News

Call of the Wild is one of the first organisations in Wales to achieve the quality award and become an endorsed training provider with Leadership & Management Wales (LMW) , the Centre of Excellence for leadership and management skills in Wales.

The Leadership & Management Quality Award represents the first definitive standard for training providers offering leadership and management development to companies and their employees. Those who gain the award become part of a select group of training providers who demonstrate best practice and maintain the highest standards.

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TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the “Sixth Sense” wearable tech, and “Lost” producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Read more…

Are you looking to grow your business in the next 12 months but worried about the cost. Call of the Wild have been working with companies throughout England  to effectively double their trainign and development budgets at no extra cost to you!This has been achieved using  a training and development Government sponsored scheme launched by Business Secretary Vince Cable called GrowthAccelerator.

In the past 12 months GrowthAccelerator has been the catalyst for many ambitious businesses to realise their high growth potential more quickly. A report has just been published reviewing the first year performance of the scheme. Here we share the insights from the service’s first year on what determines high growth potential and how GrowthAccelerator is helping businesses to deliver jobs and real economic value.

What Growth Accelerator Does

GrowthAccelerator works by finding businesses with the highest growth potential, identifying and helping to overcome the barriers they face and providing support under four streams of activity: Access to Finance, Business Development, Growth through Innovation and Leadership and Management.

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Call of the Wild has recently been asked to deliver a workshop on change to an audience of 50 education professionals who are delegates in a change management conference in Portsmouth.
Looking at change from the unique perspective of each individual the question that Call of the Wild intends to pose to the audience is:-

“Why do some individuals thrive on the challenges presented by change, yet others see change as a threat which has an adverse impact on their performance” Read more…

Our new ILM Level 3 Certificate  in Coaching and Mentoring goes live today. In addition the good news is that the course can be fully funded (subject to eligibility)

What is Coaching

Coaching uses one-to-one conversations and guided questioning to unlock inner potential. It helps managers deal with change and find solutions to business problems using their own resources. It’s an effective way of creating a high performance culture in your organisation. Read more…

Poorly Performing  Managers Need to be Offered Training or Face the Consequences!

To enable the directors to focus on running the company, a manager has been brought in. However, there have been a number of complaints about their poor management style. Can you dismiss them because of this?

To answer this question, we need to turn to the Employment Appeal Tribunal’s (EAT) recent ruling in the case of JJ Food Service Ltd v Kefil 2012. Mr Kefil (K) had worked for JJ’s, which is a major food distributor, for more than 14 years. During that time, he had been promoted twice, initially to warehouse manager and then to stock control manager. Read more…

At Call of the Wild measuring the success of the programmes we deliver for clients has always been of fundamental importance to us. With training budgets stretched and the need for your staff to be performing to their optimum levels making the correct decision about the right type of training at the right time has never been more important.

As a NEW customer of Call of the Wild why not contact us today to arrange a FREE no obligation Training Needs Analysis (TNA) from one of our friendly and qualified Business Managers. Read more…

Accelerate Your  Business Growth At No Extra Cost – Double Your Training Budget and Get Dramatic Returns

Thinking of growing your business this year but afraid of the cost of developing your staff? How would you like to accelerate your growth plans at no extra cost? With these new training grants you can claim up to a maximum of £2,000 per employee as match funding so you can effectively double your training budget!

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With the skills gap still a major issue in workplaces today, a number of recent reports have pointed towards giving employers more involvement in the design of training programmes.

Responding to the review on apprenticeships carried out last year by entrepreneur Doug Richards, the Government has said apprenticeships should be more focused on the needs of employers as some businesses find they are not tailored enough to their requirements. Clegg said he believes it is “vital” that apprenticeships are tailored around what employers want.

Clegg thinks this will enable the employer to design their own qualifications and choose their own training provider, rather than getting a “one-size-fits-all-programme” that is “bad for apprentices” and “bad for employers”.

Read more…

Creating Future Leaders – How Do Businesses Identify and Develop Their People

Succession planning is essential for any business intent on long term survival and is critical to ensure the future leadership of the organisation. That’s why ILM set out to find how businesses identify and develop the people who will become their future leaders, and what potential future leaders could do to improve their career prospects. Whether the aim is to develop potential leaders for the organisation internally, or to recruit the most talented external candidates to nurture and promote, in an increasingly competitive world, the search, retention and development of the leaders of tomorrow is complex and challenging.

The ILM conducted in-depth interviews with senior HR professionals in predominantly large corporate organisations and consulting firms. The sample size was large enough to provide a breadth of coverage, while the approach ensured a richness and depth of response which meant that the subtleties of the respondents’ different approaches were captured.

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Walk and Talk – The New Approach to Meetings

You’ve heard about walking the talk now the new fad is “walk-and-talks” according to the Sunday Times and the author Nilofer Merchant. Well what’s so new? We’ve been offering and delivering walking the talk events for many years with our clients seeing the benefit of this innovative approach.

So what exactly are “walk-and-talk” events? Well they are the art  of conducting business meetings on the move and in our case in an inspiring environment taking people out of their comfort zone.

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Last week we were lucky enough to have picked up another award in recognition of our green business practices.  This was awarded to a business that has demonstrated a dedication to adopt or improve sustainable green business practices within their operations.

View this video to find out the reasons why we won this award. Click on “More” Read more…

How Effective is Your Talent Pipeline?

Only 18% of employers expect candidates to have received management training prior to being appointed to a management position!

To complete successfully on the global stage UK plc needs a steady stream of management talent capable of delivering strong economic growth. Creating business leaders and managers should be a top priority for UK business and requires a fully functioning management talent pipeline.

These are the findings of a recently published report by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). They set out to understand the state of the UK’s management pipeline and where it could be improved. An independent report was commissioned with 750 UK organisations across the public and private sectors to identify the challenges they face in recruiting and developing skilled leaders and managers.

By talent-pipeline they mean a joined-up approach to leadership development that enables a flow of skilled and capable individuals through an organisation. A talent-plan meanwhile is the means by which a talent pipeline is implemented and defines the skills and knowledge required to ensure the future needs of a business are met. Read more…

Call of the Wild have recently been successful in winning two contracts with English local authorities and one with a Welsh local authority. Our expertise in management and leadership development has been recognised by Devon County Council, the London Borough of Enfield and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.

Call of the Wild have been awarded contracts to develop the leadership and management skills of staff within both Councils. These will be accredited Institute of leadership and Management courses for managers at various levels from first line, aspiring and senior management.

The courses being delivered are:-

• Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) Level 3 Award in First Line Management
• Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Level 4 Award in Leadership and Management
• Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) Level 5 Certificate in Leadership & Management
• Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) Level 7 Award in Strategic Leadership Read more…

Become Part of an Exciting New Concept in Social Media Training – The First of its Kind!

In partnership with one the foremost social media training companies in the UK, Marketing Tom Media, we have jointly designed this groundbreaking social media course entitled Social Media Interactive.

It represents a break from traditional social media training and combines social media tools with management training and team building approaches.

 Why is it Unique?

The course is unique in that it bridges the gap between learning social media tools and the application/transfer of the learning and use of those tools into the workplace in order to maximise the commercial benefit to the organisation.  It provides the missing link between learning and transfer of learning to the workplace using the combined expertise of social media gurus and best practise from the business world in the context of management and organisational change.

Read more…

When the stakes are high even the best can lose their nerve – When the going gets tough the tough can crack under pressure

It’s not just the England football team who are champion chokers we’ve seen numerous elite sporting teams and individuals display mental resilience over the summer with much to come with the Olympics. Bradley Wiggins being the most recent example of displaying not just physical but also mental toughness in the Tour de France

Examples are Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final against Roger Federer where how many times did you hear the commentators refer to each player either displaying or needing to show mental resilience under extreme pressure. What is it that allows someone like Roger Federer to serve on match point down and display no nerves and serve an ace. What sets him apart and makes the difference between becoming multiple grand slam champion and a nearly man. The same principle applies to golf. What enables one player to stand on the 18th green and sink that 6ft putt to win the championship when the majority of others fail under pressure on the run in. Adam Scott in the British open comes to mind in the recent British Open. Read more…

This month we are lucky enough to be featured in the Wales Business Insider magazine, the business magazine for Wales with news, business advice and profiles of Welsh companies. The interview concentrates on how we as a Company and management team balance business, helping the community and working with old friends.

We are an independently-owned, limited company set up by three friends who grew up together. Geraint,  Mark and Kevin are all local lads who have known each other since school. Having studied at University, they all returned to their home town to develop a business which encompassed their interests. We all have different but complementary skill sets  which mean we work extremely well together. Having the same background and knowing each other since childhood means we all have  the same core values which builds trust and respect within the management team. Read more…

Graduate Recruitment, Placements, Training  and Internships

In these difficult economic times businesses are always looking for innovative and cost effective means of recruiting new staff and introducing creativity into companies. This is why many UK companies are utilising graduate recruitment and internship schemes available in the UK.

There are many such schemes available in the UK which aim to support the deployment, development and retention of graduates’ high level skills, knowledge and innovative potential for businesses.

Your business could benefit from offering work experience to a student or graduate, take advantage of the cash support for staff training, recruit a student or graduate through a work placement or advertise a vacancy free of charge.

An Example of a Scheme from the West Midlands

Graduate Advantage offers FREE recruitment services to small and medium sized (SME) businesses across the West Midlands.Internships can vary in length from short projects to longer term roles (maximum of 12 months) and come in a variety of flavours including paid and voluntary.

To assist an SME with finding their graduate intern we offer a number of services including:

• FREE Payroll and HR Service
• Paid internships
• Voluntary internships

They can find you graduates with skills in areas including: Marketing, Business, IT, Science, Design and Engineering as well as enthusiasm and a genuine desire to gain experience. They have had graduates complete internships in all business sectors with projects including:

•  developing new products
• researching new markets and product lines
• diversifying your customer base
•  implementing a business development plan
• designing and launching a new website
• analysis of production line wastage
• assisting in the preparation of press releases and desk research
• supporting the organiser of projects and events
• supporting the writing of engaging company literature and website

Interested? What Help is Available to Employers

1. Graduate Talent Pool

Graduate Talent Pool is a new service, designed to help match the skills businesses require with those offered by new and recent graduates. On this website you can advertise internship opportunities for free, directly to graduates. You can also register up to 10 sifting questions so that only the most suitable graduates apply for your vacancies.

2. Regional Assistance

East of England

Graduate East England

London

Helping Graduates into Work

The Midlands

Graduate Central

Graduate Advantage

South of England

Graduate South West

Graduate Jobs South

Wales

Go Wales

3. Other Help and Advice

• Business Link provides advice on public funding support for businesses. It is a free service, open to all by phone (0845 600 9006), online or face-to-face at local branches.
• Support for employers and graduates will continue to be available through university careers services. Visit AGCAS – Information for recruiters.
• Advice is also available from the TUC.
• There are regional graduate recruitment systems or networks supported by England’s Regional Development Agencies (RDAs).

• Internocracy provides advice for graduates and employers about internship accessibility and quality.
• Information about internships and the status of volunteers can be found at Volunteering.org.uk
• Skillset provides guidelines for employers looking to offer Work Placements or internships in the creative industries
• The Arts Council’s guide to “Internships in the Arts” is a paper specifically relating to arts organisations who offer internships.

Call of the Wild specialise in graduate training and development with our courses such as creating future leaders, Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) courses, recruitment and assessment of graduates.

GO Wales is a European Social Fund and Welsh Government funded project. GO Wales aims to support the deployment, development and retention of graduates’ high level skills, knowledge and innovative potential in businesses in Wales.

The project offers a variety of services to help businesses recruit and retain graduate staff. Your business could benefit from offering work experience to a student or graduate, take advantage of the cash support for staff training, recruit a student or graduate through a work placement or advertise a vacancy free of charge.

The opportunities are as follows:-

1.Graduate Training and Development

GO Wales Graduate Training and Development Fund offers financial support for training and development of graduate level staff in Welsh SMEs. You may be able to access up to £1,500 per person to up-skill your business.

The benefits of the scheme include:

• Up to £8,500 per organisation to help eligible staff obtain qualifications
• An improved skills base in your organisation
• Positive impact on the retention of highly skilled staff
• An improved profile for your organisation by having highly qualified, professional staff
• A more competitive organisation as a result of accessing up to date knowledge, skills and techniques

If you are interested in accessing this funding to develop your graduates by using our bespoke graduate training development programmes then give us a call and use our experience to get the best out of your talent. Whether it be identifying future leaders, our Institute of Leadership and Management courses (ILM),  or developing team working then we can help.

If you are looking to select and recruit  graduates then also take a look at our assessment centre services.

2. Work Placements

GO Wales Work Placements give you the opportunity to attract the best students and graduates to your business. Employ a skilled individual to work on a short term project and receive a subsidy towards the salary costs

GO Wales offers you the opportunity to employ someone with a degree (or studying for a degree) to complete a project while working for your company for around 10 weeks

By taking part in the scheme, you will receive:

•A choice of high quality students and graduates
•People with specific knowledge and skills that can add value to your business
•A 6-10 week project completed
•Funding towards salary costs – up to £950
•A chance to see if the company can benefit permanently from graduate skills

3. Advertise a Job

GO Wales Jobs is the only free website in Wales dedicated to graduate recruitment Businesses and other organisations in Wales can advertise an unlimited number of vacancies via our online vacancy advertising service.

4.Work Tasters

GO Wales Work Tasters are  designed to provide students and new graduates with a ‘taste’ of a particular career or working environment.

The Go Wales project website can be found here.

Call of the Wild have this month been informed that our prestigious Investors In People (IIP) Standard has been renewed for a further 3 years. The Inspector actually commented that in all the years of visiting companies for IIP our Company was one of the best he’d seen.

The Investors in People Standard is a business improvement tool designed to advance an organisation’s performance through its people. Developed in 1990 by a partnership of leading businesses and national organisations, the Standard helps organisations to improve performance and realise objectives through the management and development of their people

Call of the Wild, being one the foremost leadership and management development companies in the UK already provide innovative solutions for Companies to develop their people. Our mission statement contains at its heart our objective of delivering business improvement through the continuing professional development of our own staff.

Kevin Gould, Director of Learning and Development, said “Through the renewal process we have sought to formalise our existing training culture and demonstrate a continued commitment towards developing ourselves and others. By renewing this Standard it will reinforce to our clients that we are a progressive Company fully committed to delivering business improvement through people development.”

Multi-award winning Call of the Wild prepare and deliver research based leadership, team and personal development programmes to a range of public and private sector companies across the UK. There’s less chalk and talk from us with a focus on your bottom line. We seek to make a difference in the workplace by measuring outcomes and delivering a return on investment.

A new survey published this week by the HR Group Penna and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) found that 43% of managers found their managers ineffective.

The main criticisms of managers include not setting clear direction, failing to manage conflict well, not providing development opportunities and not asking for feedback on their performance. As a result staff felt less committed to their organisations.

Manager effectiveness is closely linked to business performance with 80% of managers in high-performing organisations rated as effective compared with39% in low-performing organisations. We are in challenging times for businesses and developing effective managers allows them to make better decisions and release the potential of the people who work for them this increases how engaged they are and this impacts on the bottom line.

Managers and Leaders Underqualified

By 2017 the UK will have a requirement for a further 2 million new managers and there is little sign of preparation to meet this need. One problem is that the UK’s managers are severely underqualified compared with other professional groups, with ONLY one one in five holding a management-related qualification. The research found that young managers often take on their first management role without any training and feel they are in a catch-22 situation – they cannot get training unless they are managing people but then if they apply for a management role they have not got any experience or training.

What Type of Leadership and Management Training is Required

The research found 26 types of development in use and a real gap between what managers rate as effective and what companies provide.

Managers rate MBAs, management qualifications and management programmes by external providers highly but the most the most commonly provided development by organisations includes on-the-job experience, professional body membership and appraisals/skills audits. The research found that:-

• Short management courses by external providers are best for developing teams
• MBAs improve creativity and strategic awareness
• On-the-job experience led to managers making fewer mistakes
• Coaching improved how managers managed their emotions

Accredited Leadership and Management Courses Rated Highly

Leadership and management courses with qualifications, including CMI and Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), are rated highly, particularly by younger or first line managers which suggests that new managers need to learn the techniques of management before they are effective.

Coaching is rated as very effective by experienced managers. However in spite of the enthusiasm for development only 47% of managers report that they get the chance to use the skills they gained suggesting that organisations need to provide development which is relevant and then provide opportunities for managers to build on their training.

For more information on the CMI survey click here.

Are you 100% confident that you and your leaders are equipped with the skills necessary to deliver sustainable business growth during tough economic times?

How would you like to receive up to 50% funding from the Welsh Government towards enhancing your  Leadership and Management skills? The Enhancing Leadership and Management Skills (ELMS) programme is aimed at funding training courses seeking to improve and support the development of skills and capacity within Welsh companies and organisations.

Course Titles

We have now had two new courses approved by ELMS which means if you book theses courses you can benefit from up to 50% funding. The courses are:-

• Institute of Leadership and Management Level 3 Award in first line management. Click here for more info on ILM Level 3 Award
• Achieving and maintaining peak performance in challenging times through resilience and mental toughness. Click here for more info on our resilience and mental toughness workshop

Leadership and Management Training Grants Free Consultation

If you are interested in improving your or your organisation’s leadership and management skills in Wales  then contact us and we can put you in touch with a Human Resource Development (HRD) advisor who will work with you free of charge.