	Talking TAP The TAP Qualified Professional Newsletter
June 9^th 2010	Volume 3, Number 6
In This Issue June Welcome From Claire Brookes The next challenge! How do I get a Higher Education Professional Certificate? Website Watch Tap into TAP Online Monthly Features TAP Qualified Professional of the Month, Karl Whitburn My Training Nightmares - and How I Overcame Them TAP Partner of the Month, Ministry of Justice Celebrate Success The TAP Learning Forum 7th July 2010 - Professionalising L&D Brain Teaser Dates for Your Diary The BILD Annual Conference, Learning and Development the next five years: 10th June at The Open University, Milton Keynes The TAP Learning Forum 7th July 2010 - Professionalising L&D 10am – 1pm on 7^th July 2010, Coventry London HR Summit: 8th July 2010 at 5* Grange St Pauls, London World of Learning Conference & Exhibition 28-29th September 2010 at NEC, Birmingham Contact Us Web: www.tap-training.com Tel: +44 (0) 2476 411 288 Email: info@tap-training.com	June Welcome From Claire Brookes Welcome to the June issue of the Talking TAP Newsletter, I hope that you are all enjoying the early summer sunshine. The first article is a message from our CEO - detailing our next challenge -how managers manage people. This month I explain how easily you can use your existing TAP qualifications to achieve a HE Professional Certificate, at a discounted price that is only valid until 30th June. We announce the revamped TAP Online website which holds extra documentation and facilities for all of our delegates to access as part of their learning. Don't forget to look at the Website Watch section to see June's Training Tips and how to access TAP Online. Karl Whitburn is our TAP Qualified Professional of the Month; read on to share Karl's excitement as he is finally getting started on the TAP Master Diploma! The Ministry of Justice is our partner of the month, and in their article they show that they are 100% committed to delivering training in the best way they can. Also, the ever popular Brain Teaser should give your grey cells a work out - this month's quiz was sent in by Robert Sampson from Barclays Business. I’d like to announce that this month our Training Director, Frances Day, celebrates her 30th year within the training industry. To celebrate Frances’ dedication to learning and development, Guy's & St Thomas' Foundation NHS Trust, one of our Gold TAP Partners, have named a training suite in their new training centre after Frances Day! Congratulations Frances! All the best - and Good luck to England in the World Cup!! Claire Back to top The next challenge! As you know, TAP has changed the training landscape in the last 12 years or so – it’s only been possible through the loyalty of our customers, so we very much thank you for your ongoing support! Nearly two years ago, we introduced the need for trainers to fully engage with their learners; the ‘Trainer-of-CHOICE’ course has become one of our most popular courses and now is an important component of the TAP Diploma in Learning Facilitation, which can lead to a Foundation Degree. ‘Engagement’ as a skill-set is truly on the map! And on the subject of ‘map’, we would like to tell you briefly about our latest challenge – changing how managers manage people! This is the MAP Programme, which stands for *Motivation And Performance. MAP comprises three short-courses (2-3 days each) with 360° feedback and other support tools. The courses focus on Motivating Performance, Improving Performance* and Managing Performance. We have been running the MAP courses for some of our Partners over the last 18 months with outstanding results and can now extend the Programme to one or two other clients. You will find a backgrounder at: http://www.trainingfoundation.com/page/skills/managers.html. If the concept interests you, call Ron Mackrell or Chris Sutton here at Foundation House to arrange a discussion tel: +44 (0)24 7641 1288 Regards Nick Mitchell CEO The Training Foundation Back to top How do I get a Higher Education Professional Certificate? Last issue we announced the exciting modular approach of the Higher Education (HE) Professional Certificates that build towards the Foundation Degree The University of Chester and ourselves are keen to get the Professional Certificate programme off to a flying start; we can therefore make you a subsidised, one-time offer as outlined below: If you hold two TAP Certificates you can enrol for a Professional Certificate for £1,800 plus vat If you hold three TAP Certificates you can enrol for a Professional Certificate for £1,300 plus vat If you hold any TAP Diploma you can enrol for a Professional Certificate for just £400 plus vat These offers are all valid if booked by 30th June 2010. The fee covers the cost of attending the remaining TAP courses and the cost of the HE Professional Certificate (the normal cost for this is approximately £3,200 if you need two Certificates). Note that, under the HE rules, you would need to submit a 1,500 word paper for each of the remaining courses. As always if you have any specific questions regarding the HE Professional Certificate, or the Foundation Degree, then give me a call to discuss how that can be achieved. Tel: 02476 411 288 Email: c.brookes@trainingfoundation.com Many thanks Claire Back to top Website Watch Welcome to the Website Watch feature. Here we update you with any new developments on our website: www.tap-training.com. To take a look at June's training tips of the month follow this link: http://www.tap-training.com/page/communities/trainingtip.html To learn more about the Higher Education (HE) Professional Certificates click here: http://www.tap-training.com/page/article/professional_certificates.html Visit the newly updated TAP Community called TAP Online: www.taptrainer.com Back to top Tap into TAP Online The Training Foundation is delighted to announce the launch of the new TAP Online website, which will supersede the Flow website - it will become live in a couple of weeks. For those of you who have used www.taptrainer.com before, you will notice that the website has exactly the same functionality but has a fresh new look and feel. If you would like a reminder of your login, please contact Laura Crank at l.crank@trainingfoundation.com So, keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of weeks for the launch and we look forward to welcoming you to TAP Online... Many thanks Laura Crank Back to top TAP Qualified Professional of the Month, Karl Whitburn My name is Karl Whitburn and I am a TAP qualified Technical Trainer with Fidessa Plc working within financial trading software in the centre of London. I achieved TAP Certification on the 10^th March 2010 under the excellent tutorship of Gary Clayburn through The Training Foundation. I have been working in Fidessa for 2 years now and have been working as a trainer in various capacities for the last 10 years since I graduated in 1999. My first position was in Wilco International working in back office settlement systems, that is where I met my first TAP qualified trainer and I noticed straight away the differences between how I trained and how they trained. I found it very impressive but have never been given the opportunity to attend a TAP course myself, until I started at Fidessa. From the moment I joined Fidessa I was informed that I would be attending The Training Foundation to become a TAP qualified trainer. Our entire training team is going through the program as part of our commitment to ensuring we deliver the best in terms of training design and delivery. This waiting for me was agonising as I had waited so long and was really keen to get started – it has taken 7 years to reach this point. I noticed straight away the impact that this training was having on my colleagues, although they were and are good trainers, their training was improved in terms of their methods, styles and, specifically, the overall impact of the courses. An on-going project has been set in place across the team to revisit our dozens of training courses and implement the TAP methodology across all our training. So of course I have been impatient and keen to get on the first course so I can begin getting involved in these projects. When my turn came there was no holding me back, I booked onto the first TAP Cert in Training Delivery Course that I could! I found the course interesting, very informative, educational and intense, I chose the 3 day fast track course, and it was tough, but knowing what was at the end of it meant that I just threw myself into it. I worked until quite late on the first night but the second was a little easier and on the final day I had to do my delivery of an assessed 20 minute training session. As I have been a trainer for 10 years I assumed this would be easy, but as there were so many new ideas floating around in my head from the first 2 days I found that I wanted to incorporate all of them into the 20 minutes. The first 2 days is about showing you how to design a course that suits the delegates needs and to enhance their learning, so you are better positioned to choose the correct structure for your training sessions (and in this case the final assessed session). We all did our deliveries and were given feedback by Gary and at the end of the afternoon I was told that I had passed. At first I didn't react at all apart from a kind of stunned silence, I had to ask Gary Clayburn, the trainer, if I was TAP qualified, just to make sure! Once he assured me I was I felt elated! It was a 7 year journey of admiring the skills of TAP trainers, trying to gain as much knowledge from them as I could and not very patiently waiting for my turn, but in the end it was worth it. The trainer and training facilities were excellent, I was full of apprehension and slightly nervous when I attended that first day, but I left feeling that I could deliver any course anywhere in the world. My company has paid for me to do the TAP Master Diploma which leaves me with 7 more modules to do, but I am now looking forward to doing them with relish, I have started implementing what I have learnt into the courses I own and within a few days had the opportunity to try out some of the new techniques. I am currently finalising a new course I have designed and that gives me an excellent opportunity to implement the new techniques before the course is fully live. Yes, I have waited a long time, but now I know that it was worth it and with the help of Gary, the guidance of The Training Foundation and the support of my company Fidessa, I know that I can only get better as a trainer and improve my skills immensely, as well as improve the learning that my delegates will receive……… Many thanks once again to all at The Training Foundation *Karl Whitburn* Back to top My Training Nightmares - and How I Overcame Them Whether you have visited us at Technology House or Foundation House in Coventry, you’ll know that there is a beautiful pond between the two buildings, and any bread left from the buffet lunches often provides food for the ducks and fish as delegates relax and enjoy the wildlife. Many people probably wonder how deep the water is, but a delegate on my course actually found out – the wet way! He was stood very close to the edge one frosty February morning, watched and encouraged by the rest of the group, then lost his footing and ended up in the water. To make matters worse a couple of his classmates tried to help him out and they too ended up knee-deep in the pond. I knew nothing of this until they returned to the classroom – in varying degrees of wetness – to tell the tale. They took off their shoes and socks to dry them out on the radiator, but the very wet one was reluctant to do the same with his trousers, until a kindly, female classmate offered him her pashmina shawl and he spent the afternoon sat at his desk in a sarong. Sharon Litterick The Training Foundation (Currently on Maternity leave looking after little Rosie, and newborn baby brother Jamie) To donate your own training nightmare please feel free to email me at: c.brookes@trainingfoundation.com Back to top TAP Partner of the Month, Ministry of Justice Rigorous management of offender data and records is essential to the role of the Ministry of Justice, created in 2007 to manage the criminal justice system from end to end, from court appearance to prison sentence or probation. The all-important task of data management will be made easier for tens of thousands of business users as an IT investment programme, known as NOMIS is to replace outdated legacy systems, commencing roll out across prisons in 2009 and completing in late spring 2010. These systems will not only enhance the ability to record and track cases and alert staff to the potential risk of harm or re-offending, but also overcome the problems associated with lack of connectivity between multiple systems across many sites. Responsibility for coordinating the design and delivery of training for the new prison system lies within the Core Programme Deployment Training team, comprising members seconded from the business, IT specialists and civil servants. Training Projects Manager Kim Collins was seconded to the team after serving 18 years in the probation service as Community Punishment Manager in Surrey. “Contractors and consultants supply the IT skills, but it’s the people with firsthand experience of the business who provide vital knowledge of dealing with offenders and the functionality required of the systems, therefore, this gives us two-way knowledge transfer” she says. “We all work closely as a team to deliver a sustainable, fit for purpose solution to meet the business need.” Training 50,000 users of the new Prison NOMIS system and 20,000 users of the new National DELIUS system is quite a challenge. Quality assurance is critical to ensuring training is designed and delivered to a consistently high standard, meets business need and secures end user confidence, as well as competence. Kim and her colleagues are responsible for developing the training strategy and appropriate solutions, from identifying training need and developing e-learning and instructor-led training materials to liaising with authority staff to inform future training development. Central to their work is training a team of 50 business trainers recruited from across the vast prison estate, whose role is to train staff at sites as the Prison NOMIS system rolls out and goes live. “For each go live we have to do a training needs analysis to identify who needs what training at a particular establishment, which takes around two days,” explains Kim. “Training starts eight weeks before each go live and continues until two weeks after and may be delivered by one to three trainers depending on the size of the establishment.” Every site has a local learning suite equipped with laptops wirelessly linked into a central database of training materials, which can be instantly updated as learning needs evolve. “We have an ethos of continuous improvement, so every go live has a quality improvement plan attached to it incorporating a range of quality assurance assessment criteria,” says Kim. “The Training Foundation’s TAP Learning System has been integral to giving our trainers the skills and standards to assist this quality assurance process.” “Having attended and successfully completed the Training Delivery Skills course the trainers now feel far more confident, both in themselves and in the service they are providing to the business trainers,” says Kim. “What TAP has given us is quality development for quality staff to deliver quality products and this is crucial to the effective operation of the business.” For Kim, having a TAP accredited team of trainers has boosted confidence in the staff who develop and deliver for her. “Our training materials have always been designed in line with the TAP ethos, but now our trainers have the ‘badge’ of TAP accreditation it gives the added reassurance that we are delivering training to a consistently high standard using a structured approach, which we hope to pass on to our business trainers by stealth!” The team also valued the modular nature of the programme and the fact that training could be organised to accommodate business needs. Kim subscribes to the view that staff are either expensive or valuable. If staff are given the opportunity to develop and improve, they become valuable and business benefits can be better realised. By the same token, if expensive staff are identified, development needs can be addressed to transform them into valuable contributors to business success. “It’s all very well having brand spanking new systems, but we also need to provide the best possible training so that *all* the people who use them are valuable users,” says Kim. With all trainers now TAP accredited, the team has achieved TAP Gold Partner status which is proudly displayed as a powerful symbol of their professionalism. “It demonstrates that we know what we’re talking about, our staff have externally recognised and benchmarked skills, they take their roles seriously and are 100% committed to delivering training in the best way they can,” says Kim. “It shows that our training is most definitely worthy of the systems it is supporting!” Many thanks Kim Collins Back to top Celebrate Success As our regular feature, here we celebrate all of the hard work and dedication of our delegates who have achieved their role-based TAP Diploma. This month our congratulations go to the following: Diploma in Learning Facilitation: Roger Randle, Somerset County Council Jill Mitton, Somerset County Council Kerry Hawkins, Somerset County Council Julia Brown, Perth & Kinross Council Kirsty Goodwin, Perth & Kinross Council Andrew Worner, Perth & Kinross Council David Grant, Perth & Kinross Council Chris Lamb, NFU Mutual Tracey Clempson, Defence Academy Jacqueline Tankard, NFU Mutual Jennifer Todd, Defence Academy Diploma in Learning Design Roger Randle, Somerset County Council Jill Mitton, Somerset County Council Kerry Hawkins, Somerset County Council Julia Brown, Perth & Kinross Council Kirsty Goodwin, Perth & Kinross Council Andrew Worner, Perth & Kinross Council David Grant, Perth & Kinross Council John Cassidy, Perth & Kinross Council Diploma in Learning & Development: Catherine Jackson, Thomson Online Benefits Faye Beddow, Audit Commission Diploma in e-Learning: Tessa Roberts, Aviva Master Diploma in Learning & Development: Roger Randle, Somerset County Council Jill Mitton, Somerset County Council Kerry Hawkins, Somerset County Council Julia Brown, Perth & Kinross Council Kirsty Goodwin, Perth & Kinross Council Andrew Worner, Perth & Kinross Council David Grant, Perth & Kinross Council Jacqueline Tankard, NFU Mutual We also welcomed the following new TAP Partners: *Cardiff & Vale University Health Board* - http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/864/ Support Solutions - http://www.supportsolutions.co.uk To learn more about the TAP Partners Programme please feel free to contact me, I will be happy to help, my email is: d.hickling@trainingfoundation.com Dave Hickling TAP Partners Programme Co-ordinator P.S We also have a special congratulation going out to Claire who celebrated her 30th Birthday earlier this month!! Back to top The TAP Learning Forum 7th July 2010 - Professionalising L&D We would like to invite all TAP Professionals to this year’s Learning Forum in Coventry on 7th July where we will be joined by The University of Chester. As well as a fantastic opportunity to network you will also be able to find out how your TAP Qualifications can become eligible for University (HE) credits and ultimately a Foundation Degree in Learning and Development practice. Places are limited so to reserve your space (2 maximum) please contact Dave Hickling on d.hickling@trainingfoundation.com Back to top Brain Teaser This months Brain teaser is entitled “An intelligent woman” which was suggested by Robert Sampson from Barclays Business. Have a read below and see if you can solve it: A miserly man on his death bed makes his wife promise that she will collect all his money and put it with his body in his coffin. After his death her friend asked whether she was silly enough to keep her promise. She replied “I am a Christian and I always keep my promises”. How was she able to keep her promise and be able to retain his money? Send your answers in to me at: c.brookes@trainingfoundation.com The solution to last month's Brain Teaser, "The Photographer" is as follows: The 10 miles walked in three directions took him back to the cabin. This could only happen at magnetic north and polar bears are the only bears found at the north pole which means that the bear must be white!! Congratulations to the following who successfully solved the riddle: David Wills, New Mind Bobbie Carter, Savills Plc Paul Millard, Phase Forward Europe Christopher Grange, Barclays Mary Jones, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust Chris Roper, Merton Council Vanessa Tuthill, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust Julian Jones, Penningtons Solicitors LLP Barrie Fulker, Invensys Rail Rob Hasell, Identity and Passport Service Sharon Sylvester, Identity and Passport Service Jane Wigham, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Vic Wright, Aviation Training International Limited Nick Mills, Landmark John McGhee, Gem Upgrades Ltd Helen Wallace, Laytons Solicitors Nick Jupp, South West Strategic Health Authority Claire Dutton, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS FT Eric Jones, National Air Traffic Service Phil Osborne, National Air Traffic Service The AstraZeneca P2PHelpdesk Peter Markwick, AWE (thanks for the doodles Peter!!) Hazel Fifield, Detsa Peter Langley, Warrington Primary Care Trust Jonathan Clipston-Professional IT Trainer Bill Smith, Handelsbanken As you hold a TAP Qualification you are entitled to receive a copy of this free Talking TAP Newsletter each month. This will be forwarded to your email on a monthly basis. If, however, you no longer wish to receive the Talking TAP Newsletter simply reply to the mail with the words remove in the subject line. Many Thanks The Training Foundation Back to top

Talking TAP

The TAP Qualified Professional Newsletter

June 9^th 2010

Volume 3, Number 6

In This Issue

June Welcome From Claire Brookes
The next challenge!
How do I get a Higher Education Professional Certificate?
Website Watch
Tap into TAP Online

Monthly Features

TAP Qualified Professional of the Month, Karl Whitburn
My Training Nightmares - and How I Overcame Them
TAP Partner of the Month, Ministry of Justice
Celebrate Success
The TAP Learning Forum 7th July 2010 - Professionalising L&D
Brain Teaser

Dates for Your Diary

The BILD Annual Conference, Learning and Development the next five years:
10th June at The Open University, Milton Keynes

The TAP Learning Forum 7th July 2010 - Professionalising L&D
10am – 1pm on 7^th July 2010, Coventry

London HR Summit:
8th July 2010 at 5* Grange St Pauls, London

World of Learning Conference & Exhibition
28-29th September 2010 at NEC, Birmingham

Contact Us

Web: www.tap-training.com

Tel: +44 (0) 2476 411 288

Email: info@tap-training.com

June Welcome From Claire Brookes

Claire Brookes

Welcome to the June issue of the Talking TAP Newsletter, I hope that you are all enjoying the early summer sunshine.

The first article is a message from our CEO - detailing our next challenge -how managers manage people.

This month I explain how easily you can use your existing TAP qualifications to achieve a HE Professional Certificate, at a discounted price that is only valid until 30th June.

We announce the revamped TAP Online website which holds extra documentation and facilities for all of our delegates to access as part of their learning. Don't forget to look at the Website Watch section to see June's Training Tips and how to access TAP Online.

Karl Whitburn is our TAP Qualified Professional of the Month; read on to share Karl's excitement as he is finally getting started on the TAP Master Diploma! The Ministry of Justice is our partner of the month, and in their article they show that they are 100% committed to delivering training in the best way they can. Frances Day

Also, the ever popular Brain Teaser should give your grey cells a work out - this month's quiz was sent in by Robert Sampson from Barclays Business.

I’d like to announce that this month our Training Director, Frances Day, celebrates her 30th year within the training industry. To celebrate Frances’ dedication to learning and development, Guy's & St Thomas' Foundation NHS Trust, one of our Gold TAP Partners, have named a training suite in their new training centre after Frances Day! Congratulations Frances!

All the best - and Good luck to England in the World Cup!!
Claire

The next challenge!

As you know, TAP has changed the training landscape in the last 12 years or so – it’s only been possible through the loyalty of our customers, so we very much thank you for your ongoing support!

Nearly two years ago, we introduced the need for trainers to fully engage with their learners; the ‘Trainer-of-CHOICE’ course has become one of our most popular courses and now is an important component of the TAP Diploma in Learning Facilitation, which can lead to a Foundation Degree. ‘Engagement’ as a skill-set is truly on the map!

And on the subject of ‘map’, we would like to tell you briefly about our latest challenge – changing how managers manage people! This is the MAP Programme, which stands for Motivation And Performance. MAP comprises three short-courses (2-3 days each) with 360° feedback and other support tools. The courses focus on Motivating Performance, Improving Performance and Managing Performance. We have been running the MAP courses for some of our Partners over the last 18 months with outstanding results and can now extend the Programme to one or two other clients.

You will find a backgrounder at: http://www.trainingfoundation.com/page/skills/managers.html.

If the concept interests you, call Ron Mackrell or Chris Sutton here at Foundation House to arrange a discussion tel: +44 (0)24 7641 1288

Regards
Nick Mitchell
CEO The Training Foundation

How do I get a Higher Education Professional Certificate?

Last issue we announced the exciting modular approach of the Higher Education (HE) Professional Certificates that build towards the Foundation Degree

The University of Chester and ourselves are keen to get the Professional Certificate programme off to a flying start; we can therefore make you a subsidised, one-time offer as outlined below:

If you hold two TAP Certificates you can enrol for a Professional Certificate for £1,800 plus vat
If you hold three TAP Certificates you can enrol for a Professional Certificate for £1,300 plus vat
If you hold any TAP Diploma you can enrol for a Professional Certificate for just £400 plus vat

These offers are all valid if booked by 30th June 2010.

The fee covers the cost of attending the remaining TAP courses and the cost of the HE Professional Certificate (the normal cost for this is approximately £3,200 if you need two Certificates).

Note that, under the HE rules, you would need to submit a 1,500 word paper for each of the remaining courses.

As always if you have any specific questions regarding the HE Professional Certificate, or the Foundation Degree, then give me a call to discuss how that can be achieved.

Tel: 02476 411 288
Email: c.brookes@trainingfoundation.com

Many thanks
Claire

Website Watch

Welcome to the Website Watch feature. Here we update you with any new developments on our website: www.tap-training.com.

To take a look at June's training tips of the month follow this link:
http://www.tap-training.com/page/communities/trainingtip.html
To learn more about the Higher Education (HE) Professional Certificates click here:
http://www.tap-training.com/page/article/professional_certificates.html
Visit the newly updated TAP Community called TAP Online:
www.taptrainer.com

Tap into TAP Online

The Training Foundation is delighted to announce the launch of the new TAP Online website, which will supersede the Flow website - it will become live in a couple of weeks.

For those of you who have used www.taptrainer.com before, you will notice that the website has exactly the same functionality but has a fresh new look and feel.

If you would like a reminder of your login, please contact Laura Crank at l.crank@trainingfoundation.com

So, keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of weeks for the launch and we look forward to welcoming you to TAP Online...

Many thanks
Laura Crank

TAP Qualified Professional of the Month, Karl Whitburn

My name is Karl Whitburn and I am a TAP qualified Technical Trainer with Fidessa Plc working within financial trading software in the centre of London. I achieved TAP Certification on the 10^th March 2010 under the excellent tutorship of Gary Clayburn through The Training Foundation. I have been working in Fidessa for 2 years now and have been working as a trainer in various capacities for the last 10 years since I graduated in 1999.

karl Whitburn

My first position was in Wilco International working in back office settlement systems, that is where I met my first TAP qualified trainer and I noticed straight away the differences between how I trained and how they trained. I found it very impressive but have never been given the opportunity to attend a TAP course myself, until I started at Fidessa. From the moment I joined Fidessa I was informed that I would be attending The Training Foundation to become a TAP qualified trainer. Our entire training team is going through the program as part of our commitment to ensuring we deliver the best in terms of training design and delivery. This waiting for me was agonising as I had waited so long and was really keen to get started – it has taken 7 years to reach this point.

I noticed straight away the impact that this training was having on my colleagues, although they were and are good trainers, their training was improved in terms of their methods, styles and, specifically, the overall impact of the courses. An on-going project has been set in place across the team to revisit our dozens of training courses and implement the TAP methodology across all our training. So of course I have been impatient and keen to get on the first course so I can begin getting involved in these projects.

When my turn came there was no holding me back, I booked onto the first TAP Cert in Training Delivery Course that I could!

I found the course interesting, very informative, educational and intense, I chose the 3 day fast track course, and it was tough, but knowing what was at the end of it meant that I just threw myself into it. I worked until quite late on the first night but the second was a little easier and on the final day I had to do my delivery of an assessed 20 minute training session. As I have been a trainer for 10 years I assumed this would be easy, but as there were so many new ideas floating around in my head from the first 2 days I found that I wanted to incorporate all of them into the 20 minutes.

The first 2 days is about showing you how to design a course that suits the delegates needs and to enhance their learning, so you are better positioned to choose the correct structure for your training sessions (and in this case the final assessed session). We all did our deliveries and were given feedback by Gary and at the end of the afternoon I was told that I had passed. At first I didn't react at all apart from a kind of stunned silence, I had to ask Gary Clayburn, the trainer, if I was TAP qualified, just to make sure! Once he assured me I was I felt elated!

It was a 7 year journey of admiring the skills of TAP trainers, trying to gain as much knowledge from them as I could and not very patiently waiting for my turn, but in the end it was worth it. The trainer and training facilities were excellent, I was full of apprehension and slightly nervous when I attended that first day, but I left feeling that I could deliver any course anywhere in the world.

My company has paid for me to do the TAP Master Diploma which leaves me with 7 more modules to do, but I am now looking forward to doing them with relish, I have started implementing what I have learnt into the courses I own and within a few days had the opportunity to try out some of the new techniques. I am currently finalising a new course I have designed and that gives me an excellent opportunity to implement the new techniques before the course is fully live.

Yes, I have waited a long time, but now I know that it was worth it and with the help of Gary, the guidance of The Training Foundation and the support of my company Fidessa, I know that I can only get better as a trainer and improve my skills immensely, as well as improve the learning that my delegates will receive………

Many thanks once again to all at The Training Foundation
Karl Whitburn

My Training Nightmares - and How I Overcame Them

Whether you have visited us at Technology House or Foundation House in Coventry, you’ll know that there is a beautiful pond between the two buildings, and any bread left from the buffet lunches often provides food for the ducks and fish as delegates relax and enjoy the wildlife.

Many people probably wonder how deep the water is, but a delegate on my course actually found out – the wet way!

He was stood very close to the edge one frosty February morning, watched and encouraged by the rest of the group, then lost his footing and ended up in the water. To make matters worse a couple of his classmates tried to help him out and they too ended up knee-deep in the pond. Pond near TTF taken by Ron Mackrell

I knew nothing of this until they returned to the classroom – in varying degrees of wetness – to tell the tale. They took off their shoes and socks to dry them out on the radiator, but the very wet one was reluctant to do the same with his trousers, until a kindly, female classmate offered him her pashmina shawl and he spent the afternoon sat at his desk in a sarong.

Sharon Litterick
The Training Foundation
(Currently on Maternity leave looking after little Rosie, and newborn baby brother Jamie)

To donate your own training nightmare please feel free to email me at: c.brookes@trainingfoundation.com

TAP Partner of the Month, Ministry of Justice

Rigorous management of offender data and records is essential to the role of the Ministry of Justice, created in 2007 to manage the criminal justice system from end to end, from court appearance to prison sentence or probation.

The all-important task of data management will be made easier for tens of thousands of business users as an IT investment programme, known as NOMIS is to replace outdated legacy systems, commencing roll out across prisons in 2009 and completing in late spring 2010. Kim Collins and team

These systems will not only enhance the ability to record and track cases and alert staff to the potential risk of harm or re-offending, but also overcome the problems associated with lack of connectivity between multiple systems across many sites.

Responsibility for coordinating the design and delivery of training for the new prison system lies within the Core Programme Deployment Training team, comprising members seconded from the business, IT specialists and civil servants. Training Projects Manager Kim Collins was seconded to the team after serving 18 years in the probation service as Community Punishment Manager in Surrey.

“Contractors and consultants supply the IT skills, but it’s the people with firsthand experience of the business who provide vital knowledge of dealing with offenders and the functionality required of the systems, therefore, this gives us two-way knowledge transfer” she says. “We all work closely as a team to deliver a sustainable, fit for purpose solution to meet the business need.”

Training 50,000 users of the new Prison NOMIS system and 20,000 users of the new National DELIUS system is quite a challenge. Quality assurance is critical to ensuring training is designed and delivered to a consistently high standard, meets business need and secures end user confidence, as well as competence.

Kim and her colleagues are responsible for developing the training strategy and appropriate solutions, from identifying training need and developing e-learning and instructor-led training materials to liaising with authority staff to inform future training development. Central to their work is training a team of 50 business trainers recruited from across the vast prison estate, whose role is to train staff at sites as the Prison NOMIS system rolls out and goes live.

“For each go live we have to do a training needs analysis to identify who needs what training at a particular establishment, which takes around two days,” explains Kim. “Training starts eight weeks before each go live and continues until two weeks after and may be delivered by one to three trainers depending on the size of the establishment.”

Every site has a local learning suite equipped with laptops wirelessly linked into a central database of training materials, which can be instantly updated as learning needs evolve.

“We have an ethos of continuous improvement, so every go live has a quality improvement plan attached to it incorporating a range of quality assurance assessment criteria,” says Kim. “The Training Foundation’s TAP Learning System has been integral to giving our trainers the skills and standards to assist this quality assurance process.”

“Having attended and successfully completed the Training Delivery Skills course the trainers now feel far more confident, both in themselves and in the service they are providing to the business trainers,” says Kim. “What TAP has given us is quality development for quality staff to deliver quality products and this is crucial to the effective operation of the business.”

For Kim, having a TAP accredited team of trainers has boosted confidence in the staff who develop and deliver for her.

“Our training materials have always been designed in line with the TAP ethos, but now our trainers have the ‘badge’ of TAP accreditation it gives the added reassurance that we are delivering training to a consistently high standard using a structured approach, which we hope to pass on to our business trainers by stealth!”

The team also valued the modular nature of the programme and the fact that training could be organised to accommodate business needs.

Kim subscribes to the view that staff are either expensive or valuable. If staff are given the opportunity to develop and improve, they become valuable and business benefits can be better realised. By the same token, if expensive staff are identified, development needs can be addressed to transform them into valuable contributors to business success.

“It’s all very well having brand spanking new systems, but we also need to provide the best possible training so that all the people who use them are valuable users,” says Kim.

With all trainers now TAP accredited, the team has achieved TAP Gold Partner status which is proudly displayed as a powerful symbol of their professionalism.

“It demonstrates that we know what we’re talking about, our staff have externally recognised and benchmarked skills, they take their roles seriously and are 100% committed to delivering training in the best way they can,” says Kim. “It shows that our training is most definitely worthy of the systems it is supporting!”

Many thanks
Kim Collins

Celebrate Success

As our regular feature, here we celebrate all of the hard work and dedication of our delegates who have achieved their role-based TAP Diploma. This month our congratulations go to the following:

Diploma in Learning Facilitation:
Roger Randle, Somerset County Council
Jill Mitton, Somerset County Council
Kerry Hawkins, Somerset County Council
Julia Brown, Perth & Kinross Council
Kirsty Goodwin, Perth & Kinross Council
Andrew Worner, Perth & Kinross Council
David Grant, Perth & Kinross Council
Chris Lamb, NFU Mutual
Tracey Clempson, Defence Academy
Jacqueline Tankard, NFU Mutual
Jennifer Todd, Defence Academy

Diploma in Learning Design
Roger Randle, Somerset County Council
Jill Mitton, Somerset County Council
Kerry Hawkins, Somerset County Council
Julia Brown, Perth & Kinross Council
Kirsty Goodwin, Perth & Kinross Council
Andrew Worner, Perth & Kinross Council
David Grant, Perth & Kinross Council
John Cassidy, Perth & Kinross Council

Diploma in Learning & Development:
Catherine Jackson, Thomson Online Benefits
Faye Beddow, Audit Commission

Diploma in e-Learning:
Tessa Roberts, Aviva

Master Diploma in Learning & Development:
Roger Randle, Somerset County Council
Jill Mitton, Somerset County Council
Kerry Hawkins, Somerset County Council
Julia Brown, Perth & Kinross Council
Kirsty Goodwin, Perth & Kinross Council
Andrew Worner, Perth & Kinross Council
David Grant, Perth & Kinross Council
Jacqueline Tankard, NFU Mutual

We also welcomed the following new TAP Partners:

Cardiff & Vale University Health Board - http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/864/
Support Solutions - http://www.supportsolutions.co.uk

To learn more about the TAP Partners Programme please feel free to contact me, I will be happy to help, my email is: d.hickling@trainingfoundation.com

Dave Hickling
TAP Partners Programme Co-ordinator
P.S We also have a special congratulation going out to Claire who celebrated her 30th Birthday earlier this month!!

The TAP Learning Forum 7th July 2010 - Professionalising L&D

We would like to invite all TAP Professionals to this year’s Learning Forum in Coventry on 7th July where we will be joined by The University of Chester.

As well as a fantastic opportunity to network you will also be able to find out how your TAP Qualifications can become eligible for University (HE) credits and ultimately a Foundation Degree in Learning and Development practice.

Places are limited so to reserve your space (2 maximum) please contact Dave Hickling on d.hickling@trainingfoundation.com

Brain Teaser

thinking This months Brain teaser is entitled “An intelligent woman” which was suggested by Robert Sampson from Barclays Business. Have a read below and see if you can solve it:

A miserly man on his death bed makes his wife promise that she will collect all his money and put it with his body in his coffin. After his death her friend asked whether she was silly enough to keep her promise. She replied “I am a Christian and I always keep my promises”.

How was she able to keep her promise and be able to retain his money?

Send your answers in to me at: c.brookes@trainingfoundation.com

The solution to last month's Brain Teaser, "The Photographer" is as follows: The 10 miles walked in three directions took him back to the cabin. This could only happen at magnetic north and polar bears are the only bears found at the north pole which means that the bear must be white!!

Congratulations to the following who successfully solved the riddle:

David Wills, New Mind
Bobbie Carter, Savills Plc
Paul Millard, Phase Forward Europe
Christopher Grange, Barclays
Mary Jones, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
Chris Roper, Merton Council
Vanessa Tuthill, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Julian Jones, Penningtons Solicitors LLP
Barrie Fulker, Invensys Rail
Rob Hasell, Identity and Passport Service
Sharon Sylvester, Identity and Passport Service
Jane Wigham, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
Vic Wright, Aviation Training International Limited
Nick Mills, Landmark
John McGhee, Gem Upgrades Ltd
Helen Wallace, Laytons Solicitors
Nick Jupp, South West Strategic Health Authority
Claire Dutton, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS FT
Eric Jones, National Air Traffic Service
Phil Osborne, National Air Traffic Service
The AstraZeneca P2PHelpdesk
Peter Markwick, AWE (thanks for the doodles Peter!!)
Hazel Fifield, Detsa
Peter Langley, Warrington Primary Care Trust
Jonathan Clipston-Professional IT Trainer
Bill Smith, Handelsbanken

As you hold a TAP Qualification you are entitled to receive a copy of this free Talking TAP Newsletter each month. This will be forwarded to your email on a monthly basis. If, however, you no longer wish to receive the Talking TAP Newsletter simply reply to the mail with the words remove in the subject line.

Many Thanks
The Training Foundation