Public service sector and VCSEs training
We deliver a wide range of training programmes, and related services, across the public service sector (local and central government, non-departmental public bodies, NHS, schools, universities and research bodies) and for VCSEs (including housing associations).
Some of this work is done on a more or less ‘off the shelf’ basis, via The In-House Training Company, some of it on a more bespoke basis via our specialist sister brands, Maximum Performance, Maximum Coaching and Maximum HR.
The programmes listed below have been delivered to more than a hundred public service sector / VCSE clients within the last two years alone. (Some of the links will take you to other parts of this website, some to our sister site for Maximum Performance, Maximum Coaching and Maximum HR.)
We are proud to work with a great team of trainers (subject matter experts across a range of disciplines, all with extensive public service sector and VCSE experience) and a range of great clients. How could we be of service to you?
Webinars
Looking for a virtual option? Most of our programmes can also be delivered in webinar formats. To discuss what this might look like for your organisation, give us a call on 01582 463463 to talk through your requirements. (See also the extensive range of ‘off-the-shelf’ webinars offered by our sister company, Maximum Performance, here.)
Programmes
Coaching
- Coach mentoring – offered on both a one-to-one basis or, as delivered to a couple of clients recently, as a series of bite-sized team and individual modules
- Coaching – we regularly deliver coaching on a one-to-one basis, at a variety of levels and for a variety of purposes (including outplacement coaching), for councils, non-departmental public bodies and universities
- Coaching skills for line managers / business partners – a very popular two-day programme, as delivered within the last couple of years to a number of non-departmental public bodies and a university
- HAY ESCI – we use a number of different assessment and profiling tools and are often asked to deliver feedbacks sessions. Most recently we ran a Hay ESCI feedback session for a hospice group.
Commercial
- Bid writing – there’s an art to bid writing but there’s also a process. This one-day workshop is an opportunity to not only learn about the key aspects of successful bid writing, but to also put them into practice
- Commercial awareness in the public service sector – a very popular one-day programme delivered to a number of councils up and down the country; also run as a tailored half-day briefing for senior management teams
- Commercial instinct – this two-day programme also runs in a one-day version for public service sector clients
- Specification writing – we have a number of different programmes even on this specialist subject; this is the procurement-focused one we ran recently for a major central government body in Ireland recently.
Corporate governance
Customer service
- We do a huge amount of training under this heading, some of it based on our very popular ‘flagship’ programme, GREAT Customer Service, and some of it on a completely bespoke basis.
- Challenging client conversations – for anyone dealing with customers and the challenging situations faced
- Reception perfection – one of our many customer service training programmes, this workshop has been run in both half- and full-day versions for colleges, housing associations, the NHS, etc.
- Resilience in customer service – a programme for all front-line staff, particularly those whose role requires them to say ‘no’ more often than ‘yes’
Finance
- Credit control and debt recovery – a worrying topical one-day programme, delivered by a national authority on the subject
HR (for both HR professionals and line managers)
- Attendance management – notwithstanding progress in recent years, attendance management is still a much bigger issue in the public than the private sector. This one-day programme will help.
- HR team identity day – this facilitated session is one of our most popular programmes; it’s usually tailored to meet individual clients’ specific requirements and has been run for a range of organisations, including charities, universities and non-departmental public bodies. Professional HR also gets very good feedback.
- Managing people within the law – another one of our one-day HR skills programmes which clearly strikes a chord in the public service sector
- Recruitment and selection interviewing – one of our core HR for line managers programmes, this workshop has been run for both charities and local councils within the last couple of years
- Workplace investigations – a niche topic, one might think, but this is one of our most popular programmes, delivered to a range of councils, charities, colleges, universities and non-departmental public bodies
- Writing policies and procedures – a highly practical day to help you create better documents with less effort
Health & safety
- CDM – the 2015 regulations led to a rush of demand from a range of councils and housing associations for this one-day programme
- Control of contractors – a one-day course, as run for a hospital
- Leading safely – a one-day IOSH-accredited programme, as delivered to a number of charities recently
- Personal safety – a flexible format session for lone workers and others
- Personal safety for Elected Members – an early evening session specifically for Elected Members
- Violence and aggression at work – an essential programme for those whose role exposes them to aggressive or violent behaviour
Management and personal effectiveness
- Agile working – this half-day module is designed to help those managing agile teams. It focuses particularly on the three core issues of trust, delegation and empowerment. Or it can be tailored to reflect your own organisation’s particular priorities. Similar modules also run for staff.
- Beating stress – a very practical half-day workshop exploring the causes and impact of stress and providing an opportunity to learn some new ideas and techniques to cope with it (as run on a regular basis for a county council)
- Building successful working relationships – a modular two-day programme as delivered for a CCG, day one focusing on internal relationships, day two on external
- Chairing skills for Elected Members Masterclass – as delivered most recently for a London borough, this two-hour masterclass has been designed to provide Elected Members who chair meetings with an in-depth knowledge of the protocols and behaviours needed to ensure that meetings are managed not only effectively but also in full accordance with the expectations and requirements of all the various stakeholders
- Change management – a topical subject within the public service sector, which we have covered in a variety of formats, half- and full-day, for managers or for staff
- Communication skills – a tailored half-day programme, as commissioned by a charity
- Conflict management – as run for a major research body (also run as a half-day module for an NHS CCG, as ‘Nipping conflict in the bud’)
- Honest conversations / Difficult conversations – of course, there’s more than one way of looking at some subjects, so the choice is yours (as it has been for a couple of local authorities recently)
- Influencing skills at work / Influencing skills for HR – another example of a choice of programmes on the same topic, to suit different clients’ preferences
- Making the most of your time – a tailored bite-sized session which we’ve run a number of times for a county council
- Management in a day! – a tailored version for a large council of one of our most popular programmes, also run as ‘Welcome to line management’
- Meetings and how to run them – this bite-sized module (as delivered for a CCG and a university) is designed to equip those required to manage meetings with the necessary structured approach, etiquette and personal assertiveness skills
- Minute-taking – a half-day workshop, as run for a CCG
- Motivating people: skills for managers – a one-day programme, as run for a council
- Performance management conversations – we run a range of programmes around this subject, half- and full-day for managers and staff, for charities and councils; some focus very much on the performance conversation, others on different aspects of the process, such as objective-setting, interim reviews, end of year reviews, etc
- Presentation skills – delivered in a variety of formats, including Talk like TED!, a hugely popular one-day programme also run as an open course
- Report writing – run in both a generic and a tailored version, the latter focused on writing reports to be submitted to Elected Members
- Resilience – a popular subject in the public service sector these days, we have run a number of resilience programmes for different local councils recently in a variety of different formats, including half- and full-day options, and in different versions for managers and staff
- Stress management for HR professionals – a facilitated session to help them identify how they can best support their organisation in preventing, reducing and managing stress. Based on a programme we ran for a London Borough. for the HR team (Hackney Council)
- Team identity programmes – tailored one-day sessions for senior management teams and others, as run for councils, housing associations, non-departmental public bodies and others
- Time management – a hardy perennial, run in a variety of versions for different clients, including Work smarter
- Train the trainer – we run a number of programmes on this subject, including the three-day Brilliant workshops, based on Cyrus Cooper’s book of the same title
Project management
- Project management – we run quite a range of project management programmes, some of them at an introductory level, some more detailed – the choice is yours; Business project management is particularly popular with non-technical audiences
Clients
Within the last two years alone, we are pleased to have delivered top quality training (and other interventions) to more than 100 different client organisations in these sectors, including:
Local authorities
Public service sector (central government, non-departmental public bodies, NHS)
Schools, universities, research bodies
VCSEs (including housing associations)
Feedback
We are blessed with a team of outstanding trainers and many of our programmes are tailored to the needs of the client organisation, so it’s no surprise that our training hits the spot. See what a few of the participants in our workshops for the public service sector and VCSEs have said:
Participants’ comments
‘Just great!’
‘The course was very good, I felt challenged in a positive way and the exercises were relevant to my role in the public service sector. I will recommend this course to others most definitely. Thank you!’
‘Excellent.’
‘This is the second bite sized course I have done with Amanda – great, engaging course leader.’
‘I loved it.’
‘Excellent course – thank you! I have learnt so much from this.’
‘Very worthwhile and thought provoking.’
‘Great interaction, lots of content, plenty of time to “chat” rather than be talked at.’
‘An excellent course.’
‘Brilliant!’
‘Really enjoyable day, great to share it with others in the same boat!’
‘I enjoyed the practical and interactive nature of the day.’
‘Excellent course content and superbly delivered – thank you.’
‘I found this course a lot more productive than I had expected. I particularly appreciated practical tools.’
‘Excellent day. Best training delivered to me so far.’
‘Engaging and lively.’
‘Very informal trainer. Knows what she is taking about, energetic and passionate!!!’
‘The day has flown by. A very enjoyable course which I think everyone working for or on behalf of the Council should go on.’
‘Thoroughly enjoyed the course. Very educational and thought-provoking.’
‘I thought Amanda gave an excellent delivery and made the content interesting.’
‘Excellent course.’
‘Thank you so much, excellent course.’
‘Great facilitator!’
‘Really enjoyed the training – thank you.’
‘The atmosphere created by the trainer made potentially difficult subject matter easier to discuss.’
‘Definitely worth it.’
‘Very useful course.’
‘Brilliant, Amanda is excellent at her job.’
‘I normally dread training courses and having to speak out and Amanda made me feel comfortable and confident to engage and participate.’
‘Inspirational facilitator.’
‘Every person in my team should attend. Very professional.’
‘Trainer made course fun.’
‘Lively and varied presentation style and delivery personable, approachable, well paced and time managed.’
‘A really informative and interesting course which has given me lots of ideas – thank you.’
‘Great workshop! Thank you!’
‘Brilliant all round!’
‘Fantastic.’
Inspired? Then please just give us a call on 01582 463463, with no obligation at all, to discuss your training requirements. We’re here to help!