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HRD 2006: Conference & exhibition news

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is holding its annual conference and exhibition - HRD - on 4-6 April 2006 at Olympia, London.

Now in its 21st year, HRD aims to keep people management and development professionals up to date on the key issues.

The HRD conference is designed to provide delegates with the opportunity to network with other professionals in the industry and hear how leading organisations have approached and overcome key challenges within their business environments. This year's event has over 100 speakers, providing case studies, interactive workshops and training updates.

Running alongside the conference is the HRD exhibition that is expected to feature 300 suppliers covering many aspects of learning and development. On the run up to the event, we'll be looking at what some of those exhibitors will be showcasing.

30/03/06 - Seminar offers tips on tailoring training to different age groups

Among the 50 or so seminars at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) annual learning and development conference is one that aims to provide delegates with practical ways to tailor training to different age groups.

The CIPD says figures show people participate less in training programmes as they get older yet over three quarters (77%) of individuals agree that training and career advice will be critical in ensuring older workers continue working effectively past retirement age.

In the seminar, entitled 'Tailoring training to different age groups', Sally Jacobson, from London and Quadrant Housing Trust, and Carole Smith, from NHS Employers, will discuss how employers should respond to the different needs of their employees to ensure all individuals continue to add value and develop at all stages of their career.

Dianah Worman, CIPD Diversity Adviser said: "Research shows training can help motivate and retain staff, cutting recruitment costs and reducing sickness absence. But individuals have to want to learn and take part in the training if it is going to achieve organisational objectives.

"What works for one employee does not always work for another. Employers must avoid rolling out a training course to everyone just because it is a success for some employees. Older workers are a critical part of the labour force so it is important to identify individual learning needs and then target them with the appropriate training.

"Employers must invest enough time and money in order to get the training right. More emphasis needs to be placed on upskilling older workers in areas such as IT, and with IT skills being a requirement in many jobs in today’s knowledge-driven economy, it’s important that older workers maintain their skills in this area to add full value."

The CIPD conference has over 100 speakers, providing case studies, workshops and training updates. Other speakers include:

• Sir Bob Geldof, humanitarian, musician and entrepreneur, speaking about ‘Achieving your goals’
• Professor Rob Goffee, from the London Business School discussing ‘Why should anyone be led by you?’
• Professor Robert Winston, author and BBC presenter delivering a masterclass on Making the most of the human mind

28/03/06 - KnowledgePool (stand 1078)

Learning services company KnowledgePool has announced that it is introducing Kirkpatrick level three evaluation as standard for any of the 3,500 courses it provides through its online catalogue. The new service is to be launched at HRD 2006.

KnowledgePool says it has devised a questionnaire to assess changes in behaviour leading to performance improvement that are attributable to learning.

The company says the questionnaire, which is issued automatically six weeks after the learning is completed, is generic, so it can be applied to any form of learning intervention in any media, including blended learning solutions. KnowledgePool adds that LiveBooker, the company's learning management system, compiles the questionnaire responses and provides a management report on the results.

"All organisations want to understand how learning contributes to the performance of individuals and to the business as a whole," said Rod Edwards, chief executive of KnowledgePool. "However many fail to evaluate learning effectively because it is too time-consuming. With this new service enhancement, we can now provide clients with hard evidence of how the learning has impacted upon performance."

KnowledgePool says their LiveBooker system, a web-based suite of software and support services, enables organisations with large numbers of staff, and diverse training needs, to automate the process of selecting and administering training and learning activities.

The training courses cover a wide range of subjects, including personal and management skills, specialist business skills such as health & safety as well as IT skills, such as risk management, disaster recovery, data security and new technologies. They are available in many UK cities, including Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, London and Manchester.

28/03/06 - Information Transfer (stand 670)

At this year's HRD, Information Transfer will be showcasing its portfolio of services including bespoke e-learning, web-based knowledge management applications and corporate communication systems.

The company will also be highlighting the work it has been doing with Priory Group and Arts Council England. In the latter case, Arts Council England commissioned Information Transfer to create e-learning to help with staff induction and management development programmes.

Alison Innes-Farquhar, group director, hospitality; quality and learning & development, at Priory Group, will be presenting a case study about the induction training programme developed by Information Transfer for Priory Group at the HRD conference. The presentation - 'Managing the blend' - takes place on Tuesday 4th April, 3.30 - 4.45.

28/03/06 - Scott Bradbury (stand 1072)

Visitors to the Scott Bradbury stand can find out about the company's latest training title, 'A question of evidence', and request an advance preview copy of their next DVD title, 'WHAM! Getting them to do what you want them to do'.

Scott Bradbury says the 'WHAM! DVD is a performance management title aimed at junior and middle managers. Visitors can get a sneak preview of the DVD, which is due for release at the end of April, in one of the learning arena sessions.

Whilst on the stand, visitors can participate in Scott Bradbury's free prize draw for a chance to win a Philips portable DVD player. The company says visitors to its stand will be rewarded with a free chocolate echoing the promotional theme for 'A question of evidence': 'Some people look great at interview. But how will they perform when the wraps come off?'.

23/03/06 - Initial Style Conferences (stand 240)

Visitors to Initial Style Conferences' stand at HRD 2006 will be able to discover more about its latest products and services including Chocolate Team Building Events and its newly launched Comedy Weekend.

The Comedy Weekend was designed by comedian Bobby Bragg and actor John Arthur, directors of It's a Funny Business. Initial Style Conferences says the weekend offers attendees the chance to 'Have a go at being a stand up comedian' and is designed to help strengthen workplace skills such as:

• Presentation skills
• Confidence in the workplace
• Strengthened interaction & presentation
• Breathing techniques to assist with stressful situations

Visitors to the stand will be able to watch a video showcasing Initial Style's 29 UK venues and will have the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win a WiFi ready Fujitsu Siemens Laptop.

Head of marketing David Owen: "With a fantastic venue portfolio, innovative product range and leading edge technology, Initial Style supports HR departments throughout the country with their training and team building needs.

"This is an exciting time of development and change and HRD offers us an excellent platform to share our expertise and product range to the industry."

20/03/06 - Roffey Park (stand 450)

Roffey Park will be presenting a topic taster on personal effectiveness at this year's HRD conference.

Helena Clayton, principal consultant for personal effectiveness at Roffey Park, will be presenting the session called 'Personal effectiveness as the key to unlock organisational development' on 5 April from 3-3.30 pm.

Roffey Park says visitors to its stand will be able to take away a free guide called 'The three cornerstones of personal effectiveness'.

The guide aims to provide practical advice on how to make small changes on a daily basis that will have a direct impact on an individual's personal effectiveness.

"The business case for personal effectiveness is simple," said Helena Clayton. "Any organisation wishing to strive for high performance and guaranteed future success needs to be well-managed and well-led - and this requires personally effective managers and leaders.

"The challenge is for organisations to maintain a belief in personal effectiveness, even in tough times, as neglecting these vital skills can have major implications within organisations."

Roffey Park will be on stand 450 where visitors will also find information on the company's services including its executive development programmes and range of one-day conferences and seminars.

15/03/06 - The Leadership Trust (stand 550)

Visitors to the Leadership Trust's stand at HRD 2006 will have the chance to win a free place at the Trust's annual conference in September.

The Trust's conference, 'Leadership: Inspiring Greatness in Others', will take place at The Leadership Trust Centre in Ross-on-Wye. The Trust says the speaker line-up for the conference will include Nigel Risner, Professor Adrian Furnham and Gyles Brandreth.

At HRD, The Leadership Trust's senior researcher, Dr Gareth Edwards will be presenting a topic taster session entitled, 'The Dynamics of Dispersed Leadership', on Thursday 6 April between 1.30pm - 2.00pm.

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