Management Development

With the increasing emphasis in the public sector on information, organisations need excellent communicators who are capable of delivering their messages clearly and persuasively. Clear, concise writing plays a central role in the work of the organisation. Staff sometimes find writing difficult and challenging in this communication process. This course aims to develop and enhance participants’ writing skills and to cover the core elements of writing.

In this era of corporate governance and accountability minute taking is a responsible position that requires individuals who can take clear brief easy to read and accurate recordings of decisions and actions. This half-day Minute Taking for Meetings workshop will be highly interactive involving participants in small group work and skills practice.

The Chairing and Managing Meetings workshop aims to take the pain out of meetings and to introduce staff to the principles and techniques involved. Meetings are an important and integrated part of organisational communication consultation, debate and decision-making. Organisations need effective meetings but these do not happen without correct procedures, preparation and planning. The workshop will focus on providing an opportunity to participants to learn the skills needed to hair meetings and/or to contribute effectively to online and face-to-face meetings.

Using time well improves our overall effectiveness and adds to the quality of life. However, the management of time continues to be a serious dilemma for many people today despite our apparent familiarity with many of the practical approaches and techniques. This Time Management workshop provides participants with a range of approaches and techniques including: setting objectives and priorities; weekly and daily planning; analysing the nature and context of a job; styles of working; devising an overall strategy for managing time and achieving a work/life balance. The thinking behind each approach is discussed, followed by suggestions and self-assessment exercises.

This two-day Social Media Strategies course has been designed specifically for the Irish Public Sector to enable staff to produce an effective strategy for managing social media and to significantly improve communication and engagement.

The course is led by an experienced social media practitioner and is designed for staff responsible for the oversight and/or development of social media programmes. Participants will benefit from a mix of critical reviews, reflective learning and practical exercises and will also produce a social media framework for their organisation.

LinkedIn Fundamentals for Public Servants is a one-day Specialist-Led online course that will give participants the practical skills and knowledge to successfully use LinkedIn – the world’s most important business and professional social media network.

Data protection compliance is a key duty of all organisations, public and private, which handle personal data. As well as the legal and regulatory impact of a serious data protection incident, the harm to trust, brand and reputation can be literally incalculable. The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect on 25 May 2018 and created significant new obligations, as well as massively increased financial penalties – up to €20m or 4% of global turnover. This Certificate in GDPR and Data Protection course will give you a clear understanding of your organisation’s main data protection obligations under current legislation and the GDPR, and how to ensure your compliance.

Freedom of Information for Decision Makers is an intensive one day course for people charged with making decisions in relation to applications for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2014, which was enacted on 14 October 2014.  Reference will also be made where appropriate to the repealed FOI legislation (1997 and 2003) and to Data Protection legislation and obligations under it regarding Personal Data.  

The purpose of this course is to bring participants through the different Parts (1-7) of the new Freedom of Information legislation and to explore with them the implications for their organisations. Emphasis will be placed throughout the course on the sections that are most relevant to attendees. By the end of the course, participants should feel more confident when dealing with an application for information under FOI Act 2014.

This half-day online GDPR Awareness Briefing is similar in content to the Introduction to Data Protection and GDPR but is aimed as people who are not directly involved in the processing of personal data but who should have a high-level working knowledge of GDPR.

This two-day Administrative Law programme has been developed for civil servants and staff working in public sector agencies, offices and local authorities. The course will introduce participants to the core principles and legal rules that govern judicial review and the legal process involved in administrative law. It will also examine specific instances in which judicial review arises, with an emphasis on how litigation can avoided.