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Short Courses
The Co-operative College is pleased to offer a programme of short courses designed to meet specific training needs of co-operatives. The programmes can be run on site for co-operative societies, at regional locations involving a number of societies, or at the College.
Our aim in devising the programme has been to build in maximum flexibility in helping to meet a wide range of training needs identified by societies.
In developing the programme the College has worked with its team of Associates, who are actively involved in delivering this programme. The programme is designed to complement and support the ongoing validated staff and management development programmes offered by the College.
We hope that you will consider the programme in planning your staff training requirements. If there are any subject areas that are of importance to you, and are not included in the programme, please contact us. One of our key priorities is to respond to the needs of societies, and we are confident that our extensive associate network will ensure that we can meet your needs.
Click the course title listed below for more details.
For more information please contact us by phone on 0161 246 2926 or by email.
Assertiveness
Why you should attend
To develop your assertive behaviour in order to increase your effectiveness at work and to improve the quality of your relationships at work and elsewhere.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Define assertiveness and examine assertion theory
- Analyse some of the obstacles to assertive behaviour
- Identify assertive techniques
Programme Content
- Assertive check
- Assertion, Non-assertion and aggression
- Barriers to assertion
- Recognising responses
- Effects of being assertive, non-assertive and aggressive
- Assertive techniques
- Dealing with difficult situations assertively
Duration: 1 day
topAssertiveness for Managers
Why you should attend
Difficult situations? Difficult people? We all need to be able to handle
these. To achieve our objectives we need to have people working with us
- not against us.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Define assertiveness and examine assertion theory
- Analyse some of the obstacles to assertive behaviour
- Identify assertiveness techniques
- Examine their own behaviour in light of this theory
Programme Content
- Assertion, non-assertion and aggression
- Recognising assertive, non-assertive and aggressive behaviour (verbal and non-verbal)
- How assertive are you?
- Obstacles to assertive behaviour (beliefs/attitudes)
- Where do these beliefs come from?
- Why assertiveness is important
- Giving feedback, constructive criticism, making requests
- Power, conflict, anger
- Action planning for time out
Duration: 2 days
Complaint Handling
Why you should attend
To identify methods of handling complaints in a positive manner. To development
standards of internal and external customer service in your organisation.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Recognise client complaints
- Explain the costs of a poor complaint handling process
- Use effective techniques that lead to effective customer service
- Identify systems for handling complaints
- Produce an action plan
Programme Content
- The nature of complaints
- Expectations - the need for a systematic response
- Turning awkward customers into satisfied customers
- Handling anger, aggression and inflexibility
- Developing positive working relationships
- Identifying and solving problems
- Organisational procedures to minimise complaints
Duration: 1 day
Co-operative Identity, Values and Principles
Why you should attend
All employees should be provided opportunities to learn about the distinct nature of the organisation they work for and how its identity fits into today’s market place. The programme is particularly suitable for unit level managers responsible for cascading key elements to all employees at their branch.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Explain the distinctive characteristics of co-operatives and the values on which they are based
- Explain key differences between co-operatives and PLCs
- Explain why values are important to business and provide examples
- Illustrate how co-operatives are applying values in business today
- Assist others in identifying how they can apply our co-operative values in the workplace
- Explain how the application of co-operative values can help build a successful co-operative business
Programme Content
- What is a Co-operative Society? – Co-operative Identity
- Key stakeholders in co-operatives
- The importance of membership
- Co-operative Values and Principles
- Application of co-operative values – past, present and future
- Personal application of co-operative values
Duration: 1-2 days
Counselling Skills in Victim Support
Why you should attend
To gain the knowledge and skills required in order to support members of staff who have been subjected to abuse and/or violence.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Identify and use appropriate counselling skills
- Identify own strengths and weaknesses in relation to interpersonal skills
- Recognise the attitudes which are most conducive to supporting their staff
- Identify the symptoms and effects of immediate and long term traumatic stress
Programme Content
- What is/isn’t counselling?
- Qualities and attitudes that promote trust in interpersonal relationships
- Identifying listening and supportive skills
- A three stage helping model
- Boundaries and limits
- Individual responses to trauma; immediate and delayed
- Use of referral agencies
Duration: 3 days
Discipline and Grievance
Why you should attend
Staff who may be involved in, or need to understand how to follow disciplinary and grievance procedures.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Describe the difference between grievance and disciplinary procedures
- State current legislation
- Give examples of counselling techniques
- Recognise skills required during interviews
- Recognise the reasons for changes in staff performance
- Be effective in using grievance and disciplinary procedures
Programme Content
- Working relationships in society
- Employment Law and EC Social Chapter
- Disciplinary and grievance procedures
- Disciplinary situations, attitudes
- Case Study - The Disorganised Manager
- Disciplinary simulations
- Group exercises
Duration: 1-2 days
Discipline and Grievance for Managers
Who should attend?
Managers and other professionals who need to understand and implement disciplinary and grievance procedures in their organisations.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Effectively design and implement procedures
- Recognise the importance of UK and European legislation and regulations
- Use counselling techniques
- develop interview and interpersonal skills
- Recognise and address difficulties in staff performance
- Follow disciplinary procedures to an appropriate conclusion
Programme Content
- Working relationships in society
- Employment Law and EC Social chapter
- Disciplinary and grievance procedures
- Disciplinary situations, attitudes
- Case Study - The Disorganised Manager
- Disciplinary simulations
- Group exercises
- Attitude difficulties
- Addicts and addictions
- Termination of employment and procedures
Duration: 2-3 days
Effective Report Writing
Why you should attend
Putting thoughts or information in writing is a day to day routine for many staff. The ability to communicate in the simplest, briefest and clearest way is essential.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Research, collate and organise information into a logical and balanced structure
- Adapt tone and style to suit a variety of readers and objectives
- Achieve precision and conciseness in the choice of words for written communication
- Write reports which are readable, clear and concise
- Practice an organised approach to writing
- Examine their own writing critically
Programme Content
- Report writing
- Purpose of reports
- What makes a good report?
- Getting the language right
- Use of graphs and charts
- Readable writing - the fog index
Duration: 1 day
Financial Awareness
Why you should attend
To introduce the role of finance and to learn how financial information is presented.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Explain the contents of a balance sheet
- prepare a cash flow forecast
- Prepare a profit and loss account
- Prepare a break-even analysis
- Prepare a budget
- Use key ratios to analyse a business
Programme Content
- The financial jargon buster
- Understanding the standards
- Planning, controlling and monitoring financial resources
- The financial responsibilities of non-financial managers
Timescale: 2 days
Health and Safety at Work
Why you should attend
This course is intended for first line and middle managers to help ensure compliance with current health and safety legislation and good practice.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Clarify current health and safety legislation and its application within their own organisation
- Review their health and safety policy for its appropriateness and the extent to which it is carried out
- Establish the principles of risk assessment and determine methods of complying with current requirements
Programme Content
- Identification of problems
- Review of current legislation
- Health and safety enforcement
- Risk assessment and controls
- First aid requirements
- Accident recording and reporting
- Fire prevention and procedures
- Health and safety management
Duration: 1 day
Interpersonal Skills and Management
Why you should attend
To enable you to enhance skills that are needed in order to work with and through others.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Identify their preferred style of management and the implications that different styles have
- Recognise opportunities and ways for developing their staff
- Select the interpersonal skills that are appropriate for specific manager/staff interactions
- State the various ways of handling conflict
Programme Content
- Introduction to management styles
- Motivation
- Delegation
- Monitoring and feedback
- Objective setting
- Interpersonal skills
- Handling conflict
- Problem situations
Duration: 1 day
Leakage Control
Why you should attend
To be able to implement better leakage control and measurement which will result in an increase in net profitability.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Know the effect of leakage upon the business
- Identify problem areas
- Implement better methods of control
- Analyse where loss is occurring
- Be better able to record ALL known leakage
- Concentrate effort into unknown areas of leakage
- Will be able to prioritise policies and procedures to reduce leakage
Programme Content
- What is leakage?
- How does it occur?
- What effect does it have upon the business?
- Cash procedures
- Staff checks
- Security aids
- Store layout plans
Duration: 2 days
Making Meetings Effective
Why you should attend
To develop the skills necessary to make meetings more effective and identify the key areas and roles required to achieve positive outcomes every time.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Identify the different types of meetings
- Select the most appropriate type of meeting for a given situation
- Develop the skills to be an effective member of a meeting
- Prepare effectively for meetings
- Compile an agenda
- Demonstrate how to chair a meeting
- Demonstrate follow-up actions to ensure effective outcomes
Programme Content
- What is the meeting style?
- Who calls the meetings?
- Examine the role of the Chair
- Have you invited the right people?
- First impressions and body language
- Listening and supportive skills
- Challenging arguments
- Maintaining enthusiasm
- Effective results
Duration: 1 day
Managing Performance
Who should attend?
Managers whose role is to achieve effective business results through people.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Agree objectives
- Delegate to and empower staff
- Coach staff to achieve results
- Identify the effects of different styles of management
- Use feedback to develop staff
Programme Content
- What is performance?
- How do I contribute?
- Key elements to the cycles of management
- Appraisal/evaluation to roles and job descriptions
- Strengths and weaknesses
Duration: 1 day
Managing Quality
Why you should attend
An understanding of and commitment to the basic philosophy of Quality Management is the first stage of establishing a quality culture.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Describe current quality issues in providing products and services
- Examine the nature of a quality culture and explore the actions required to establish and manage such a culture
- Define quality management
- Demonstrate methods of implementing quality initiatives
Programme Content
- Background to quality management
- Developing a quality culture
- Internal and external customer benefits
- Communicating the culture
- The ‘cost of quality’
- The organisational benefits of quality management
- Next steps
Duration: 1 day
Managing the Budget
Who should attend?
Managers who are new to the process of managing a budget.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Prepare a budget
- Describe the uses of budgets
- Explain different budgeting methods
- Follow the budget cycle effectively
- Prepare a budget proposal
Programme Content
- What are budgets?
- Why are budgets set?
- What are the different methods of setting up a budget?
- The budget cycle
- Presenting your budget proposals
- The responsibilities of the budget manager
Duration: 1-2 days
Negotiation Skills
Why you should attend
To increase knowledge and skills of the strategy and techniques that can be applied in order to reach favourable agreements.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Identify the stages in the negotiation process
- Plan appropriate strategies for successful negotiation
- Demonstrate successful negotiation techniques
- State how their approach to negotiation can be improved
Programme Content
- What is negotiation?
- Negotiation skills profile
- Negotiation ‘Killers’
- Authority
- Planning/strategy
- Negotiation styles
- Behavioural techniques
- Negotiation process
- Planning to succeed
Duration: 1 day
Presentation Skills
Why you should attend
To become more accomplished in presenting and communication.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Plan and structure an effective presentation
- Present with confidence and impact to an audience
- Handle questions from the audience with confidence
- Prepare effective visual aids
Programme Content
- The three R’s
- How do we prepare?
- Overcoming our shortcomings and nerves
- Audience psychology
- The finishing touches
- What should be in a presentation portfolio?
- Handling questions/overcoming objections
- Persuasive and assertive language/behaviour
Duration: 2 days
Project Management
Why you should attend
Project Management is an approach to the management of projects that allows work teams to accomplish tasks in a flexible and innovative manner within a systematic framework that complements quality management values.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- examine the purpose and organisation of projects and assess the benefits of project management to their own work roles and responsibilities
- define the characteristics of a project
- Use effective project management techniques
- Review methods of scheduling
- Use reporting and control methods
- Use critical path analysis
Programme Content
- Creating a framework
- Cross functional teams
- Identifying and developing the necessary skills
- Establishing parameters and objectives
- Measuring success
- Personal development benefits
- Organisational benefits
Duration: 1-3 days
Recruitment and Selection Techniques
Why you should attend
To acquire the knowledge and skill you need to recruit and select staff effectively.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Analyse a job to identify the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for its effective performance
- Identify sources and methods of recruitment including the preparation and placing of job advertisements
- Prepare a personal specification for use in the selection process
- Identify suitable selection techniques and evaluate their appropriateness
- Conduct effective selection interviews
- Ensure effective induction and follow up to the appointment
Programme Content
- Clarifying who you want
- How can we get the person we want?
- Choosing a suitable candidate
- Interviewing candidates
- Induction and follow-up
Duration: 3 days
Team Building
Why you should attend
Working in teams is a basic part of working life. Properly built and managed teams help the task to be achieved. This workshop will enable managers to work as a team and increase their effectiveness with their staff teams.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Describe group process and group dynamics through experiential and theoretical activities
- Recognise their own behaviour in teams
- Explain various methods of how to establish and maintain teams
- Identify and agree goals and activities critical to the success of the organisation
Programme Content
- Qualities of an effective leader
- The management process
- Planning, organising work/Managing time
- Leadership profile
- Situational leadership
- Building a team and team roles
- Motivation/Delegation
- Handling conflict and staff problems
- Feedback and appraisal
- Communication structure and roles
- Managing change
Duration: 2 days
Team Leadership
Why you should attend
To help identify and to assist in developing appropriate leadership skills in order to enhance your own and your team’s performance
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Identify your preferred style of leadership and how that fits in with the culture of the organisation
- Describe the process of group dynamics
- Recognise opportunities and ways of developing your staff
- State the various ways of handling conflict
Programme Content
- Learning styles
- Decision making
- Leadership styles
- Group dynamics
- Action centred leadership
- Motivation
- Delegation
- Feedback skills
- Handling conflict
Duration: 1 day
Telephone Reception Techniques
Why you should attend
To enable you to become more aware of the importance of your role in creating the right impression, when dealing with telephone and personal callers and enhance your existing skills.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- State the factors that constitute good customer service
- Use communication skills effectively to handle all types of call/visitors
- Establish callers’/visitors’ needs, obtain all necessary information and take appropriate action
- Control the call/visit and offer re-assurance if necessary
- Demonstrate how to deal with difficult situations courteously and efficiently
- Identify how their approach to customer service could be improved
Programme Content
- Telephone skills
- Establishing callers’ needs
- Handling ‘awkward’ callers
- First impressions
- Dealing with difficult situations
- Planning to succeed
Duration: 2 days
The Manager as a Developer
Why you should attend
To help you to recognise the importance of your role in developing your staff and to help you develop the knowledge and skill required for its effective performance.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Recognise the importance of their role in developing their staff and be prepared to allocate the time and resources required for its effective accomplishment
- Help staff assess the effectiveness of their performance and contribution and from an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses identify their training and development needs
- Coach and counsel their staff in relation to the knowledge, skills and attitudes they require to improve their performance and/or develop their potential
Programme Content
- What are staff looking for from their work?
- How are you doing?
- Coaching and counselling your staff
- Planning training development
- Training and development methods and techniques
Duration: 1-3 days
The Skills of Leadership
Why you should attend
To discover the value of motivating and developing people to assist in the achievement of organisational objectives.
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Establish the key areas in the make up of management and leadership
- Identify the key steps with particular attention to styles and levels of planning
- Identify and establish how teams function effectively and the skills required to build and lead a successful group
- Identify what motivates people and the process when developing people to their full potential
Programme Content
- What is a manager?
- How is management different from leadership?
- Taking charge
- Sharing decisions
- Planning and controlling
- Understanding and building teams
- Stages of team development
- Leading teams
- Team health and performance
- Importance of winning
Duration: 2 days
Time and Self Management
Why you should attend
Most managers and supervisors are faced with the basic dilemma of how to achieve more and better results in less time. This workshop will enable managers and supervisors to use their time more efficiently and achieve more in the working day
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Analyse how they, and those responsible to them, spend their working day.
- Develop a personal time planning system
- Delegate more effectively
- Identify ‘time-wasters’ for themselves and their staff and plan to overcome them
Programme Content
- Identification of personal and organisational objectives
- Focusing upon the effective use of time
- Recognition that self-management may be the fault
- Practical exercises on the use of time and the context of delegation
- Prioritising workloads
- Identification of what wastes time
At the end of the course, each participant will prepare a personal action plan on one aspect of the more effective use of their time.
Duration: 2 days