The Outward Bound Trust has been running cost-effective apprentice training and development programmes for over 70 years. Add to that The Trust’s creditable heritage of successfully operating Outward Bound courses to over 1 million people during this time and its little wonder that this organisation has the skills and infrastructure to provide apprentice training programmes in the UK.
Every Outward Bound course allows apprentices to improve rapidly their personal effectiveness through experiential learning in the outdoors and also allows employers to see the true working potential of every individual.
Key to the success of the apprentice programme is the partnership between The Trust and the company sending its staff for training and development. All programmes are aligned with each client’s corporate mission, values and beliefs which make their Outward Bound training meaningful and relevant and results in the effective transfer of skills back to the workplace.
The success of learning at The Outward Bound Trust is based on three key principles: Process, People and Place. Process – experiential learning and development using the outdoors, practical applications of theoretical models and new behaviour and skills that transfer to the workplace, improving business performance. People – the trainers who lead each course are expert outdoor practitioners who are highly skilled and trained in facilitating learning through adventure; this large pool of creative talent enables development of innovative apprentice-specific programmes. Place – delivering programmes away from the workplace, The Trust uses its inspiring locations and dedicated training venues in areas of outstanding natural beauty in England, Scotland and Wales, as catalysts for changing behaviour.
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Forward thinking companies often use a mix of in-house training and external training to unlock the potential of their apprentices, frequently using Outward Bound courses to assist in the process. Rolls-Royce who employs 39,000 skilled people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in 50 countries have developed with The Trust induction and development programmes for their new apprentices in the UK. Neil Fowkes, Learning and Development Manager at Rolls-Royce comments: ‘The partnership between Rolls-Royce and The Outward Bound Trust is a real asset to our business and adds strength to the whole process of apprentice development.’
David Ritchie, Head of Corporate Business Development comments ‘Valuable and transferable skills gained during a course at The Outward Bound Trust result in apprentices becoming more motivated, stronger team players and in an improvement in their ability to communicate more effectively. At the end of each specific learning session a review is carried out by the apprentices during which they have to work out how their new skills can be applied to their work environment. This transfer of key new skills back into the workplace is the cornerstone of the successful results achieved for a wide variety of companies which choose to incorporate The Outward Bound Trust in to their overall apprentice training and development programme.’
