536 Courses in Sheffield

This programme concentrates on the core planning skills needed to develop sound practical project plans in a team environment. This enables the plan to be modified should requirements change or difficulties arise. The programme also gives participants the confidence to practise those skills and apply them in the work environment and deliver their projects more successfully in the future. Participants learn fundamental project management concepts and terminology, demystifying the project management process, and, in particular, how to: Break a project down into manageable sections and ensure nothing is left out Understand and apply estimating techniques to develop realistic estimates Sequence work effectively and carry out critical path analysis to determine project duration and which tasks to pay closest attention to Manage project risk effectively to protect project value Monitor, control and re-plan the project to best keep it on track Close out the project and ensure the project comes to an orderly end 1 Introduction Self-introductions and personal objectives Course objectives Sharing of project issues 2 Project management concepts Characteristics of a project and what should be kept as operational responsibilities Understanding the triple and quadruple constraints - and their limitations Prioritising requirements through the MOSCOW technique Product v project life cycle Key project roles and responsibilities - the importance of sponsorship and clarity of roles 3 Starting a project, and the importance of the terms of reference / project brief Avoiding the pressure to 'just do it'! The importance and benefits of planning The best time to learn! Initial project documentation - the BOSCARDI approach 4 Breaking the work down Understanding alternative breakdown structures such as the product breakdown structure and work breakdown structure Guidelines for creating a work breakdown structure to ensure the full work scope is identified 5 Estimating Alternative estimating techniques and associated confidence levels Further considerations - loss and resource factors 6 Organising the work Use of network diagrams to develop a clear sequence of work Critical path analysis and calculating the project duration and task float - and usage 7 The management of project risk Understanding the nature of project risk The risk analysis and risk management processes How to best manage threats and opportunities Running a risk workshop Using the risk register 8 Scheduling the work The importance of the Gantt chart and understanding its limitations The Gantt chart layout and using alternative views such as the tracking Gantt Using alternative dependencies 9 Resource issues Assigning resources and resolving resource overloads Crashing and fast-tracking your project and potential issues to look out for 10 Controlling the project The control cycle and alternative feedback mechanisms Alternative progress reporting Assessing the impact The importance of re-planning The benefits of control Change control - the importance of impact analysis The steps of change control and the use of the issue register 11 Closing the project The project closure checklist Reviewing the project - things to avoid Developing meaningful lessons and ensuring they are applied effectively The post-project review - its importance to the organisation

Businesses that don't control their costs don't stay in business. How well are you doing? Is everyone in your organisation sufficiently aware of costs, managing them effectively and maximising opportunities to reduce them? If there is scope for improvement, this course will help get you back on track. It will demonstrate that cost reduction is so much more than cost control and cost cutting. True cost management is about being aware of costs, seeking to reduce them through good design and efficient operating practices whilst taking continuing action on overspending. This course will develop the participants' skills in: Being aware of costs at all times Seeking cost reduction from the start (including life-cycle costing) Appraising projects / production to identify and take out risk Understanding real budgeting Using techniques such as ZBB and ABC where appropriate Ensuring cost reports lead to action Managing a cost reduction process that delivers Benefits to the organisation will include: Identification of cost reduction and business improvement opportunities Better reporting and ownership of costs Greater awareness and control of everyday costs 1 Introduction - the cost management process The risks of poor cost control Capital and revenue costs The importance of cost awareness The importance of cost reduction Cost management - the key aspects How to build a cost management and control process checklist for your areas of responsibility 2 Cost removal - taking out costs Cost awareness Costs of poor design / poor processes Value engineering Removing redundant costs 3 The need for commercial, technical and financial appraisals Understand the problems before cash is committed and costs incurred Making the effort to identify commercial and technical risk The time value of money - DCF techniques for long term projects Cost models for production processes and projects Costing models - project appraisals The use of spreadsheets to identify sensitivity and risk How to focus on risk management 4 Budgeting - proper budgeting challenges costs The philosophy of the business - are costs an issue? The importance of having the right culture The need for detailed business objectives Budgetary control measures Designing budget reports - for action 5 Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) - the principles Much more than starting with a clean sheet of paper What ZBB can achieve The concept of decision packages - to challenge business methods and costs Only necessary costs should be incurred A review of an operating budget - demonstrating what ZBB challenges and the costs it may lead to being taken out 6 Awareness of overheads and other costs Definitions of cost - direct and indirect Dealing with overheads - what is meant by allocation, absorption or apportionment? The apparent and real problems with overheads Different ways of dealing with overheads Review of overhead allocation methods and accounting and reporting issues 7 Overheads and product costing Activity-based costing (ABC) - the principles Where and how the ABC approach may be helpful Know the 'true' cost of a product or a project Should you be in business? Will you stay in business? Identifying weaknesses in a traditional overhead allocation How ABC will help improve product or service costing Identifying which products and activities should be developed and which abandoned 8 Cost reduction culture The need for cost reports What measures can be used to identify over-spends as early as possible Cost control performance measures and ratios 9 Design of cost control reports Reports should lead to action and deliver Selecting cost control measures which can be acted upon Practice in designing action reports 10 Course summary - developing your own cost action plan Group and individual action plans will be prepared with a view to participants identifying their cost risks areas and the techniques which can be immediately applied to improve costing and reduce costs

Any team member with Customer interaction (including internal) are the 'Ambassadors' of the company/organisation. If they project positive professionalism - they win others' confidence. If they appear or sound like they are in any way indifferent or unprofessional - they will cost sales and lose clients/customers. With this 2 day Training course, that will be tailored to your company/organisation, each person attending will upgrade their professional standards in people skills, telephone manner and email etiquette. No training in this area may well be a false economy as there is a much greater risk of disenfranchised customers and team members - and probably increases your competitors to win business at your expense. Professional customer care is all too frequently regarded as a token issue in most induction sessions for employees. Surprisingly it is very rarely considered as a key priority, despite being essential for ensuring customer commitment is secure and supplier/partnerships are robust. Excellent customer care is paramount in our ever increasingly competitive market and making customers feel valued and looked after is often a differentiator. This 2-day course will help you understand your customers and the vital importance of customer care in any organisation. You will gain the tools and techniques to apply your learning directly back into the workplace and deliver excellent customer care. Course Syllabus The syllabus of the Professional Customer Care course is comprised of four modules, covering the following: Module One What is Excellent Customer Care? Internal versus external customers Why customer care is important Meeting customer expectations Module Two Making a Personal Difference How do you measure customer care? Making a difference Taking ownership Positive mental attitude Displaying professionalism both face-to-face and over the telephone Using positive language Module Three Gathering Information and Offering Solutions Asking the right questions Active listening skills Summarising and clarifying skills Module Four Dealing with Difficult Situations How to give a 'service' no Demonstrating empathy Assertiveness techniques Handling a complaint Problem solving Saying 'sorry' Making realistic promises and keeping them Real Play Scenarios with a Professional Actor (Optional Extra) This programme benefits significantly from our innovative training feature: Real Play. Using a professional actor who performs role plays as different customer characters in carefully devised situations, the delegates have the opportunity to 'pause' the role play to coach and control their character to improve their skill sets and practice the theory delivered. These scenarios can deal with difficult situations and enacting options to ensure good customer relations are intact. The outcome of the scenario is the responsibility of the delegates, not the trainer and actor. The actor will remain in character throughout the de-brief in order to bring to life the impact and possible next steps. Objectives By the end of the course participants will be able to Adopt a professional telephone manner Communicate assertively by taking control and directing the conversation Deliver information positively by offering options and alternatives Develop a range of versatile behaviours to use when dealing with difficult situations by: Listening actively Using empathy Gathering relevant information through effective questioning Finding solutions to concerns/problems quickly and efficiently Speaking positively and assertively What Is The Benefit? For individuals this course will increase confidence and ability to deal with customers in all situations, which will in turn create customer loyalty and raise their profile. For an employer, ensuring that all customer facing employees are demonstrating excellent customer care instils confidence in the customers and promotes a positive image of the company. In-House Courses Every single team member or employee that has a role which involves engaging with a customer, client and/or a key partner/supplier has a responsibility for projecting a positive image of the organisation which they represent. That may sound obvious, but how many hundreds of experiences have you had as a customer where you were treated with indifference and a distinct lack of professionalism by the receptionist, the retail assistant, the tele-agent, the delivery person, the credit controller or the departmental manager of the operation that you were dealing with? Far too many to count? This is because professional customer care is regarded as a token issue in most induction sessions for employees - and it is very rarely considered as a key priority to ensure customer commitment is secure and supplier/partnerships are robust. Yet the hugely expensive churn in customer/client commitments and staff is enormously expensive and immensely disruptive to any organisation. The Importance of Customers and Clients Every client/customer engaging person needs to recognise that it is ultimately the client or customer that pays their wages. If they gain a basic understanding of the clients' motivations and behaviours, coupled with some core skills in how to care for them, they will attain the status of 'professional'. This will very quickly translate into increased revenues, retained loyalty, high commitment and far greater security for all parties. The foundation has to be based on the authentic commitment to both the customer and also to the organisation they work for. Disenfranchisement readily curdles into sloppy behaviours cloaked in unprofessional attitudes and demeanours; plenty there to repel the most loyal of customers. If your company or organisation relies on repeat business and retaining the confidence and commitment of your clients, then all of your team members - perhaps including managers who set the example and have the biggest influence on the where the needle points to in relation to professionalism - need to be trained on the core basics of professional customer care. Customer Care Programmes from Dickson Training Ltd We are delighted to boast about the many successes we have had in providing effective and long lasting improvements for many clients, where awards have been won and, more importantly, talent has been retained because their clients and customers keep on coming back. Professional customer care extends to suppliers and partners that you value and need to get the best service and rates from, as well as any 'internal clients' such as other departments where you need to rely on their support and collaboration in order to achieve your goals. It is amazing what effective professional customer care training can do for any organisation. Without it your organisation may be vulnerable, with it you are much more likely to see increased performances and much greater security and growth. Scheduled Courses Unfortunately this course is not one that is currently scheduled as an open course, and is only available on an in-house basis. Please contact us for more information.

High quality specifications are of paramount importance in achieving the right technical performance and value for money. This long-established training programme has been developed to help those involved in producing specifications to create high quality documents in an organised and effective way. It provides a sound foundation for those new to the topic whilst at the same time offering new insights to those with more experience. The programme emphasises the need for a clear definition of requirements combined with the ability to communicate those requirements effectively to third parties. A structured method of preparing specifications is provided, and a range of practical techniques is presented, to enable participants to put the principles into practice. The commercial and contractual role of specifications is also addressed. The objectives of the workshop are to: Provide a clear understanding of the role and purpose of specifications Present a framework for organising and producing specifications Define the key steps involved in creating effective specifications Demonstrate methods for assisting in defining requirements Provide tools and techniques for scoping and structuring specifications Show the role of specifications in managing variations and changes to scope Present methods to assist the writing and editing of specifications Review how specifications should be issued and controlled DAY ONE 1 Introduction Review of course objectives Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 Creating effective specifications The role of specifications in communicating requirements The costs, benefits and qualities of effective specifications Understanding the differences between verbal and written communication The five key steps of 'POWER' writing: prepare-organise-write-edit-release Exercise: qualities of an effective specification 3 Step 1: Preparing to write - defining readership and purpose; the specification and the contract Designing the specifications required; applying BS 7373 Defining the purpose, readership and title of each document Effective procedures for writing, issuing and controlling specifications The roles and responsibilities of the key players Understanding contracts; the contractual role of the specification Integrating and balancing the technical and commercial requirements Writing specifications to achieve the appropriate contract risk strategy Deciding how to specify: when to use functional and technical specifications The role of specifications in managing variations and changes to scope 4 Case study 1 Teams review a typical project scenario and identify the implications for the specification Feedback and discussion 5 Step 2: Organising the specification content Defining the need and establishing user requirements Deciding what issues the specification should cover Scoping techniques: scope maps, check lists, structured brainstorming Clarifying priorities: separating needs and desires Dealing with requirements that are difficult to quantify Useful techniques: cost benefit analysis, QFD, Pareto analysis 6 Case study 2 Teams apply the scoping techniques to develop the outline contents for a specification Feedback and discussion DAY TWO 7 Step 2: Organising the specification content (cont) Deciding what goes where; typical contents and layout for a specification The three main segments: introductory, key and supporting Creating and using model forms: the sections and sub-sections Detailed contents of each sub-section Tools and techniques for outlining and structuring specifications 8 Case study 3 Teams develop the detailed specification contents using a model form Feedback and discussion 9 Step 3: Writing the specification The challenges of written communication Identifying and understanding the readers needs Choosing and using the right words; dealing with jargon Problem words; will, shall, must, etc; building a glossary Using sentence structure and punctuation to best effect Understanding the impact of style, format and appearance Avoiding common causes of ambiguity Being concise and ensuring clarity Choosing and using graphics to best effect Exercises and examples 10 Step 4: Editing the specification Why editing is difficult; how to develop a personal editing strategy Key areas to review: structure, content, accuracy, clarity, style and grammar Editing tools and techniques 11 Step 5: Releasing and controlling the specification Key requirements for document issue and control Final formatting and publication issues; document approval Requirements management: managing revisions and changes 12 Course review and action planning What actions should be implemented to improve specifications? Conclusion

QA Level 2 Award In Food Safety For Retail (RQF) Face to Face: Full day course Virtual Classroom: Spread over 3 sessions of 2½ hr duration Food business operators are required by law, to ensure that food handlers receive appropriate supervision and instruction/training in food hygiene in line with their work activity and should enable them to handle food safely Recommended by HSE and Environmental Health Officers (EHO's) Course Contents: The Importance of Food Safety Food Safety Laws Legal Responsibilities of Food Handlers Types of Contamination and the Associated Risks Bacteriology Food Poisoning Foodborne Illnesses An Introduction to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Personal Hygiene Work Flow, Work Surfaces and Equipment Cleaning and Disinfection Waste Disposal Pest Control Safe Food Handling Practices including Time and Temperature Controls Preparation Cooking and Reheating Chilling Cooling Thawing Hot holding Displaying food Core temperatures Food Preservation Storage Stock Control Procedures Benefits of this course: Businesses have a duty to their customers to produce food that is safe for consumption. There are one million cases of food poisoning in the UK each year. More than 6,000 are admitted to hospital. In 2014/2015, businesses in Chesterfield were issued 344 written enforcement notices. Derby received 1,116. Doing our Ofqual regulated, nationally accredited course ensures that nothing of importance is left out. EU and UK regulations state that all food handlers must receive appropriate training in food safety practices relevant to their duties. The Food Standards Agency says that 'Food business operators are required by law, to ensure that food handlers receive appropriate supervision and instruction/training in food hygiene in line with their work activity and should enable them to handle food safely’. Our QA Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering (RQF) is a nationally accredited qualification especially suitable for people working in, or planning to work in, the food retail industry, and complies with the training regulations.

QA Level 2 Award In Food Safety In Catering (RQF) Face to Face: Full day course Virtual Classroom: Spread over 3 sessions of 2½ hr duration Food business operators are required by law, to ensure that food handlers receive appropriate supervision and instruction/training in food hygiene in line with their work activity and should enable them to handle food safely Recommended by HSE and Environmental Health Officers (EHO's) Course Contents: The Importance of Food Safety Food Safety Laws Legal Responsibilities of Food Handlers Types of Contamination and the Associated Risks Bacteriology Food Poisoning Foodborne Illnesses An Introduction to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Personal Hygiene Work Flow, Work Surfaces and Equipment Cleaning and Disinfection Waste Disposal Pest Control Safe Food Handling Practices including Time and Temperature Controls Preparation Cooking and Reheating Chilling Cooling Thawing Hot holding Displaying food Core temperatures Food Preservation Storage Stock Control Procedures Benefits of this course: Businesses have a duty to their customers to produce food that is safe for consumption. There are one million cases of food poisoning in the UK each year. More than 6,000 are admitted to hospital. In 2014/2015, businesses in Chesterfield were issued 344 written enforcement notices. Derby received 1,116. Doing our Ofqual regulated, nationally accredited course ensures that nothing of importance is left out. EU and UK regulations state that all food handlers must receive appropriate training in food safety practices relevant to their duties. The Food Standards Agency says that 'Food business operators are required by law, to ensure that food handlers receive appropriate supervision and instruction/training in food hygiene in line with their work activity and should enable them to handle food safely’. Our QA Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering (RQF) is a nationally accredited qualification especially suitable for people working in, or planning to work in, the food retail industry, and complies with the training regulations. Accredited, Ofqual regulated qualification Our Food Safety in Catering training course is a nationally recognised, Ofqual regulated qualification accredited by Qualsafe Awards. This means that you can be rest assured that your Food safety in Catering certificate fulfils the legal requirements and is a very good way to make sure your employees are trained in Food Safety. The Ofqual Register number for this course is 603/2594/X

Highfield Level 1 Award In Food Safety In Catering (RQF) Half day course Food business operators are required by law, to ensure that food handlers receive appropriate supervision and instruction/training in food hygiene in line with their work activity and should enable them to handle food safely This Level 1 Award in Food Safety in Catering helps to prepare people for working in a low-risk role, where some food handling takes place. Course Contents: The Importance of Food Safety Legal responsibilities of food handlers Personal hygiene Contamination and cross contamination The importance of keeping one's work areas clean Pest control Basic bacteriology Benefits of this course: Businesses have a duty to their customers to produce food that is safe for consumption. There are one million cases of food poisoning in the UK each year. More than 6,000 are admitted to hospital. In 2014/2015, businesses in Chesterfield were issued 344 written enforcement notices. Derby received 1,116. Doing our Ofqual regulated, nationally accredited course ensures that nothing of importance is left out. EU and UK regulations state that all food handlers must receive appropriate training in food safety practices relevant to their duties. The Food Standards Agency says that 'Food business operators are required by law, to ensure that food handlers receive appropriate supervision and instruction/training in food hygiene in line with their work activity and should enable them to handle food safely’. This Highfield Level 1 Award in Food Safety in Catering (RQF) is a nationally accredited qualification especially suitable for people working in, or planning to work in, the food retail industry where some food handling takes place Accredited, Ofqual regulated qualification: This Level 1 Food Safety in Catering training course is a nationally recognised, Ofqual regulated qualification accredited by Highfield Qualifications. This means that you can be rest assured that your level 1 Food safety in Catering certificate fulfils the legal requirements and is a very good way to make sure your low-risk employees are trained appropriately in Food Safety. The Ofqual Register number for this course is 603/2615/3

Highfield Level 1 Award In Food Safety In Retail (RQF) Half day course Food business operators are required by law, to ensure that food handlers receive appropriate supervision and instruction/training in food hygiene in line with their work activity and should enable them to handle food safely This Level 1 Award in Food Safety for Retail helps to prepare people for working in a low-risk role, where some food handling takes place. Course Contents: The Importance of Food Safety Legal responsibilities of food handlers Personal hygiene Contamination and cross contamination The importance of keeping one's work areas clean Pest control Basic bacteriology Benefits of this course: Businesses have a duty to their customers to produce food that is safe for consumption. There are one million cases of food poisoning in the UK each year. More than 6,000 are admitted to hospital. In 2014/2015, businesses in Chesterfield were issued 344 written enforcement notices. Derby received 1,116. Doing our Ofqual regulated, nationally accredited course ensures that nothing of importance is left out. EU and UK regulations state that all food handlers must receive appropriate training in food safety practices relevant to their duties. The Food Standards Agency says that 'Food business operators are required by law, to ensure that food handlers receive appropriate supervision and instruction/training in food hygiene in line with their work activity and should enable them to handle food safely’. This Highfield Level 1 Award in Food Safety in Retail (RQF) is a nationally accredited qualification especially suitable for people working in, or planning to work in, the food retail industry where some food handling takes place Accredited, Ofqual regulated qualification: This Level 1 Food Safety in Retail training course is a nationally recognised, Ofqual regulated qualification accredited by Highfield Qualifications. This means that you can be rest assured that your level 1 Food safety in Retail certificate fulfils the legal requirements and is a very good way to make sure your low-risk employees are appropriately trained in Food Safety. The Ofqual Register number for this course is 603/2617/7

Highfield Level 1 Award In Food Safety In Manufacturing (RQF) Half day course Food business operators are required by law, to ensure that food handlers receive appropriate supervision and instruction/training in food hygiene in line with their work activity and should enable them to handle food safely This Level 1 Award in Food Safety in Manufacturing helps to prepare people for working in a low-risk role in a factory, where they will be handling, or around, food Course Contents: The Importance of Food Safety Legal responsibilities of food handlers Personal hygiene Contamination and cross contamination The importance of keeping one's work areas clean Pest control Basic bacteriology Benefits of this course: Businesses have a duty to their customers to produce food that is safe for consumption. There are one million cases of food poisoning in the UK each year. More than 6,000 are admitted to hospital. In 2014/2015, businesses in Chesterfield were issued 344 written enforcement notices. Derby received 1,116. Doing our Ofqual regulated, nationally accredited course ensures that nothing of importance is left out. EU and UK regulations state that all food handlers must receive appropriate training in food safety practices relevant to their duties. The Food Standards Agency says that 'Food business operators are required by law, to ensure that food handlers receive appropriate supervision and instruction/training in food hygiene in line with their work activity and should enable them to handle food safely’. This Highfield Level 1 Award in Food Safety in Manufacturing (RQF) is a nationally accredited qualification especially suitable for people working in, or planning to work in, the food retail industry where some food handling takes place Accredited, Ofqual regulated qualification: This Level 1 Food Safety in Manufacturing training course is a nationally recognised, Ofqual regulated qualification accredited by Highfield Qualifications. This means that you can be rest assured that your level 1 Food safety in Manufacturing certificate fulfils the legal requirements and is a very good way to make sure your low-risk employees are trained appropriately in Food Safety. The Ofqual Register number for this course is 603/2616/5

In a world focused on digital media, 24-hour news channels and social channels, it’s really important to communicate with your audience – there are lots of opportunities to do this if you are interviewed by journalists. There’s the chance to deliver expert comments or take part in in-depth features or give a quote about your business or organisation. The media wants to stay relevant and engaged with its audience and you can play a part in that and talk to your audience. In our Broadcast Media Training Courses, we will teach you the best ways to share your story, how to answer those difficult questions and present yourself with confidence and style. This means you will capitalise on every opportunity. Our broadcast media and media interview training courses include: Exploiting the opportunity The world of digital media means there are lots of opportunities to appear online, on radio or on TV, as an expert or commentator and gain invaluable exposure for your business and organisation. You may meet journalists at industry events or be contacted for a comment on an issue. You may also need media training because you have to protect your business’ reputation by reacting proactively if you become involved in a news story. Media training will help you handle interviews with journalists, content creators and other media professionals. You need to communicate positively and effectively and make sure your message reaches the audience. It means speaking consistently, and with style and confidence. You’ll also need to know how to handle challenging questions and make sure you positively manage your reputation. Contemporary Media Training Our media training is interactive, engaging and importantly, carried out by experienced journalist trainers. Our team has worked at the highest levels of journalism and broadcasting and will give you an invaluable insight into how to maximise the opportunity of a media appearance. We will take you through the background of what journalists want and need, and give you a clear understanding of how to prepare and deliver your messages and ideas. We will then carry out a number of media style interviews which our technical team will record and playback so you can see and hear yourself. We will then support you with practical, inclusive and useful feedback for you to put into practice for the next interview. We provide copies of all your recordings and useful notes after the training. Locations that suit you We deliver training at our facilities in Birmingham or London or at your location, bringing our technical equipment and cameras with us. You can have a half day training session for up to 4 people or a full day training for a larger group. We also deliver training online for small groups which can be useful when teams are spread around the country. Expert Journalist Trainers We pride ourselves on two things at Coherent Comms – delivering contemporary media training and our supportive inclusive feedback. We know there are lots of media training companies out there but our clients tell us they work with us because we listen. We don’t tell you what training you need or hark back to the old days. We take on board your communication needs and deliver bespoke training. Our associates are working in digital communications, carrying out interviews for news online sites and our contacts are producing digital content for a 21st century audience. We’ll talk to you about TV and radio but we understand the wider media landscape and how to navigate it. And we’re really proud of our feedback – we want to take you from good to great and believe confidence building with tips and ideas that will work for you is the best way to develop your skills. We will help you design the course you want All our media training is bespoke and designed to exactly suit your needs. We have lots of ideas of how it might work but we want to hear from you and what you want! So get in touch with our friendly team by phone on 0754 533 4269 or fill in our contact form and we will get back to you. We’d love to hear how you hope to improve your media and communication skills.