As organisations place greater emphasis on developing their staff, the Network has witnessed demand for these services grow considerably over recent years. In the early days, around 2008, the Network’s Learning Collaboration helped to train 36 organisations, fast forward to 2022 and they’ve helped train over 550 organisations. Additionally, the Network’s partnerships with qualified and experienced trainers have also grown, giving access to a variety of skills, knowledge, and talent.
Appetite for learning among our members continues to remain popular, even the challenges of the coronavirus outbreak didn’t affect course uptake, as Covid forced training courses and workshops online, during this time alone, the Network supported over 400 tutor led courses.
Introducing Kate Phillips – Cambridge Network’s new Learning and Development Manager
As we continue to place emphasis on providing an array of L & D courses and workshops to support Cambridge Network members and non-members alike, the Network would like to introduce our new key hire, a dedicated Learning and Development Manager - Kate Phillips.
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Here Kate tells us a bit more about herself:
“I’m really good at one thing, and that’s people development. Whether that’s helping them get connected to training, supporting trainers, or working directly with people development myself, to me it’s all about one thing: enabling people to be the best they can be so they can go on to do awesome things. I’ve been described as having a particular knack for identifying the best solution for you, a little like ‘the lady from Chocolat, who just knows your favourite’. I believe that’s because I’ve got a combination of years of experience (about 20 in L&D), training and qualifications (from CIPD to NLP and everything in between), and I’ve worked across multiple industries from leisure to manufacture to retail – global and local – and of course, the key ingredient, I revel in learning too.”
Kate highlights that research has demonstrated organisations that train and develop their employees produce better performing businesses, with benefits from retention to growth to innovation*. Training isn’t just limited to active skills that help colleagues ‘do’ their job, but also knowledge of key life skills (or human wisdom, as she’d put it) such as resilience and confidence, which help them ‘be’ a successful and fulfilled colleague.
*Check out HBR, Gartner or the LPI if you’d like to know more or get in touch to have a chat about training – it’s Kate’s favorite topic!
Kate’s thoughts on L & D trends in 2022
Kate goes on to say “In 2022, L&D will continue to be a vital part of any successful organisation, because people will continue to be a powerful asset. As jobs change, required skills and knowledge will need to adapt accordingly, and our people will also grow and adapt – not just in their skill base, but also as people, and that’s where L+D plays a crucial role, as per our skills and wisdom note above”
What Kate plans to bring to the Cambridge Network
Kate says “I just love connecting people to their ideal solution so they can go on and be completely brilliant at what they do. Over 2022 I’ll be looking to grow this part of the Network so we can work more for you as a centre for Learning Services, as well as a source of fantastic training that supports your capability.”
Want to find out more about our courses and how we can support you in your learning? Get in contact with Kate here
See the full range of open courses offered by the Learning Collaboration.
Find out more about professional in-house training courses and programmes.