Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

HR practicePeople NewsLeadership

Careerfile: Our man in a suitcase runs training worldwide

by John Charlton 18 Sep 2007
by John Charlton 18 Sep 2007

Andy Shaw is head of the regional learning and development team at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

What does your job involve?

I manage the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) network of overseas regional training centres (RTC), which include locations in the US, Peru and India. It also involves some training delivery and lots of overseas travel.Courses I deliver include performance management and assertiveness.

How many courses/events do you organise?

Last year, the RTCs collectively delivered in excess of 500 courses, ranging from half a day to two days. These included customer focus and presentation skills. All posed challenges – such as tailoring courses to specific needs and supplying courses at short notice.

What course/training are you working on now?

I’m organising a three-day course to help managers develop their leadership skills. I’m also working with two RTCs to develop a couple of new modules of training focused on different aspects of change.

How and why did you get into training?

I have always enjoyed presenting to an audience and was keen to develop my skills in this area. Training has been a different direction for my career, but one that I have enjoyed. This is my first training job. Before that I was on a career break in the aviation business. I’ve also worked at FCO missions abroad.

What’s key to putting on a successful course?

Thorough preparation and effective communication with key stakeholders – before, during and after.

How do you measure the impact of training?

Usually through some form of follow-up a few months down the line to test what people are doing differently or better as a result. This would also involve line managers as part of the process, which is very important.

What’s the best or most memorable training event you’ve attended?

It was an external course aimed at equipping participants with key skills to help them cope with hostile environments. I spent four days running round the Oxfordshire countryside trying to stay alive. It was great fun.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

Possibly on another overseas posting – hopefully heading up a small team somewhere in the Caribbean.

When you were a child,what did you want to be?

A fighter pilot in the RAF. I have learnt to fly,but sadly not fast jets.

What, in life generally, really annoys you?

Dishonesty.

What career advice would you give to someone setting out on a career in training/learning and development?

Get some sort of professional qualification relating to your field and enjoy it.

What was the first record you bought?

Hotel California by The Eagles.

Who’s your hero?

John ‘Aldo‘ Aldridge – the man who gave Tranmere Rovers their finest hour by getting them to the League Cup final in 2000.

What’s the best piece of training/learning and developmentadvice you’ve been given?

Fail to prepare – prepare to fail. It’s my motto.

Avatar
John Charlton

previous post
E-Learning Awards 2007 shortlist announced
next post
A GP’s job is to help and support employers

You may also like

Bank holidays: six things employers need to know

26 May 2023

So how do you feel about your boss?...

19 May 2023

John Lewis Partnership chair rules out new structure

10 May 2023

Successful hybrid working ‘requires personalisation’

5 May 2023

Employment bodies IES and IPA to merge

27 Apr 2023

Redundancy letters at BBC were ‘standard HR exercise’

17 Apr 2023

JPMorgan Chase tells leaders to spend more time...

13 Apr 2023

Workplace bullying: Handling staff with dark traits

21 Mar 2023

Twitter worker: ‘HR can’t tell me if I’m...

7 Mar 2023

‘Nothing left in the tank’: the special pressures...

3 Mar 2023

  • The HR Bundle: Your one-stop guide to building a successful global HR Department PROMOTED | Get your hands on Deel’s free HR bundle...Read more
  • The Benefits of an Employee Assistance Programme PROMOTED | EAPs support employees in a range of ways...Read more
  • Intergenerational working and how to manage up and down the generations PROMOTED | The benefits and challenges of intergenerational workplaces...Read more
  • Bereavement in the workplace: How training can help HR get it right PROMOTED | HR professionals play an essential role...Read more
  • UK workforce mental wellbeing needs PROMOTED | The mental wellbeing support employers are providing misses the mark...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+