Talking TAP

A Welcome from Claire Brookes

 
As the Editor of Talking TAP I’m pleased to welcome you to our fourth issue.  I’m also glad to report that the TAP Qualified Professional Group is still growing rapidly. Don’t forget that every person who joins the Group increases your personal network of professional contacts.

This month sees the launch of the National Register of TAP® qualified learning & development professionals.

We find out about the high level learning and development professionals presenting at this years World of Learning Conference & Exhibition.

The TAP Qualified Professional of the Month is Elita Johns, a Business Support Analyst (Training) from the London Borough of Camden.

Our TAP Partner of the Month is Kings College Hospital.

The Article of the Month is by Clive Shepherd, talking about how e-learning will play a major role within the current downturn.

Finally, a number of much-requested features have become available to members of the TAP Qualified Professional Group:

• Discussion forums: Simple discussion spaces for members. (You can turn discussions off in your management control panel if you like.)
• Enhanced roster: A searchable list of group members.
• Digest emails: Daily or weekly digests of new discussion topics which you can choose to receive.
• Group home page: A private space of our own within LinkedIn.

We're confident that these new features will spur communication, promote collaboration, and make your group membership more valuable.  There are already some good discussions going on, so take a look today!

For further information on these new features, please visit: http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=home_beta_introduction

Until next month,

Best wishes

Claire

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National Register of TAP qualified learning & development professionals launched

The Training Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of the new National Register of TAP Qualified learning and development professionals.

The new Register will simplify life for hundreds of employers currently seeking to engage the services of genuine TAP® qualified learning and development professionals.

There are two main reasons for this announcement.  Firstly, The Training Foundation is receiving a growing number of requests from employers seeking confirmation that job applicants and freelance trainers genuinely hold the TAP® qualifications they claim.  These requests can be very time-consuming to process because The Training Foundation needs to obtain authorisation from the person in question before responding to the employer request.

Secondly, as a result of rapidly expanding employer demand for personnel with skills certificated to the Queen’s Award-winning TAP® methodology we are encountering an increasing number of instances where individuals have sought employment by claiming to be “TAP certified”, without specifying which TAP® qualification they hold, or even claiming to be “TAP accredited” without holding a TAP® qualification of any sort. There is now an urgent need to assist employers to identify genuine TAP® qualified L&D professionals in order to avoid misunderstandings and misrepresentations.

The Training Foundation is committed to promoting the status of TAP® qualified learning and development professionals as a unique differentiator.

The TAP® Register will be accessible free of charge to all employers wishing to verify the qualification status of people applying for employment or freelance assignments, or of trainers nominated by external training providers.

The new TAP® Register will be accessible to employers from January 2009. Registration is free to those holding the necessary TAP® qualifications.

Registrants will receive a confirmatory certificate, a registration number and the appropriate TAP® lapel badge (examples illustrated). They are also able to request artwork for business cards and join the online TAP® community website, www.taptrainer.com and the TAP® group at www.linkedin.com.

The requirements for Registration are set out in a free booklet entitled ‘Becoming a TAP® Registered L&D Professional’ available from The Training Foundation.  Copies can be requested by calling the Registration hotline: +44 (0)2476 690956

Alternatively, simply bounce a reply to this newswire with the word Register in the subject line of your mail.

Examples of the emblems to be displayed by TAP Registered L&D professionals appear below.
      

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High level learning and development professionals to present at World of Learning

Leading practitioners from the UK will be among the learning and development experts providing valuable insight into the latest trends at the World of Learning Conference 2008 taking place at the NEC, Birmingham on 19 and 20 November 2008.

Organisations including British American Tobacco, IBM, ITV, KPMG and Volkswagen are some of the major companies participating in the case study led programme. The high level conference is the major feature of the World of Learning 2008 and will cover the key topics and issues facing professionals today and the effective implementation of solutions.

Chaired by Rory Cellan-Jones, Newsnight and the Today Programme presenter, the conference will look at innovation in the changing world of learning and development in relation to both new and traditional methods, as well as the strategic issues.

The conference also features interactive seminars and discussion forums to help attendees make the most of their visit to the event.

Conference format:
The conference format offers a wide choice and great flexibility.  Delegates will be able to tailor-make the programme to suit their professional needs by selecting from a wide range of hot topic seminars across both days. These sessions include the evaluation of learning and
working with managers to develop skills. Highlights include:

Opening Address: The realities of informal learning
Bob Mosher, Global Learning and Strategy Evangelist of LearningGuide Solutions USA, will open the conference with an examination of how informal learning has developed in the last five years. Bob will discuss whether informal learning should be built into learning strategies, as well as how to establish parameters to evaluate it. He will also offer insight into the impact and extent social networking and Web 2.0 has had on the way informal learning is conducted.

Innovative approaches to learning and development
Darren Bezani, Head of Training and Development of LexisNexis Butterworths, will discuss new and innovative approaches to learning and development. He will touch on finding ways to re-focus audiences, how to find new methodologies, as well as the latest developments in delivery approaches. Robin Hoyle, Senior Partner at LearnWorks will be
facilitating the session.

Developing leaders to take your business forward
Akber Pandor, Head of Leadership Development of KPMG Europe LLP will be discussing whether leadership can be taught. He will also touch on how to identify emerging raw leadership qualities in staff, setting up arenas that allow natural leaders to excel and using coaching and mentoring schemes to bring out leaders. The session will be facilitated
by Steve Lang, Director of Motiv8 International.

Closing Address: Driving learning and development in a changing business
environment
Richard Straub, Senior Advisor to the Chairman of IBM Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), will round off the conference by exploring how developments in the business world are impacting on learning and development. He will look into understanding and facilitating change within times of budget tightening and how to prioritise learning as a
key part of business development. He will end the presentation with insight into how to encourage and support the demand for technology in the field of learning and development.

Liz Ashby, Conference Producer for the World of Learning, said, "We have developed the conference programme from the results of extensive research and consultation from industry leaders. This ensures that the World of Learning Conference remains the most time and cost effective method of keeping up to date with the market."

Early booking discount and Nintendo DS Lite
Delegates booking before 30 September 2008 will receive a 20 per cent discount on each place. In addition, delegates booking and attending the full two-day conference will also receive a free Nintendo DS Lite (subject to booking terms and conditions).

Additionally the World of Learning exhibition is to move dates for 2009 to 30 September & 1 October. The event remains at the NEC, Birmingham.

For more information on this event please visit:
www.learnevents.com or call +44 (0)20 83945171

The Training Foundation has a limited supply of free World of Learning exhibition tickets for group members.  To receive one, reply to this newswire with the word WOL in the subject line of your mail.

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TAP Qualified Professional of the Month

When business support analyst, Elita Johns, was seconded to the e-buy team from corporate ICT, she found herself training hundreds of people across London Boough of Camden in the new e-buy system.

 “I was seconded to help roll-out the e-buy system and found myself spending three to four days a week training classes of ten people at a time.”

Elita didn’t have any formal training qualifications but decided she wanted to gain some in order to further her career.

 “I initially approached HR direct who put me in touch with HR practitioner, John Whapshott, from learning and development.

“I also researched which qualifications and learning style would suit me.”

Elita now has certificates in training delivery skills, design and development and facilitation skills, all from the Institute of IT Training. Her aim is to gain the diploma in blended learning, which explores the different ways people learn.

Elita said: “I chose qualifications that fit with my role at Camden, and made sure my assignments were relevant to my work.

“I do a lot of ad hoc training at colleagues’ work stations, and the diploma I’m working towards reflects this as I train people in different ways.”

Camden HR has supported Elita by helping with funding for her qualification, while her manager has given her leave to attend the residential training sessions. 

 “As a parent who’s concentrated on my kids, this now feels like ‘me time’ and the training has proved a real confidence boost.

“I’ve also been really impressed with how encouraging my colleagues in HR have been and the way in which they supported me to develop my own approach.”

In becoming a qualified trainer, Elita has saved Camden money by becoming competent to provide a wide range of bespoke IT training in-house.

Elita is now applying her learning by providing flexible training in a range of ways such as IT workshops and coaching.

ICT are committed to equipping all their staff with skills for the information age (SfIA) by adopting the Skills Framework as the bedrock for developing specialist skills and competencies such as Technology Information Library (ITIL) accreditation. We are also working with leading public and private sector organisations to lever best practice and new thinking, members of the British Computer Society to take forward the professional development of specialist ICT staff and partnering with QA-IQ to deliver cost effective training and blended learning solutions.

Elita comments: “I’ve developed personally and achieved a ‘better and cheaper’ solution for Camden – I’m really proud of that!”

Camden’s learning and development approach looks for individuals to take responsibility for their own development and will support them in gaining qualifications that provide a business benefit to the organisation. 

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TAP Partner of the Month

 
The iPM Team from left to right: Tee Purser, Mizella Eldridge, Shayla Duhaney, Joan Lee, Linda Samuel, Tony Heslop and Allan Paxton

There are now over 120 TAP Partner organisations throughout the UK, committed to the employment of TAP Qualified Professionals in order to guarantee the quality of learning and development services. This month we profile Kings College Hospital.

"We have to do a lot of analysis of training needs before every training course and adapt the training content to suit the new profile" says Allan.  "That's why it's so important that the training methodology is consistent".

The TAP Learning System has been the de facto training delivery standard in the NHS for the past ten years, so Allan along with Paula Porter - the ICT training manager became TAP qualified in 2001.  Both Allan and Paula already knew all about the benefits and the adaptability of the system across multiple applications.  Since 2007, all members of the EPR, iPM (PiMS) and ICT training teams have gained the TAP certificate in Training Delivery Skills, which has had a huge impact on skills, confidence and ability to engage the learner.  It also qualified King's for the "TAP Partner Quality Mark" on all internal and external communications.

To download the full case study Click here
(722KB - requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

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Article of the Month: Downturn Detail, by Clive Shepherd

 
I would have preferred 'recession report', but technically we need two consecutive quarters of negative growth to achieve that status and we'll have to wait a little longer for that. Anyway, the purpose of this posting is to share a little news about how the economic downturn is affecting the corporate e-learning industry in the UK, hopefully not to scare you, but to encourage a healthy exchange of intelligence.

On the face of it, e-learning is better placed than most industries to meet a downturn, particularly one that is being fuelled (excuse the pun) by high energy costs. After all:

• self-study e-learning is twice as quick as its classroom equivalent, and that's a money saver;
• e-learning in all its forms saves bucket loads of cash when it comes to travel and subsistence costs;
• e-learning is more flexible and accessible (which, if you're cynical about these things, might just mean employees doing it in their own time);
• and as a bonus, e-learning is the green alternative, providing employers with a positive spin that they can put on any decision to axe classroom events.

From what I've heard so far, these arguments are holding up. I'm not aware of any content developers who are having a particularly hard time; in fact many are flourishing. Even in good times, there are winners and losers, so some casualties are to be expected, but I don't believe this is any worse than usual. On the other hand, the news from those organisations that offer public classroom courses is not so good - for some, their business appears to have dropped off a cliff.

I would expect it to be less easy to sell top-end, innovative projects - the sort that gets the client promoted and wins awards. Sadly, there's also likely to be less interest in experimenting with new approaches, using sophisticated blends or web 2.0 techniques. To get these going you'll need to demonstrate cast iron cost savings, a low initial investment and the minimum risk of disruption. Remember, training will not be the biggest issue an employer will be grappling with.

The winners may well prove to be those who can deliver good enough content, fast and cheap, addressing critical skills and knowledge. Trainers, if they're agile enough, will learn to integrate this material into new, modular, highly-responsive blends that ensure we don't sacrifice any chance of effectiveness on the alter of efficiency. Now there's a challenge.

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