Personal Development Programmes

Our combined experience of teaching and learning in different settings and across different age ranges means that we are well equipped to design and develop effective personal development programmes. Our experience ranges from working with young people moving to college and university to adults looking to make change in their lives at any point in their career, including looking ahead to a fulfilling and useful retirement. More recently we’ve put a lot of focus on supporting older people who want or need to continue doing paid work after the state pension age. Many have gone on to take stock and use their skills in a completely different area or to combine paid and voluntary work.

Our programmes can be delivered face-to-face or via supported distance learning where we use our experience and expertise to provide tailored one-to-one support. Our learning materials are user-friendly, interactive and effective.

We can also offer a full package of training and resources for those wishing to deliver our materials themselves. Clients include universities, colleges, job centres and commercial organisations. Programmes already delivered include:

• “The Entrepreneurial University” - for managers and academics

• “Older, Wiser, Still Working” (download a sample) and “Your Retirement: Your Choice” - planning for positive change whether you’re 50+ or 70+

• “Developing People Skills” - (download a sample) for young people at college learning about employability skills

• “Discover Yourself” and “Your Life: Your Experience: Your Job” - for jobseekers

  “Chris is excellent and really cares about the group and the work of the university.”

  “He has a gift for creating a great space for teams to share ideas and grow together.”

  “Thank you for creating a supportive and vibrant learning environment.”

  Coaching

  Our philosophy of coaching is that the clients have the answers, our role is to keep them on track and work alongside them, providing a space for them to achieve their goals.  

  We have worked with clients to provide coaching for different employee groups. For example, those involved in organisational or structural changes or those facing redundancy. We have also provided coaching for individual jobseekers, some seeking to change direction, others returning to the workplace after a break.

  Our services can be delivered in person, by video call or by telephone (or a combination of these) based on individual circumstances and needs.

  “Helped me think about my new circumstances from a different perspective.”

  “Now I’m beginning to see clearly that I should be changing, so I can move on … I’m on my way!”

  Project Management

  We ensure a high quality, individualised service by working closely with clients to understand their objectives.. 

  We have experience of working on small and large projects for single organisations or large partnerships. We aren’t just there to oversee things - with impeccable communication skills we value the people we work with and make sure that we keep our eye on time, budget and priorities so that we work to maximum efficiency.

  We are currently working on a number of projects that are part of a national programme funded by the Office for Students which brings together 29 partners in Sussex. Our work includes all aspects of project management from setting up work with the delivery partners, managing the funding, overseeing each project’s research and evaluation and ensuring that everything is delivered on time and within budget.

  Research and Evaluation

  We can undertake independent end of grant reports as well as evaluations of on-going projects where you are seeking to secure further funding. We make sure that we engage with all your stakeholders including the beneficiaries. We will also help you to make the most of your impact and sustainability by setting goals for the future. Our work has ranged from evaluating a project to combat and prevent homelessness amongst single adults through to looking at the provision of careers and education information and guidance across Sussex.

  For an example of our work with the Brighton Housing Trust, see an excerpt from the Accommodation for Work Summative Report.

  See the Routes to Success report on our collaboration with Community Works - please note that the Building Better Opportunities project is now closed.

  “Just to say thank you for taking the time to really understand this project.”