Satisfaction through new insights !
What effect is this recession having on the consultancy and training business?
It is ob
vious that budgets are becoming tighter and ‘spending’ is now being reconsidered. We have learned that training for civil servants in Finland was cut by 90%! On the other hand we also have heard stories where staff was offered training for further professional development or for job retraining instead of being laid off. It is very interesting to study how management is reacting to this situation.
Again the Valorization Centre of the School of Executive Education of Delft University of Technology organized a 3-day training on ‘How to write a successful Project Proposal’.
In Portugal, EQUAL, a budget line of the European Social Fund, has identified a large demand for all types of management training in companies and business associations in order to increase the employability and employment rates in the country. Support is provided in particular to specific vulnerable target groups and in poorer regions in Portugal.
Project managers in the LTA process (Long Term Agreements with Industry sectors on Energy saving measures) require the skills to improve the focus of the present and new developments. More specifically, project managers need to be able to conduct or facilitate the planning process of projects in such a way, that a maximum support and commitment of all the stakeholders will be achieved. Furthermore, we understand that LTA managers need to be able to conceive and produce the necessary documentation, which enables effective appraisal (and approval) of the projects, and provides a solid basis for the monitoring and steering of the implementation process.
The Valorisation Centre organized a series of short courses on ‘How to formulate a promising Project Proposal’ (as compared to a Research Proposal). These courses were intended for senior scientists from all faculties. With the recently reduced budget for the University other funding sources need to be tapped. And a survey disclosed that the University had not been very successful in getting their proposals approved.
