Brighthr days ahead

This month we launch a free resource, designed and developed by the CfA. brighthr is an online support tool that instantly creates effective, tailor-made HR documentation for office and administrative staff.

Fully interactive templates allow quick and easy production of everything needed to select, recruit and appraise employees using the Business, Administration and Governance National Occupational Standards and this free tool will benefit end users in small to medium enterprises across the UK.

brighthr

• saves time and reduces the potential for errors in document completion
• avoids duplication of work and ensures documents are accurately completed
• gives users piece of mind, knowing that data is protected
• uses a compact file format to send files quickly and reliably by email
  
  

To find out more about brighthr please contact Kelly Saliba

ePortfolio events are us

Following the success of our forward ePortfolio PLUS, during 2008, we are delighted to announce a brand new series of demonstration events throughout the UK in 2009.

With the opportunity to see a product demonstration in real-time and meet other forward users, these events are the ideal opportunity to understand the ins and outs of the best value for money online solution available on the market.

Contact Cameron Woodrow for further information and to register your interest – dates available are:

For further details please click here

You’re hired!  Apprenticeship week

Given that the economic climate is even tougher than a few months ago, it’s more important than ever to invest in skills. And so our priority is to persuade more employers to offer apprenticeship programmes. Apprenticeship Week from 23rd-27th February, part of the Government's drive to increase the number of apprenticeships in England to 400,000 by 2012, followed a recent advertising campaign featuring Sir Alan Sugar, successful businessman and star of the TV series ‘The Apprentice’.

One of the skills and training gaps recognised by both government and industry is for employees working in Business & Administration. There are currently five million people employed in Business & Administration, representing 20% of all employees in the UK and research has shown that by 2012 there will be a shortfall of over four million administrators unless drastic action is taken.

To read more about what else the CfA said about Apprenticeship week and hear our readers’ contributions, please click here.

Bolton Community College - Apprenticeship students from Bolton Community College were recognised for their hard work at the annual Apprentice of the Year Awards during Apprenticeship week. The evening was organised to celebrate the students’ achievements and acknowledge the exceptional support given to them by their employers and College tutors. Over 80 employers, apprentices and College staff attended the evening which was held in the College’s training restaurant, ‘GrosvenorRestaurant.’To find out more please contact karen Gallagher.

The Priory School- two of their Year 11 Young Apprentices – Connie Willoughby and Lydia Stephenson gave a brief presentation on ‘What it is like to be a Young Apprentice’ to the North Herts Secondary Heads Association on Friday 27th February 2009.

For the full story please contact Lynne Evans for further information.

Bookworms, IPA and Kogan Page

The Institute of Professional Administrators, (IPA), has teamed up with Kogan Page, the leading independent business publisher to bring members a great new online business bookshop, to encourage reading and knowledge acquisition during the credit crunch and in preparation for the upturn when it reaches us.

IPA members will be able to benefit from a 10% discount off any book purchased through the Kogan Page site, including other books that are not directly featured. With such a varied and interesting range of titles, including 'Coaching and Mentoring', 'Boreout!' and 'Dealing with Difficult People', there is sure to be something here to keep members amused and learning at the same time.

Established in 1957, the Institute of Professional Administrators is the leading professional membership body in the UK for business administrators and office professionals. Membership includes secretaries, PA’s, receptionists, general administrators, executive assistants and virtual assistants.

There are two routes into professional membership of the IPA based on:

• Taking an approved qualification at an appropriate level
• Proven knowledge and experience

Both routes have equal status and all members are encouraged to undertake Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

To find out more and to become a member of IPA, please click here, to the membership area of the IPA website.

To view more Kogan Page books please click here

A focus on... Alison Heslop, CfA Business Support Officer

The thing I most like about my work with the CfA is interacting with different types of people and helping them with questions they may have. My day starts at nine am when I go through all my emails and respond to any queries that have come in overnight.  This can normally take as little as five or as long as 30 minutes. 

The next few hours are usually taken up checking the post and processing certificate requests that have come through to us, as the main part of my responsibilities involve the registration and certification of apprenticeship certificates. In amongst this, I least like doing the filing which consists of archiving the completed certificate request forms in numerical order of invoice number and also date order.

If we have external meetings taking place on our premises, I am additionally responsible for making sure that we have tea, coffee and biscuits available and, of course, that the meeting room is clean and set up with projectors and laptops if needed.

After lunch, it’s time to move on to booking travel and accommodation for one of the teams that are going away for a few days to hold events around the country and making sure that a courier has been ordered to transport any equipment to the various destinations.

The next thing to do in my day is to go through the team’s stationery needs for the week and place the order to make sure that the cupboards are stocked.  Whilst answering the phones and meeting visitors is a varied and unpredictable part of my work, because the number of both can vary from day to day, the most challenging part of my role is to prioritise my workload to ensure that all the deadlines are met.

And with that, before I know it, it’s time to frank all the outgoing post for that day and start locking up.

Survey - Self Administration NOS

Self Administration National Occupational Standards (NOS) were developed by the CfA in 2006 as standards in administration for people who need to have a range of business & administration skills to carry out their job roles, but who are not employed as administrators.

These standards apply to a wide range of people who do not have access to administrative support and are expected to carry out their own administration as part of their jobs, for example:

• Technical specialists, professionals and managers
• The self-employed
• Employees in small businesses
• Those working flexible hours
• Those working remotely, perhaps as part of a ‘virtual’ team

To ensure that the Self Administration standards remain current and cover the administrative functions required by non-administrators in the wider workforce, the CfA is now carrying out a review.

This means that you have an opportunity to influence the content of the revised Self Administration standards by taking part in our questionnaire. To take the online questionnaire please click here.

The closing date for completion of this questionnaire is Friday, 20th March 2009 – please take part!

Barnsley Young Apprenticeship Partnership champions teamwork

As part of the Young Apprenticeship induction programme, the Barnsley YA Partnership has been running a series of workshops with Year 9 students, from across Yorkshire. The content focuses on team building, trust exercises and how to raise confidence with the aim of exploiting existing skills and acquiring new ones from the tasks given, using the highly effective medium of drama.

Starting with a series of exercises to raise confidence and morale, whilst more importantly, instilling self-belief in the group’s abilities, the facilitators then look at more complex team building exercises  to help recognise hidden skills and develop additional abilities.

Teamwork is essential throughout and was executed perfectly by the students involved. With relevant guidance they adapted and developed very quickly during exercises with positive results, particularly showing team skills and individual flair which were apparent from the onset.  

The students, from different schools, quickly understood the importance of a collective team and worked together effortlessly in order to obtain their overall objective. They successfully achieved their aims with great enthusiasm and displayed a professional approach consistently throughout the day.

For further information about Young Apprenticeships and the Barnsley YA Partnership, please contact Sara Vanderheld.

email Sara

Question of the month

Q: How do I register for the online system so that the cost of the framework certificates is £30 instead of £35?

A: You will need to send an e-mail to onlinecerts@cfa.uk.com with your company name and full postal address.  You will then be supplied with a username, password and a manual on how to use the system...

To subscribe to the CfA eBriefing, please email Helen Gerlach.

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