Disc courses in Cardiff

Each week, participants will have the opportunity to gain invaluable insights, and hone their craft through immersive learning experiences.

Managing people and teams is consistently the biggest challenge raised by new managers (and even many experienced managers). This short 3-hour course is aimed at introducing new and existing supervisors and managers to key supervisory skills, allowing them to develop their competence as supervisors. The course covers: Understanding your role as a supervisor SRA obligations and competence expectations Setting expectations and effective delegation Monitoring progress and quality Managing performance in difficult situations Top tips for impactful feedback By the end of this course participants will have had an opportunity to consider their current skills; develop new skills; and think about further development needs. Target Audience This online course is aimed at managers, team leaders and other supervisors. Please note that this course does NOT meet the LAA requirements as a Supervisor Course. If you need a Legal Aid Supervisor course, then please check out our 6 hour 30 minutes Supervision & Managing Performance Course. Resources Course notes will be provided to all delegates which may be useful for ongoing reference or cascade training. Please note a recording of the course will not be made available. Speaker Matthew Howgate, Consultant, DG Legal Matt is a non-practising solicitor who has considerable experience in regulatory issues and advising on complex issues of compliance and ethics. He is also an expert in data protection, UK GDPR and on the civil legal aid scheme. Matthew is a lead trainer on and co-developed the LAPG Certificate in Practice Management (a training programme for legal managers and law firm owners) as well as regularly providing training on legal aid Supervision, costs maximisation, data protection and security and on general SRA compliance.

Providing Guidance & Support for MHFAiders: giving reassurance they are not alone. Our MHFAider guidance & support forums are tailored to provide MHFAiders with the clarity they need to excel in their role. We believe it's important to offer a safe space for MHFAiders to discuss their role, while staying up to date with the latest best practices and information. Mental Health First-Aiders and Champions forum for open discussions, guidance, support, and focus topic learning with a registered Mental Health Nurse.

Historical Association webinar series: Making history accessible Presenters: Gemma Hargraves and Sally Lonsdale From a special school perspective, Sally Lonsdale will explore how history is encountered at her school. With secondary students working at Key Stage 1 age related expectations, history is seen as an ‘enriching subject’ with a strong focus on literacy and vocabulary. The session will explore how students with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities and those with EHCP outcomes are supported and show how history teaching can be effective and joyful when directed by student experience and interests and focusing on skills rather than specific knowledge. To use your corporate recording offer on this webinar please fill in this form: https://forms.office.com/e/bdNUSwLNrL Image: A Squire "Old English" padlock on a gate latch in Devon (Image: Partonez/Wikimedia Commons)

LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION Marilia Savvides founded The Plot Agency in 2024. She began her career in publishing at Peters Fraser and Dunlop, where she spent eight years, first as International Rights Agent, and later as Literary Agent, building her own list of authors. In 2019, she joined 42MP, where she worked as Literary Agent for four years, helping to launch and set up the Book Division. She is particularly interested in fiction that is beautifully written and cleverly constructed, but still accessible to a wide readership. She is often drawn to darker tales that weave together excellent characters and an impossible-to-put-down story, from immersive book club novels with a splash of suspense, crime and thrillers, accessible horror, and speculative, genre-bending or dystopian stories. She also adores smart, witty contemporary rom-com in the style of Emily Henry. In the thriller, crime and mystery space she is interested in most areas, except military thrillers and organised crime/ mafia / mob stories. Big hooks and clever set ups are a big bonus! She adores Karin Slaughter (especially her standalone novels) and Gillian Flynn. In the book club / reading group space, she’s particularly drawn to fiction in the vein of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng, and absolutely fell in love with Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll, both for the incredible voice, and the exquisite use of structure and time. Complicated family dynamics, empathetic and smart approaches to controversial issues, stand out protagonists (like Elizabeth Zott in Lessons in Chemistry or Bernadette in Where D’You Go Bernadette), long buried secrets, complicity, the road to justice, and impossible decisions, are all themes she finds herself drawn to. In the horror space, she’s a sucker for amazing female-centric stories in the vein of Yellowjackets, and the kind of contemporary, accessible horror that Stephen King always nails. She wants to get lost in a world that feels within reach of ours. In the speculative and dystopian spaces, she’s interested in genius ideas that set up big questions or reflect the most broken (and sometimes hidden) parts of society. She loves Octavia Butler, Margaret Atwood, George Orwell, and also adored The Leftovers, Station Eleven, Wanderers, and The Power. The what-ifs of life and fiction fascinate her. In the grounded sci-fi space, she’d love to find a smart, immersive, and accessible story like The Martian. She doesn’t represent fantasy or romantasy. In regards to sci-fi, unless it’s very grounded and has crossover potential to a mainstream audience, it’s not for her. In the romance space, she’s particularly drawn to smart, complex and witty characters, where the chemistry is jumping off the page. She loves contemporary settings and all the tropes, though the voice and characters must come first to make the reading experience fully immersive. She wants to be cackling, and rooting for the characters with all her heart. She is very hands-on editorially, and loves working with her authors to shape their manuscripts, and brainstorm ideas. The best part of the job is discovering debut authors, and helping them find a home for their books. Marilia would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 - 2 page synopsis and the first 5,000 words of your manuscript in a single Word document.  (In addition to the paid sessions, Marilia 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: Thursday 24th April 2025 at 14:00 UK BST

Become a META-Health professional with our 6 months intensive training! Do you want to learn the scientific background of body-mind-interactions and how to integrate this knowledge in your practical work with your clients? This course contains both self-study and live training in online classes and covers the META-Health Level 1 and 2 material. It will take 6 months including 24 live sessions, 2 hours each, mainly in a weekly rhythm. You will get preparatory videos, reading material and tasks that help to understand and integrate the content, while the group sessions focus on demonstrations, discusion of the material, and practical exercises for you. All the time, our trainers and tutors will support you and we’ll be a learning family with an active chatgroup. Altogether you should reckon approximately 5 hours per week.

Some of you may have joined us for our February ORSC Community event, Is There Space for Love in Organisations? Thank you to those who joined us, your insights, curiosity, and willingness to explore this complex topic made for a powerful conversation. One thing is clear: this dialogue is far from over. As we navigate shifts in corporate culture, the need to balance masculine energy with love, connection, and relational intelligence is more important than ever. That’s why we’re continuing the conversation in our next Community Event on 29th April. Together, we’ll build on what we uncovered, deepen our practice, and explore how we can actively create workplaces where love and power coexist. Key questions we’ll address: What does love mean in a professional setting? How can love thrive alongside masculinity? Can masculinity be expressed in a loving, intentional way? What does “masculine aggression through a lens of love” look like in leadership and team dynamics? Keith McMahon and Dylan Smith will again guide us through an interactive session. This event isn’t just a discussion—it’s a space for practice, reflection, and transformation. Whether you’re a coach, leader, or someone passionate about building healthier workplace dynamics, you’ll leave equipped to inspire positive change. 📅 Date: February 29th April 📍 Location: Virtual Via Zoom Save the date and join us for this thought-provoking, practice-rich session. Together, let’s reimagine the role of love in a changing corporate world.

PARTICIPANTS WILL ENGAGE IN A TRAINING SESSION TO IMPROVE AND REFINE THEIR RÉSUMÉS. OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN ONE-ON-ONE RÉSUMÉ BUILDING & REVIEW SESSIONS CAN BE OFFERED AS WELL. It’s time to move on—or maybe you’ve been “in transition” for too long. Either way, you need some input so that you know what others see when they look at your résumé, and what they hear when they interview you. Participants will engage in a training session to improve and refine their résumés. Opportunities to engage in one-on-one Résumé Building & Review sessions can be offered as well. Part I Data Collection and Organization – assessing work/activities and IMPACT (results) Success Story Format (Situation, Action, Results) Writing With Impact – how to tie actions to results Choosing The Right Words – transferable skills and powerful words Sales 101 – How will these skills benefit the hiring person’s organization? Part II UB4I Writing (“YOU”/ “YOUR,” not “I,” “me,” “my”) Reference list Principles of networking Cover Letter and Résumé Formats – margins, font, type size, small caps, etc. Role Play – Mock Interviews Participants will be able to: Create a complete and correct résumé, a marketing device to attract attention, generate interest, describe accomplishments, and invite contact. Discover, correct, and improve self-marketing messages, leading to a systematic assessment of specific work-related skills. Examine transferable skills and increase personal alignment with prospective organizational mission and goals. Online Format—Résumé Writing, Networking, & Interviewing Workshop 4-hour interactive virtual class. Register for this class and you will be sent ONLINE login instructions prior to the class date. After a two-day seminar, our attendees remained in their seats wanting more from Dr Atkins. His direct, yet challenging approach to presenting topics seemed to mesmerize the participants. Many very lively discussions were part of our workshop’s context. Personally, I am very interested in re-booking this type of experience every year for new leaders to undergo! Michael J. Whitlock, Director of Fay Corey Union & ConferencesSUNY Cortland

Our Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) refresher training courses, available both online and in-person, are designed for managers and individuals in positions of authority who completed their original SMSTS training program less than three years ago. Aims Participants will undertake a concise yet equally engaging training program covering all essential aspects of enforcing health and safety codes of practice at construction sites. Topics include in-depth discussions on risk assessments and effective methods for monitoring and managing industry-specific hazards. Instructions For online courses labeled “Remote Learning,” a tutor will deliver the training via video call. All SMSTS courses are delivered and assessed in English. Participants must have a good command of the language to successfully complete the program. Additional attendee information will be provided via email. Please ensure you check your inbox.

LOOKING FOR: PICTURE BOOK TEXTS / ILLUSTRATIONS Lucy Brownridge is Editorial Director at Wide Eyed Editions and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, and formerly Thames & Hudson where she helped to establish the Children’s list. She has developed and edited books for children with Alan Ahlberg, Quentin Blake, Mariajo Ilustrajo, Kristjana S Williams, Bob & Roberta Smith, Yuval Zommer and Joe Coelho among others. She is the author of The Cat Family series, and many non-fiction titles for children. She is interested in the history of picture books and is always looking for innovative ways to use the book format. Her favourite books are funny, deceptively simple, thoughtfully written, distinctively illustrated and encourage a love for reading both words and pictures. Lucy would like you to submit the following depending on whether you are a picture book writer / illustrator or both. ABOUT YOU Include a covering letter, in a word document, telling Lucy about yourself and your sources of inspiration. If you have one, include a link to your website. She is keen to read stories she hasn't seen before or see artwork with a distinctive style rather than something that fits with trends. She has particular experience with picture books and illustrated narrative non-fiction. AUTHORS Please send a full manuscript (or 3), in a word document, starting with a short summary/blurb. Make the summary punchy and engaging. Remember that the best picture book stories are simple and every word should count. Do you see this book as part of a series? ILLUSTRATORS If you have a picture book idea please send a story board and a summary of the story. Please send a diverse selection of artworks from your portfolio. It is useful to see examples of the following: people of different ages and ethnicities, character studies showing a range of clothes and expressions, animals, a selection of everyday objects, wide-angle vistas, an example of a book cover (i.e. a classic book reimagined). Please send these in PDF where possible. (In addition to the paid sessions, Lucy 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: Thursday 24th April 2025 14:00 UK BST