What does effective IT training has to do with chopping onions?

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What does IT training has to do with chopping onionsThere is an urban myth which carries a notion that the millions of different people who use Microsoft Office applications across all the different industries actually know how to use it effectively at work. But it’s a myth.

With Microsoft due to end their support of Windows 2003 many organisations are facing a challenge of upgrading their desktops, most probably to the latest Microsoft Office 2013. This might sound like a not too ‘big of a deal’ thing to do, but it will mostly impact employees who spent the last few years coming to terms with how to get the best out of the last version upgrade. And suddenly they are faced with yet another change.

In this feature our expert on live online learning, Jon Shepstone, takes a light hearted look at the significance of training support for staff during software upgrades and how such changes can further influence their work. Continue reading »

Your hidden drive – what you can learn from a challenge like London Marathon

Learning from London Marathon challenge I used to think that physical challenges are mainly about testing your own stamina and never really gave them much consideration. But recently my colleague Rich made me reflect on a challenge he took on to support Redtray’s chosen charity – Mencap. This year he ran the Virgin London Marathon to help raise money to support those with a learning disability. When he crossed the finish line, my heart leaped for a second, because I suddenly understood that actually physical stamina is only one part of the challenge. There was so much more he had to put in for him to cross that line. After watching him prepare for this ‘monumental task’, and then reaching the finish line, I realised that there’s a lot to learn from a challenge like this, and especially from those who take part in them. Rich is one of these people. Continue reading »

When snow hits businesses in March – how to recover lost productivity

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Severe weather - snowed in carsStaff unable to travel to work due to difficult weather conditions are encouraged to train remotely and make up for lost productivity with their improved skills.

Lost productivity during severe weather conditions cost companies up to £1.2 million a day. In recent years 1 in 5 employees were unable to travel to work when snow trapped most of the country at home. Learning and development experts advise businesses to encourage their staff to train remotely from home to compensate for the time out of the office. Continue reading »

Smart companies share the responsibility of CPD with employees

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Climbing the ladderRecently I’ve been reading a little bit about CPD and observed that a growing number of companies are starting to recognise business benefits of supporting their employees in managing their professional development. I thought that this article might help you realise the same thing if you’re not convinced that sharing responsibility for continued professional development with your staff can be advantageous for your organisation.

The CPD dilemma

Continued Professional Development (CPD) is a regulatory requirement in some professions, such as law, so the smart company is the one that takes a vested interest in its staff’s CPD programmes.  Continue reading »

The industry’s most social virtual classroom has launched

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Social learning blueThe new live online training portal, CloudRooms, has gone social.

We’ve upgraded our new virtual classroom solution, CloudRooms, and added a social learning element to its features. Redtray’s training division managing director, Jon Shepstone, says the changes will make it easier for learners to communicate with each other, share their knowledge, opinions and also boost each other’s motivation to training.

”Social learning is a natural part of people’s daily lives and we want to make it even more accessible for our learners. By giving them tools to communicate and express their thoughts after attending their training, we want to encourage them to share their knowledge with others and spark their colleague’s interest in gaining new skills“, explains Jon Shepstone. Continue reading »

Blisters, lack of Lucozade and the bloody 62mph: Andy’s 3 Peaks Challenge story

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Hurray to my eight courageous colleagues Rich, Carl, Andy, Mark, Graham and Luisa, who climbed the highest peaks of the UK, and to their ‘worthy of the Grand-Prix’ drivers Julian and Lisa who helped them accomplish the challenge in less than a day. Together they’ve raised more money for Mencap than they initially bid for. (You can see the outcome of their challenge at Redtray’s 3 Peaks Challenge page.)

The task they undertook wasn’t easy. Our Challengers were not only testing their stamina and determination on those peaks; they also fought against the clock between the summits, and that proved to be a huge challenge on its own. But I’m not going to spoil you the pleasure of finding out how our 3 Peaks Challengers conquered the peaks and what obstacles they had to overcome to win the race.  Read Andy’s journal and find out what it took him and his team to complete the challenge. Continue reading »

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