87 Academics courses in Brierfield delivered Live Online

This Level 4 course aims to equip professionals with the knowledge about the skills and practical behaviours which are required for them to step into a leadership/management role. The demand for management roles is expected to grow in the coming years. This is due to a number of factors, including: The ageing population, which is leading to a shortage of skilled workers. The increasing complexity of businesses requires more managers to oversee operations. The growing importance of technology is creating new opportunities for managers to lead and innovate.

Data has become the most important resource for every organisation – but the insights gained from data analysis will only ever be truly valuable if they can be clearly expressed to other people.  This course is for anybody who works with data, and needs to communicate the meaning that's in the numbers to colleagues, customers, bosses or external stakeholders.  It will give you or your team the confidence and skills to translate raw data into compelling visual stories for your key audiences. The principles and skills covered apply to the simplest PowerPoint chart, to more complex interactive visualisations.  We’ll work with you before the course to ensure that we understand your organisation and what you’re hoping to achieve.  Sample learning content Session 1: What makes a great data-driven story The key elements of a successful infographic or presentation. Industry best practice, and discussion of good (and bad) examples. A simple framework for identifying the Audience, Story and Action. Session 2: Data in context How to balance function and aesthetic appeal. Identifying the right graph, chart, infographic or other visual. Framing the data and providing contextual information. Session 3: Designing for the human brain Using colours to add emphasis and meaning. Design and layout principles, and creating hierarchies of information. The principle of ‘self-sufficiency’, and removing clutter. Session 4: Navigation and narrative Tailoring visualisations for different types of communications. Structuring presentations and longer reports. Thinking in layers to create interactive dashboards. Delivery We deliver our courses over Zoom, to maximise flexibility. The training can be delivered in a single day, or across multiple sessions. All of our courses are live and interactive – every session includes a mix of formal tuition and hands-on exercises. To ensure this is possible, the number of attendees is capped at 16 people.  Tutor Alan Rutter is the founder of Fire Plus Algebra. He is a specialist in communicating complex subjects through data visualisation, writing and design. He teaches for General Assembly and runs in-house training for public sector clients including the Home Office, the Department of Transport, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Health Foundation, and numerous local government and emergency services teams. He previously worked with Guardian Masterclasses on curating and delivering new course strands, including developing and teaching their B2B data visualisation courses. He oversaw the iPad edition launches of Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair and Vogue in the UK, and has worked with Condé Nast International as product owner on a bespoke digital asset management system for their 11 global markets.
 Testimonial “I was familiar with Alan’s work as a Guardian Masterclass instructor on data visualisation and digital journalism, which made it easy for me to recommend him for onsite training at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. We had a large group of people interested in honing their abilities to depict their research and stories in engaging ways. Alan’s course provided great insight about common communication pitfalls and how to avoid them, how to become better communicators by understanding the audience diversity, and it showcased some great online tools for creating infographics. This should be mandatory training for all students, academics, report writers and those involved with conveying research to the media as it will help increase the clarity and accessibility of our own research stories.”
 Dr Lee Haines | Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

This practitioner-level 4 award encourages individuals in IT and technical roles to explore the many teams, ideas, and functions within an organisation and maximise their contribution. You will achieve this by learning the key concepts and considering behaviour and response in different scenarios.

This award introduces the critical concepts associated with AI and explores its relationship with the systems and processes that make up the digital ecosystem. It explores how AI can empower organisations to utilise Big Data through the use of Business Analysis and Machine Learning, and encourages candidates to consider a future vision of the world that is powered by AI.

This Level 4 course encourages individuals in digital and technical roles to enhance their skills by exploring different techniques, formats, and tools to communicate and understand the impact of their communication choices.

LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION, NON-FICTION Amanda Preston has been a literary agent for over 20 years and co-founded LBA in 2005. She won the RNA Literary Agent of the Year award in 2018.  She represents commercial and reading group fiction, as well as a range of narrative non-fiction and memoir. She loves working with authors, championing them every step of the way, and works with them and their publishing teams to build them into brand names and award winning and bestselling authors in the UK and internationally. Whether commercial or reading-group, she loves innovative and well-written stories that hook her in from the start and whose voice stays with her. She is looking for novels that demand to be talked about and shared, whatever their genre, and that she is still thinking about days after finishing.  She is on the hunt for a high-concept thriller which is character and plot driven, but also has a discussable issue at its heart i.e Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey and Girl A by Abigail Dean. She loves thrillers where the location is as integral to the plot as the crime i.e The Dry by Jane Harper and The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse, and would love a good locked-room thriller but is only looking for fresh and unique ideas in this area.  She is also on the hunt for a glorious book club love story that is doing something a bit different and special i.e Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus or anything by Taylor Jenkins Reid or Liane Moriarty! Or smart, contemporary, observant romcoms with a very strong emphasis on diverse / own voices.  Finally, she would love a historical that vividly brings that period to life as well as having a stunning plot i.e, The Familiars by Stacey Halls and The Doll Factory by Elizabeth MacNeal. Amanda would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 page synopsis and the opening three chapters (max 5,000 words). (In addition to the paid sessions, Amanda is kindly offering one free session for low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print).  By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Monday 1st September 2025 by 12 noon UK BST

This Level 4 practitioner award encourages individuals in or working towards a leadership role (this could be an IT or technical based-role), and you want to demonstrate modern leadership behaviours to nurture a high-performing team, especially during a time of organisational change.

LOOKING FOR: MG, ADULT FICTION Jo Williamson has been in publishing for over 25 years. Having worked in Children’s books PR for Dorling Kindersley, HarperCollins and Orion, she started as an agent with Antony Harwood in 2008. She feels very privileged being with authors at the very start of their publishing journey and enjoys close working relationships with all her clients. From editorial help, general advice on the publishing world, guiding careers long-term and general cheerleading, she feels she has the perfect job. Although nothing is off limits and she loves being surprised by submissions. In middle grade children's fiction, Jo is particularly looking for books with heart, epic adventures with voice-led characters, and younger funny fiction with series potential.  In adult fiction, page-turning Commercial Women’s and Book Club fiction are right up Jo's street, including psychological suspense, thriller, cosy crime and books that don’t quite fit the mould. Above all, she wants stories that linger long after the final page has been read. Jo is not the right fit for police procedurals. Jo would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 page synopsis and the first 5,000 words of your manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Jo is kindly offering one free session for low income/underrepresented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print).  By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Wednesday 3rd September 2025

LOOKING FOR: MG, YA, GRAPHIC NOVELS Katie Blagden is a Literary Agent at The Ampersand Agency, representing authors and author-illustrators across various genres and age ranges. She previously worked with Arabella Stein at the Bright Agency, where she helped launch their Literary list. Her notable projects include the Arcana duology by Sam Prentice-Jones (Macmillan US / Hot Key Books) and The River Thief by Hannah Peck (Piccadilly Press). In all areas Katie seeks commercial, plot-driven ideas with a great hook. In adult fiction, Katie specialises in, and is drawn to, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Magical Realism and Horror. She is particularly looking for works that cross genre lines or subvert reader expectations. She loves Babel by R. F. Kuang; Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell; Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik; Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah; Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovich; The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers; The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin; Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree; The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winters; Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel by Susanna Clarke; The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey; One Last Stop by Casey Mcquiston; Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao; The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch; The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo; Kindred by Octavia E. Butler; Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin; all and anything by Terry Pratchett! Graphic Novels favoured by Katie are across all ages and include the likes of Homebody by Theo Parish; Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe; Lumber Janes by N. D. Stevens et al; On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden; Through The Woods by Emma Carrol; The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen; Heartstopper by Alice Oseman; El Deafo by Cece Bell; Roller Girls by Victoria Jamieson; Skyward by Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett; Faith by Jody Houser. For Graphic Novels, Katie is currently only considering Author-Illustrators (or Author/Illustrator pairings). In children’s, Katie specialises in Middle Grade, YA and Crossover Fiction, She is looking for fast, funny and action-packed Middle Grade. In YA, she is drawn to grounded or contemporary SFF, queer stories and fairytale or folktale inspired works. Examples of books in this area Katie loves are All That's Left in the World by Erik J Brown; The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness; Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas; Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi; The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave; Holes by Louis Sachar; Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo; Gone by Michael Grant; His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman; Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell; The Dark Lady by Akala; Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan; The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper; Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Katie is an advocate for centring traditionally underrepresented voices, and actively works to discover and develop authors and author-illustrators from diverse backgrounds. Katie’s previous experience includes marketing, bookselling and advertising. She also appeared as a contributor on the Graham Norton Book Club for Audible for all six seasons. When she’s not reading, you can find Katie playing Dungeons & Dragons, trying a new crafty hobby (before abandoning it for something new), or spoiling her dog Poe. Katie would like you to submit a covering letter, one page synopsis and the first three chapters (Max 5000 words) of your completed manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Katie is kindly offering one free session for low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print).  By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Wednesday 3rd September 2025

LOOKING FOR: YA, NA, ADULT FICTION Helen Lane has been an established agent for several years, formerly with the Booker Albert Agency before joining the Ki Agency. She has a BSc in Environmental Science from the University of East Anglia and a postgrad qualification in Acoustics. She lives in London with her family and the world’s naughtiest cocker spaniel. Helen represents (Adult) Fantasy, Sci Fi, Horror, Romance, Action & Adventure, and Thrillers. She also represents select YA Fantasy, Horror, and Sci Fi. Her tastes do run towards the dark and she is slightly obsessed with monster stories in general (especially if they have giant sharks or squids). And stories set in extreme environments such as the arctic, jungle, caves, ocean, and mountains. But she DOES NOT want to read about affairs or abuse in any genre. (Her husband likes her to add here that this is nothing to do with him, she just doesn’t like sad stories). Her favourite authors are Mira Grant, Greig Beck, James Rollins, Matthew Reilly, Darcy Coates, Andy Weir, Clive Cussler, R F Kuang, Patricia Briggs, and Kelley Armstrong. Her comfort movies are: Jaws, Outbreak, The Cave, Sanctum, Scream, Buffy, Grey's Anatomy, Charmed, Vampire Diaries. You can find her on: Bluesky: @helenlane.bsky.social Instagram: hflane_agenting Helen would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 page synopsis and first three chapters (Max 5,000 words) of your manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Helen is kindly offering one free session for low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print).  By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Wednesday 3rd September 2025