that people can use every day.

 

Sourced from © 2014 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.

Available from Amazon and Google Books

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Social Media challenges for Rainmakers’ How to use linkedin even when you hate selling!

Posted on March 17, 2014 | Leave a comment

solicitorsgroup logo

LAW2014 18-20 MARCH 2014
KENSINGTON TOWN HALL, LONDON

Although some professional often think that social media is a tacky way of selling,  it is not. Negotiating the process of how you introduce your company and services is just  one stage of that process. There are three  stages  timing, intuition, and flexibility.  Law2014 Strategies for Success conference will be looking at some of the threats posed to the high street law firm by the introduction of ABS it is more important than ever for the high street law firm to maintain their customer base and effectively market themselves.

The Strategies for Success conference is the essential conference for all Management and Marketing personnel working within high street law firms and will provide the busy high street law firm professional with practical marketing tips in an increasingly competitive market place.

The conference will focus on strategies the high street law firm can adopt not only to ensure their survival in the face of fresh competition but to prosper in the new legal landscape. A line up of impressive spreakers on the topics to be covered will be:

Diane Shawe 1Social Media Challenges for RainMakers – how to use Linked In even when you hate selling!
Diane as a founder and CEO of two successful Training Companies based in London and Luxembourg Diane has built the company from a standing start in 2003 to a globally recognised training provider with an impressive year on year growt

john espley

John Espley, Peapod Legal Office

Strategies For Success for Small Law Firms
John has been working in the legal market for 10 years and has always helped small law firms to become more profitable

Alan Joenn

Alan Joenn, Collier Pickard

Fee earners and CRM – why both?
Alan Joenn is the Marketing Director at Collier Pickard. He has over 35 years’ experience in business automation, office automation and personal productivity within the IT sector and the commercial arena.

Phil Dedman

Phil Dedman, Mediaworks

Demystifying SEO 

Phil has worked with many global companies over the last 25 years and continues to be involved with companies internationally for both SME’s & Blue Chip companies

Roger Lane

Roger Lane, Actionstep UK

Modern Practice Management – Go Beyond Managing the Matter 

Roger Lane, has spent over 30 years in the IT industry in a wide range of roles, including sales & sales management (including international), product marketing, strategic marketing and general management

Mark Scane

Mark Scane  ITM

Rani Sur

Rani Sur ITM

How to ease the burden of Auto Enrolment – The role of middleware 

Mark is a highly experienced consultant in corporate employee benefits with over 12 years within the pension and benefits market. Whilst Rani is a Senior Technical Consultant at ITM, the leading independent pension data and administration consultants. Rani works with the development and innovations team designing and developing the Auto Enrolment solution at ITM

Clwyd Probert

Clwyd Probert, Whitehat

The Google Zoo: Effective Internet Marketing Strategies For Law Firms 
Clwyd Probert is the founder, CEO and chief technical architect of Whitehat SEO. He is a technologist and marketer with international experience in London and New York

Each speaker is going to set out some of the real nuggets high street solicitors should put in place to establish a firm ground for all considerations once you decide to seriously utilise some of the benefits of Social Media and through the internet.

Diane Shawe M.Ed will be speaking on Thursday 20th March 2014 at 9.30am.

The LAW2014 event is to be held at Kensington Town Hall
Hornton Street, Kensington. London, W8 7NX

Open times

18th March – Day 1 – The event will be open between 8.30am – 5.30pm.

19th March – Day 2 – The event will be open between 8.30am – 5.30pm.

20th March – Day 3 – The event will be open between 8.30am – 4.00pm.

Successful Rainmakers do not focus on selling, successful rainmakers take time to understand what their clients’ needs are—not what they hope or think the clients’ needs are—. The only way to discover what clients require is to communicate, collaborate and then listen to their answers. Only after clarifying their clients’ needs do successful rainmakers try to provide a services to fit their needs.

Diane will report on the 9 mistakes businesses make with Linkedin.

Solicitors can book their 1 day course on how to set up a prime linkedin profile at stand 6.

Solicitors can book their 1 day course on how to set up a prime linkedin profile at stand 6.

express training courses membership and accreditation diane shawe

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Is there really a global skill race?

Posted on March 11, 2014 | Leave a comment

new rules of engagement towards long term employability-Entreployability the new breed by Diane Shawe jan 2014If there is a global skill race, who’s winning?

Governments all over the world want their countries to have high-value, high-skill economies, and they realise that the first step towards this aim is to have a well-educated workforce. In the UK, an appreciation of the connection between economic success and education has led to widening participation in university, as well as lifelong learning, being politicised as a priority.

But many Commentary from the organisations such as the Teaching and Learning Research Programme shows that this policy prescription may not be enough to avert a significant attack on skilled and professional employment in the UK.

Policy-makers have yet to appreciate the fundamental shifts which are now taking place in the way companies use skilled people. Large firms are increasingly aware that emerging economies, especially but not exclusively India and China, are building up their education systems at a rapid rate. Leading corporations are abandoning the idea that high-end activities such as research and design have to go on in the high-cost economies of Europe, North America or Japan. Instead, they are developing ways in which high-value work can be standardised, as manual work already has been. Once this is achieved, high-skill people in low-cost countries suddenly become an attractive option for multinationals.

This means that we may be entering an era in which many of the young people now investing heavily in their education across the developed world may struggle to attain the comfortable jobs and careers to which they aspire. They risk being bypassed by decisions to send work that would once have come their way naturally to people in Asia and elsewhere, who bring the same skills to employers at much lower prices.

We know that many people would argue that UK employers should provide work for UK people, but with the global competitive markets forcing prices down, UK employers need to remain competitive if they are indeed wanting to sell any of their services.

The Challenge

At least 26 million unemployed people have been looking for work across Europe during the long, hot summer of 2013. They will not be the only ones looking.

Millions of school and university leavers will join them in the search. Millions more are looking for more work than they already have – another part-time job, or a full-time job in place of part-time work.

And millions of others are not registered as unemployed but are also searching for paid work to supplement their income: pensioners in need; partners of someone in work whose wage has fallen; students who are studying full-time but cannot survive without a job on the side; children who are officially too young to work but whose families need the money.

Four key components that contribute to the challenges we all face ahead:

  1. Multi-Generational Workplace
  2. Technological Development
  3. Inexperienced
  4. Globalisation

13 Questions governments around the world will need to address that will affect you and your children’s children.

In order to help shape the debate over labour and entrepreneurial policy for the twenty-first century we need to get involved in asking these questions throughout our communities, educational institute’s and economists. Questions such as:

  1. How do we ensure that workers get the skills they need to succeed in the twenty-first century workplace? (Not just the young people but those unemployed now)
  2. Will employers hire and train workers who initially lack skills?
  3. What happens to the worker laid off from a manufacturing job at age 55 —does he get training in new technologies or is he stuck in lower-wage jobs like groundskeeper, security guard, and warehouse stock controller?
  4. How do we make sure that people with disabilities have access to the technologies that facilitate their participation in the workplace?
  5. How will e-commerce impact employment?

To find out more, order your copy of ‘The new rules of engagement for long term employability’ By Diane Shawe

new rules of engagement towards long term employability-Entreployability the new breed by Diane Shawe jan 2014

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The tricky first million

Posted on February 13, 2014 | Leave a comment

Growth Accelerator Diane Shawe

Growth Accelerator Diane Shawearticle by Diane Shawe M.Ed   AVPT Ltd

It is often assumed that raising external, or third party, equity is a prerequisite to business success. In the majority of cases, this could not be further from the truth. Most businesses start with very limited funding, and as these businesses develop, they bootstrap their growth, using their own profits and assets to finance their needs. As a result, they get to keep their potentially valuable equity in the hands of the founder or the family, along with the choices and freedom that brings.  Often the next step up from that is developing the owner managers skills to take them to the next 2-3 million.

For some companies, however, the size of the opportunity or the need for fixed or working capital exceeds the available resources. In these cases, raising external equity may be the only available option.

Diane caught up with up with Lotwina Farodoye, Growth Manager for Growth Accelerator at Grant Thornton’s Euston offices  last week and put these questions to her:

So What is GrowthAccelerator?

Growth Accelerator is a unique service led by some of the country’s most successful growth specialists.  A partnership between leading private sector business growth experts led by Grant Thornton, and backed by a £200 million investment from the Government, GrowthAccelerator gets to the heart of the barriers that are holding  businesses back;  helping identify the critical steps you need to take to achieve your next phase of growth – rapidly and sustainably.

 How does Growth Accelerator Achieve this?

We’ll work with businesses to develop a growth plan which is completely bespoke to the needs of a business.  It will involve a commitment of  time but with the support tailored to your business priorities and the way you work, we won’t waste your time on issues you’ve already got covered.

So what does Growth Accelerator focus on?

We focus on three core areas: Access to Finance, Business Development or Growth through Innovation.  All three are delivered through a combination of coaching, workshops and masterclasses.

What will GrowthAccelerator do for my business?

GrowthAccelerator will give you the framework to :

  • Build a successful growth strategy
  • Discover new routes to funding and investment
  • Unlock your capacity for innovation
  • Build on the power of your people
  • Unite and inspire your leadership team; and

How is GrowthAccelerator different from other services?

GrowthAccelerator offer matched funding up to £2,000 per senior manager in the business, who’s pursuing training that will help improve their performance and help the business grow.  (This offer is available once the company is a participant on GrowthAccelerator) This is where approved company’s such as Academy of Vocational & Professional Training come in and deliver the bespoke training.

Who is Growth Accelerator right for?

GrowthAccelerator exclusively targets businesses with potential for high growth who want to enter their next growth phase and have the potential and determination to get there.

If that’s not where you are, then GrowthAccelerator isn’t right for you.  But if it is right your business and you fully commit to the support owe give, your business will grow and grow faster.

Who is Eligible for Growth Accelerator ?

To be eligible for GrowthAccelerator, a business must be registered in the UK and based in England, have fewer than 250 employees and have a turnover of less than £40m.

What investment is required?

Your contribution will depend on the size of your business.  With Government co-investing in the growth of your business and making a major contribution towards the cost, you pay only a one-off fee.

 1 to 4 employees………………………………….     £600 + £700 VAT* = £1,300

5 to 49 employees…………………………………. £1,500 + £700 VAT* = £2,200

50 to 249 employees…………………………….   £3,000 + £700 VAT* = £3,700

* VAT is based on 20% of the nominal value of the service – £3,500

if you want to find out more just contact diane on growthaccelerator@expresstrainingcourses.co.uk

AVPT Growth Accelerator Training Providers portrait

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Enterprise Women Launching Club in Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster

Posted on February 12, 2014 | Leave a comment

Calling ALL BUSINESSWOMEN in Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster!!  Are you looking to grow your business and build strong local networks of trusted peers who will share and learn from each other? Do you want to be part of a community of substance that understands female-owned businesses and delivers practical value to its members?

County House
Date:

Tuesday, March 25, 2014 – 10:00 to 12:00

Venue:

County House

Venue address:

46 New Broad Street, London, EC2M 1JH

Price:

£27.60 inc VAT (includes lunch)

Then local host, Diane Shawe, offers you a warm welcome to join her at the Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster Women’s Business Club launch. The event is for women who are looking for that extra special support, advice, collaborative relations to help them develop and expand their business.  Join us on Linkedin

Get your free copy when you attend this event

Diane is Chief Executive Officer of the Academy of Vocational and Professional Training Ltd, which provides online and workshop fast-track soft skills training courses, Ms. Shawe is passionate about technology and the impact it will have on delivering training to students on the move that can be measured and proven. In addition Diane sits on several executive committee which includes the Conservative Education Society. As well as being a published author of several business books including, “The 10 habits of a successful women Rainmaker – From Tactics to Strategy: What works”, which is included!

Our first theme will be called, “No Random acts of Lunch.” The people who are most successful at business development, do not commit “random acts of lunch”.

Diane, will also be discussing how plans can take on many different forms and why developing your negotiation skills is VITAL! She will look at the 10 steps of honing in your negotiation skills, so that you never have to stumble away feeling unsure, vulnerable or disappointed about a meeting or presentation.  This will be the best 2 hours you could spend.

We are delighted to have guest speaker Bev Hurley at our meeting. A dynamic serial entrepreneur, mentor, angel investor and one of the UK’s leading authorities on female entrepreneurship, Bev Hurley has spent more than 30 years building successful businesses of all sizes – and sharing her expertise to create and grow hundreds of others.

PRESENTERS FOCUS

Diane Shawe

The Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster Business Club is being hosted by Diane Shawe. She is the founder and CEO of two successful training companies based in London and Luxembourg as well as an established publisher of several business books. Diane has a wealth of knowledge and experience across multi-disciplines. Diane believes that people should try to integrate the following practice into their daily lives: “never do anything as though you are a professional amateur”

Bev Hurley

A dynamic serial entrepreneur, mentor, angel investor and one of the UK’s leading authorities on female entrepreneurship, Bev Hurley has spent more than 30 years building successful businesses of all sizes – and sharing her expertise to create and grow hundreds of others.
So what are you waiting for? Book your place now!

We look forward to seeing you all there…

To book your place, first log in or create a new account, and click the BUY NOW

If you have any problems registering for this event, please email farhana@enterprising-women.org
or diane@avptglobal.com

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Academy of Vocational & Professional training becomes approved training provider for Growth Accelerator

Posted on February 4, 2014 | Leave a comment

AVPT Growth Accelerator Training Providers 2014The Academy of Vocational and Professional Training are excited to become an approved training provider for GrowthAccelerator through Grant Thornton.

GrowthAccelerator is a partnership between some of the UK’s leading, private sector growth specialists – Grant Thornton, Innovation and Winning Pitch and backed by Government, to help businesses with high growth potential. If you have fewer than 250 staff, and less than £40 million turnover, you may qualify for up to £2000 per person funding for leadership and management development.   Diane Shawe the CEO is delighted to be supporting the new GrowthAccelerator initiative .

GrowthAccelerator, is a new £200m Government backed programme that aims to provide SMEs across England with the know-how and ability to achieve rapid and sustainable growth.

Lotwina, one of the growth managers at Grant Thornton London, explains  “the GrowthAccelerator initiative  incorporates a training grant for bespoke training development programmes for  management team; expert coaching support and tailored business workshops”.

AVPT will be delivering bespoke training courses in Leadership and management which are a key part of GrowthAccelerator, with every participating business given an opportunity to develop the skills of their leaders and senior managers through match-funded training.

Through GrowthAccelerator, businesses can claim up to £2,000 per senior manager to match fund the cost of leadership and management training that supports the growth objectives of the business.

business man hand touch virtual 3d leadership skillMatch funding significantly increases the value of any senior management training your client invests in – and gives you an opportunity to deliver more leadership and management training relevant to your client’s needs.

Currently there is no limit on the number of senior managers who can be supported, and different managers within the business can undertake different training programmes.

GrowthAccelerator has been developed for businesses with the capacity, commitment and ambition to significantly increase their turnover or employment over the next few years. Many of the companies that AVPT works with and supports are exactly those that this service is aiming to attract and engage with. We are therefore working closely with the GrowthAccelerator programme to cross-refer potential clients and to ensure a good fit between our respective offerings and activities.

Growth Accelerator Diane ShaweWe would love to check your eligibility. We can then partner with you in order to build and deliver a 50% funded training programme that will help power your business to the next level.

For more information and to see how GrowthAccelerator could help your business, please email us on growthaccelerator@expresstrainingcourses.co.uk

80% students get qualified

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