I am committed to lifelong learning. All my working life I have been involved in the learning and development of others while, at the same time, studying and developing myself. My greatest satisfaction has been in seeing others succeed, particularly when they have overcome significant personal barriers or surprised themselves when they have achieved what they thought was the impossible.
As an indication of my own commitment to my own learning and the learning of others, I have just successfully completed a post-graduate certificate in Mentoring, Coaching and Supervision from City University. I have just begun a Masters level course with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. And I am an approved trainer for the Institute of Public Relations.

I believe that
• Learning and development is about organisations, teams and individuals
•Successful organisations - public, private and not for profits - understand the value of lifelong learning and support learning at organisation, team and individual levels.
• Teams that learn together grow stronger together and tackle challenges and difficulties more effectively
• Individuals who take responsibility for their own learning are better able to achieve their long-term goals. Supported by their team and organisation, they are more likely to realise their personal and professional potential.

Learning and development can be delivered in so many ways, through mentoring relationships, one-to-one coaching sessions, traditional workshops, seminars and lectures, online modules and on-the job training. While each method offers specific benefits, a combination of methods offers the most lasting and effective learning.
It is vital that whatever methods are used, learners are encouraged to reflect on their learning, perhaps by keeping a learning log or journal and that they are able to reflect on their learning with a learning partner, who may be a mentor, line manager or peer.

The learning and development initiatives we design at CBA take into account the organisation’s overall business objectives and include elements which appeal to all learning styles. Experiential learning is, however, a central component. We insist on a written brief and, while we have a suite of our own workshops, we always adapt material to meet specific client’s needs. We also research subjects thoroughly so that we can introduce new ideas and concepts in best practice.
Learning and development should also be fun – people learn better if they feel relaxed, at ease and are able to laugh while they learn. So we always try to build in exercises which loosen people up before the serious stuff – but even then, the serious stuff should be fun too. We can also help organisations to write and implement learning and development strategies, conduct learning needs analyses and implement development programmes. We have also helped to take organisations through Investors in People Standard.