LearningGuide and National Extension College invest in new soft skills performance support courses
LearningGuide Solutions, a developer and provider of performance support systems and the National Extension College, one of the UK's best known distance learning brands, have jointly developed a new range of performance support-based courses covering essential soft skills.
A new partnership between LearningGuide Solutions and the National Extension College is set to bring the latest performance support techniques to the delivery of soft skills learning in business. Initially, six soft skills courses have been developed: Stress Management; Time Management; Project Management; Assertiveness at Work; Report Writing; and Working with People.
By delivering more learning in the workplace at the moment of need, performance support-based learning methods offer busy managers and staff with a way to bridge knowledge gaps as they are encountered, during the working day, whilst also building lasting new skills.
Ali Parkinson is LearningGuide's UK sales director and said: "While business needs to reduce costs it also needs to maintain productivity and continue to develop skills so that they become more flexible and adaptable to change. Performance support systems help to achieve this by empowering employees to perform more tasks and to a higher standard, with the minimum amount of costly external intervention and training.
"We were surprised to find a lack of performance support content for essential soft skills, such as report writing and time management. With the help and expertise of the National Extension College we've been able to develop this first range of six courses."
The new range of soft skills learning materials will be available from July. In addition to being used in the workplace they are also suitable for inclusion in continuing professional development programmes, and for staff needing refresher- or re-training. "Their modular nature and desktop-delivery method makes the soft skills courses ideal for both extensive study and immediate reference," added Parkinson.