It’s not often that there is good news regarding funding for training and development, so this is worth shouting about!

If you have been in business for at least 12 months, have between 2 and 249 employees, and want your business to do better, then read on…

The Skills Funding Agency is offering grants to help leaders of eligible organisations to pay for training and development to help their businesses grow. The grant will pay for 50% of approved training (excluding VAT) up to £1,000. For example, if the training costs £1,000 plus VAT, you can claim back £500. If the solution costs £2,500 plus VAT, you can claim back £1,000.

Solutions need to be linked to one or more of the following:

1. Developing a highly effective personal leadership and management style,
2. Creating an effective business culture,
3. Planning and developing your business and its teams, or
4. Building high performance across your business.

These are quite broad headings, and I would be surprised if you can’t think of something you would like to improve that doesn’t fits into this criteria.

For more information, or a no-obligation chat, call me on 07913 895798 or email me on edhart@yourfbs.co.uk today!

I had a conversation today with someone about pensions. Now I am not a personal financial advisor, and I gave no advice, but it did make me think about what I do do.

I have been taught that a good Finance Director knows everything, and that a really good one will get everyone else to do it for him (or her). I am not so sure any more. I think a good Finance Director knows how to find out everything he doesn’t know, and that a really good one will help others to do the best they can. After all, a really good Finance Director knows the financial situation, has a good idea of the aims of the business, and a pretty good idea of what every department is trying to achieve. I agree that generally it is up to others to make things happen.

More than any other department, Finance is judged by a very simple metric, is the business performing as well as it can. It’s existance is not about sales, or marketing, or brand awareness; and yet a good Finance Director is assessed on how well the business as a whole is doing.

So what has this to do with pensions? Well, it reminded me that I don’t know everything about pensions, but I do know the questions to ask to ensure the business is compliant. I also know what to ask to see what plans the business has in place to make the most of its staff and goals to see if it is as successful as it can be.

A good Finance Director is good with numbers; a really good one knows what questions to ask. How good your business is depends on how well you can answer the questions.

Are these courses of interest to you?
Managing Operations
Managing People
Managing Markets
Writing For Staff/Customer Magazines

I have just discovered an organisation that aims these courses at those who need them most – the managers. They aren’t about teaching staff to be able to add or spell, but about enabling them to manage their work more effectively and productively.

I used to despair of managers who were technically great, but terrible managers. It now seems that help is to hand. Based in the Midlands, Skills For Business is offering partly funded courses.

And if you say that you read about it here, they might even send you some chocolate!

http://www.dmu.ac.uk/partnerships/skillsforbusiness/

Spent a great afternoon today on a panel presenting to a group of aspiring film makers. I am always inspired by those who have creativity running through their veins. Something about art being the object of their day’s work, not the pursuit of profit.

My input was to help improve the participant’s business skills. Also on the panel were four (yes, four) lawyers.

Art is good, sustainable art is better; be led by your work, not by the corporate structure.

Thanks to The Producers Forum for organising a great session. http://www.producersforum.org.uk/about.asp