Learning and Development Programmes
Learning and Development Programmes
To support the current and future leadership and management needs in a quality, relevant and cost effective way we have provided a range of accredited leadership and management and coaching and mentoring courses designed with the uncertain, challenging and ever changing local government climate in mind.
These can be delivered across the local authorities in your area and EMC will support the co-ordination of this approach. This will achieve significant cost saving and maximise collaboration, based on achieving cohorts of 12 people on each programme. An in-house option can also be available.
Our accredited training provider, Challenge Consulting and Training provide support throughout the learning journey, in addition to the delivery days, and have been awarded direct claim status from ILM for levels 2 – 7 due to their consistently high standards over several years in design, delivery and assessment. Their delegate pass rate of 96% is testament to the quality and supported development they provide. Our other training delivery partners are also experts in their field and consistently receive positive feedback from our delegates.
Supporting Leadership and Management Development
Please see below the range of accredited and non- accredited courses available for supporting individuals and teams to success.
This is a 6 day programme designed for those currently managing or aspiring to lead multi-disciplinary teams, particularly within the context of local government with cross-functional collaboration. It is ideally suited to officers and managers who work through influence and partnerships to deliver outcomes. The course covers essential leadership and management topics to build confidence in navigating complex challenges, improving service quality, and driving innovation in public service delivery. You can expect to learn more about
- The evolving role of the First Line Managers role in modern Public Services and connecting management practice to Local Authority Vision and Community Impact (goals and performance)
- Solving problems and making decisions
- Planning and Managing Innovation & Change
- Getting the best from others
This 6 day programme is designed for current and aspiring middle managers working within local authorities and public service organisations who are keen to enhance their ability to lead people and manage resources effectively. The Level 5 qualification equips participants to take on more complex leadership responsibilities—particularly where teams operate remotely, projects span multiple services or departments, and there is a need to collaborate with external partners to meet organisational objectives. The course supports participants in evaluating and strengthening their leadership capacity, with a focus on building confidence, driving continuous improvement, and fostering inclusive, engaged, and high-performing teams. You can expect to learn more about
- 21st Century Leadership – including managing flexible and hybrid working relationships
- Harnessing the power of your leadership capability, including emotional intelligence
- Understanding yourself and your leadership style – using the Myers Briggs Type impact to focus on the impact on key leadership activities of setting direction, aligning the team and motivation and inspiration.
- Innovation & improvement in the organisation & leading others through change.
- The Inspirational Leader & Managing Performance – to include constructive feedback particularly in difficult conversations, a coaching style of management to foster empowerment and approaches to navigate performance concerns.
This 9 day programme is suitable for current and aspiring middle managers who wish to extend their skills to get the best from teams and resources within their organisation. The certificate level 5 is a prestigious qualification, preparing managers for more demanding leadership roles where teams and individuals may work remotely from them, or where they need to engage with partners and other project teams inside and outside of the organisation. The course contains core topics relevant at a middle management level including managing self, leadership skills, innovation and change, stakeholder engagement, enhancing performance of teams/individuals, implementing and monitoring projects and communicating and presenting a persuasive case.
This 10 day programme is for current and aspiring senior leaders in local government and public service organisations offering the opportunity to enhance strategic leadership capability, drive impactful change, and deliver high-value outcomes for communities and stakeholders.
The programme leads to a nationally recognised qualification at postgraduate level and supports managers who are committed to strengthening their personal leadership profile while creating meaningful organisational impact. Participants will refine their ability to shape long-term strategy, influence across complex stakeholder landscapes, and lead innovation with confidence and clarity. The learning will be underpinned by practical and applied research and the application of theoretical frameworks at the leading edge of management and leadership practice. It will be a requirement of the course that delegates identify, research, analyse and create a plan for an improvement at a strategic level within their organisation.
For the public sector, change has always been a fact of organisational life. The pace of change has however, increased significantly and is alongside an unclear and changing external environment.
East Midlands Councils is providing a range of development opportunities to support senior leadership teams to better position themselves and their teams to lead during transformational change and uncertainty, ensuring that the organisation is resilient, outcomes are achieved, and staff are engaged.
Costs
For a 2 day package the cost is £4675.00 + VAT and travel. This assumes the use of your own venue.
Find out more: Leading through transformation and change
Managing change alongside business as usual has become a fact of life for managers, yet many have never received development to support them. Poorly managed change leads to lowered resilience at organisational, team and individual level, disengagement, failure to achieve outcomes and inefficiency.
Increasingly in organisations people are working across teams, with internal and external stakeholders and on multiple projects, tasks and activities. The concept of static teams is giving way to a need for everyone to be able to collaborate within a diverse workforce and with key stakeholders.
The changing local government landscape will also require greater collaboration now and in the future and this development will help develop the capability and confidence to collaborate effectively to achieve outcomes.
Coaching and Mentoring Development
Whether you would like to adopt a coaching style of leadership, develop your mentoring skills or become an accredited coach, the development opportunities below can meet your needs.Â
This 5 day programme is designed for those who are required to coach others within their organisation (either as a Line Manager or aspiring line manager) or where coaching forms part of their role and who would benefit from a Nationally Recognised Qualification. It is also helpful for managers, supervisors or team leaders whose organisation has adopted or wishes to adopt a coaching style of leadership. This is also suitable for aspiring coaches who wish to attain the knowledge and skills to actively coach others within a workplace context, and to enhance their confidence and understanding of coaching techniques to encourage others to think more carefully about their performance and career progression and to take ownership for decisions relating to their development.
This 7 day programme is suitable for those who are required to coach &/or mentor others within their organisation either as a line manager or as a participant in a wider coaching pool. It is also suitable for established or aspiring coaches and mentors who wish to attain knowledge and skills as a platform to provide commercial coaching and mentoring activities to clients as a career path /freelance. This coaching qualification includes
- Understanding the differences between coaching and mentoring
- The coaching framework and contracting
- Preparing to coach or mentor (analysing the starting point)
- Coaching and mentoring in practice and managing relationships.
This 9 day programme is designed for those involved in Executive Coaching and Mentoring, who wish to gain an internationally recognised qualification on the National Qualification Framework at Level 7 (assessed as similar to Masters Level). It is also relevant for those engaged in coaching or mentoring others at a senior level in organisations, where strategy, critical thinking and organisational development are integral parts of the coaching and mentoring journey, or those who aspire to develop a career path in coaching and mentoring at this level.
Provided by Coaching Focus, this 1 day coaching fundamentals programme provides a clear understanding of what coaching is and how it can benefit individuals and the organisation. This is an ideal introduction to coaching and adopting a coaching style of management. Using structured coaching and mentoring processes and proven tools and methods the 1 day programme includes:
- What is coaching within the workplace.
- The key components and skills of coaching within an organisation
- Managing/leading/coaching – the intent, behaviours, and applications of each
- Comparing coaching to counselling and mentoring and understanding the boundaries of each.
- Mental Health and Wellbeing – to provide an understanding of what can be done when mental health issues are present (referring to internal resources/EAP support)
- The range of approaches available to a coach (this links to the coaching
mindset, with the LEAP model bringing this to life)
- The LEAP Model–an introduction to a coaching conversation
- Structuring the conversation– using the GROW Model
- Opportunity to observe coaching in practice –from one of our experienced tutors
- Coaching practice in pairs
Delegates also have access to documentation prior to the workshop, a range of online resources, including videos, blogs, templates, session recaps and self-development tools and a workbook detailing all models and tools needed in the programme.
Delivered by Coaching Focus this half day introductory session provides a high level opportunity to understand the differences between mentoring and coaching; the key mentoring skills required and how to structure a mentoring conversation. The content of this session includes:
- Defining mentoring and understanding the differences between mentoring and coaching.
- Understanding the organisational context within which the mentoring takes place. What management style are mentees used to?
- Managing/leading/coaching/mentoring– the intent, behaviours and applications.
- Reading the room–what am I noticing in this conversation?
- The key skills of mentoring
- Chemistry and contracting – getting the journey off to a great start
- Structuring a mentoring conversation using the GROW Model and practical application of skills.
Workplace Mediation Skills
Course objective
To support people professionals, team leaders & managers in the principles and skills of effective mediation.
This two-day course is ideal for people professionals, team leaders and managers who are looking to incorporate some key mediation skills into their practice.
The programme equips you to be able to address workplace conflict at an early and informal level, ensuring that situations do not escalate to the point of requiring formal intervention.
Delivered face-to-face, Workplace Mediation Skills also provides the time required to explore each stage of our mediation model, and the opportunity to build up your confidence and competence by practising your skills on some case simulations.
Workplace Mediation Skills covers everything you need to be able to facilitate productive conversations between work colleagues.
On this course, you will learn how to:
- Use some key mediation skills
- Apply these skills in a step-by-step process
- Work confidentially and impartially when resolving workplace disputes
- Set up and manage a facilitated conversation between colleagues in conflict
- Deal with disruption and resistance during the meetings
- Get a good resolution without directing or imposing
- Ensure that your facilitated conversations are safe and effective
This two-day practical skills courses is designed to get you up-and-running with some usable skills straight away.
At the conclusion of your training, you will be able to:
- Define and understand how mediation differs from other methods of resolution
- What mediation skills can and cannot do.
- Why confidentiality and impartiality are important.
- Understand how workplace conflict starts and how it develops
- The signs and symptoms of conflict and the importance of early intervention. Dealing with resistance and getting buy-in.
- Use a stage-by-stage model for the resolution of workplace disputes
- Encouraging people in and then setting up and running a facilitated dispute resolution process.
- Set up and run a facilitated meeting between work colleagues
- Getting individuals to meet and to have a productive conversation. Managing disruptive behaviour.
- Build agreements between people who are in conflict with each other. Creating options for a resolution of conflict. Allowing parties to come up with their own resolutions
The course is a face-to-face, interactive event, run by a practising mediator who is an expert in the field from UK Mediation.
A range of methods are used to deliver the course, including:
- Customised video material
- Lecture and discussion
- Group exercises
- Practice sessions with simulated case material