Listening to local businesses The University of Suffolk is working hard to become the regional provider of choice for the delivery of continuing professional development and short courses for business.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) /Short Courses Debra Gingell, Business Development Manager for CPD is based at the University’s Ipswich Waterfront Innovation Centre (IWIC) and is developing a suite of short courses aimed at local businesses. “We’d like to think that whether you are a blue chip organisation, charity, SME or entrepreneur, engaging with the University of Suffolk (UoS) Business Engagement and Entrepreneurship services has the potential to impact positively on you and your organization,” she says. “We are determined to address the training needs identified by local business professionals, and to do this we put together a targeted survey which was collated by the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and other local partner networks. The results of the survey highlighted a need for courses on strategic decision making, leadership skills, managing people, business marketing and search engine optimisation, as key training requirements. We already have a substantial body of knowledge and expertise within the University, and we are also partnering with nationally accredited training providers in order to put together courses which we are confident will meet these training needs.”
Looking To The Future “We’re very excited by the development of The DigiTech Centre, a new state of the art digital skills training base, located at Adastral Park” continues Debra. “DigiTech is a unique collaboration between the University of Suffolk and BT, with funding from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and will be a CPD hub with its own approved professional certification examination centre. The delivery of the DigiTech Centre is being managed by Will Pryke who formerly managed BT’s Infinity Lab business accelerator programme and who commented: “The move to digital technology is transforming all industries and the support from the local business community has been overwhelmingly positive.” Get In Touch Debra urges local business professionals to give serious thought to the way they manage their CPD development: “As a professional, investing in your ongoing professional development is invaluable and gives you credibility in your job role and in your sector. Organisations that value and invest in CPD for their staff will often benefit from increased productivity, efficiencies, staff recruitment/retention and credibility.” The University’s survey of training needs in the region is ongoing and we would like to hear from you. If you are a business with bespoke training requirements, or an individual with specific professional development needs, it may be a very useful call to make.
The first CPD course of 2020 featured a partnership with the Institute of Directors to deliver their first Director Masterclass series in the region, incorporating sessions on strategic decision making and finance for business partnering. The feedback from candidates was excellent, and delegate Christian Doyle from Colchester-based Industrial Electrical Services Ltd commented: “This training gave an excellent in-depth look of effective company strategies with great insights into understanding risks and how a chairperson can facilitate productive board meetings.” Debra Gingell adds: “It’s great to get such positive feedback about our professional courses, but we never lose sight of the fact that business professionals are having to take time away from their day jobs to attend these learning opportunities. We are determined to prioritise a flexible approach to CPD - a strategy which extends to our own staff who have been undertaking training in Prince 2® Foundation as part of their own business education development. This year’s courses include short half-day workshops in search engine optimisation, cognitive behavioural therapy masterclasses, immersive digital technology workshops and Masters Degree modules in several subjects. The University is also well equipped to collaborate with organisations and businesses who wish to create bespoke training programmes. A recent example of this was the Return to Social Work course, commissioned by Suffolk County Council.
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