Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Started planning your training for 2010 yet?


We have just completed our review of our 2009 year in training and want to share some of the trends we have noticed to help you in planning and forecasting your training and training needs in 2010.

Hot Themes
Leadership and leadership topics continue to be a strong theme into 2010, but we our noticing leadership training is more often being offered at all levels in the organization and there is more of a focus on building future leaders from within. Project management training had another good year last year and again we forecast it to be a big theme for training in 2010 - our clients seem to be moving away from bringing full Project Management training programs in house and instead are focusing on shorter duration, more intensive, applied project management training using real examples from their workplaces.

The economy last year saw a spike in the requests we received for team building and conflict resolution as people were being asked to do more with less and were feeling the fall out themselves from the rough economy. We also saw organizations wanting to invest more in building or rearranging their existing teams rather than taking on Te expense of hiring new team members. We also saw an increase in Customer Service training requests - both of these trends are expected to continue to 2010. Customer Service training is one of the hottest themes we have going into the New Year.

Best Dates
February and October are by far the busiest months for training as both public and private clients fill their calendars. In fact if you are looking to book training dates with us in February 2010, contact us soon! Several of our clients are closing or slowing operations during the Olympics and using this time for staff training.

In 2009, we experienced the usual slower July and August as many organizations run with lower staff numbers in the summer. We also noticed a quieter June to coincide with the nicer weather we had. So, this year, we will be expanding our summer sale (same great quality at lower summer prices!) to include June too - a great chance to get your staff training at a budget conscious price. A limited number of June dates will be opened in May - take advantage now and reserve your June dates by the end of January to ensure you get the dates you want. No money down!

Length of Training
In 2009, we saw an increase in the number of requests for shorter duration training - 1/2 days or intensive 1 day sessions. Clients were (and we predict still will be) looking for high impact training that is engaging and interactive and can produce tangible change - in 1 day. Using our knowledge of brain-based learning and our in-house curriculum design expertise, we have modified many of our curriculums and delivery strategies to better meet this demand.

In 2010, we will also be adding a "Books for Breakfast" program where we will be hosting a monthly morning discussion on the trends in the latest books on business and how this information can be transferred back to participants own workplaces. If you would like a personal invite to our first Books for Breakfast session, send us an email to events@actraining.com and we will send you a voucher for free admission.

The future
The future looks bright for corporate training in 2010 and we are excited to be entering our 20th year in business. We are proud to share our lessons learned and remain optimistic about learning more!

Please feel free to contact us at Advance Corporate Training Ltd. at 604.521.5473 or visit our website at www.actraining.com. We are eager to be of service.

Happy holidays!

Janet Dean
President

Monday, December 14, 2009

Slight delay....

Looks like our server is down for the count in the office. Hit by a virus, and after many hours of loving care - it has to be taken away for repair.... This means we are without our contacts, calendars and certain files. So, please forgive us if we are delayed in getting back to previous emails you have sent us or if we use the phone instead of email. Luckily, we are "old school" and have kept paper copies of the essentials. We hope to be back up and running as soon as possible.


Maybe it was the snow.....

Monday, November 23, 2009

Holiday Office Hours


Yes it's that time of year again.

The office of Advance Corporate Training Ltd. will be closing for the holidays at 3pm on Dec 24th so our staff have a chance to get home and celebrate with their families (or get in that last minute shopping!) We will remain closed Dec 28-Jan 1, reopening in the New Year on Monday January 4th.


For urgent requests during that time, please use our 24 hour contact line. We will endeavour to return emails and messages promptly on January 4th.


We are looking forward to a wonderful holiday season and wish the best for you and yours.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Master Facilitator Level 2 Rescheduling

The Master Facilitator Level 2 has been rescheduled from the original dates - November 20 - 22, 2009 to the following week November 27 - 29, 2009.

MF Level 2 - November 27 - 29, 2009 - Friday, 6pm - 9pm, Saturday & Sunday 9am - 4pm.

To register contact Caroline Armstrong at 604.521.5473 or via email events@actraining.com

Friday, October 16, 2009

Project Management Conference


Our own Janet Dean will be speaking at the upcoming PMC - Project Managment Conference, November 17 - 19, 2009, taking place at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife, NT. This conference is sponsored by the Northwest Territories Public Works and Services. Janet will be presenting on the morning of Thursday, November 19th on the topic of "Leadership - Powered Project Management: traits of great project leaders, leadership styles for various projects and teams, practical proven tips to achieve extgraordinary results."


For more information on this conference please go to the website of Northwest Territories Public Works and Services www.pws.gov.nt.ca/asset/conference.htm

Monday, October 5, 2009

Master Facilitator Program

Now that we are are all settled into our new location, here are the next dates for the Master Facilitator Program.

Each level is $595.00.

MF Level 1 - October 23 - 25, 2009 Friday 6pm - 9pm, Saturday & Sunday 9am - 4pm

MF Level 2 - November 20 - 22, 2009 Friday 6pm - 9pm, Saturday & Sunday 9am - 4pm

MF Level 3 - December 18 - 20, 2009 Friday 6pm - 9pm, Saturday & Sunday 9am - 4pm

All classes will be at our location: 204 - 360 Edworthy Way, New Westminster, BC

To register contact Caroline Armstrong at 604.521.5473 or via email events@actraining.com

Friday, September 11, 2009

Our Office is Moving


The day has come for our office move!
Advance Corporate Training Ltd. will close down today at our old office at 4pm and open up Monday morning at our new location at 204-360 Edworthy Way in New Westminster. Once we get settled in, stay tuned for an announcement of our open house.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as our phone systems, computer networks and personnel and records make the transition.