Corporate Training Events

In February 2010 Call of the Wild Ltd were chosen by a judging panel including Deborah Meaden and other leading entrepreneurs such as Bebo Founder Michael Birch as a winner of Smarta.com’s inaugural ‘Smarta 100’.  Not only did Call of the Wild make the Top 100 Small Companies in the UK it was also voted in the Top 5 for its Business Ethics.

At the presentation evening for the 100 companies in London last week, in addition to the above,  Call of the Wild were picked out for a special commendation by the sponsors. This meant we were in the top 4 of the SMARTA 100 companies in the UK. The judges were particularly impressed by our community focused approach to business and our corporate social responsibility.

For more information read on about the SMARTA 100 Award

Call of the Wild have added  a new range of Institute of Leadership and Management awards and certificates to our portfolio of accredited ILM vocational qualifications. For 2010 we have now added a Level 5 Award and Certificate in Leadership in addition to a Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Leadership.

Kevin Gould, Director of  Learning and Development at Call of the Wild stated that “we are delighted to be able to offer a new range of ILM vocational qualifications to our exisitng and prospective clients. Our portfolio now allows us to offer ILM awards and certificates to all staff no matter their level of experience.”

Geraint Lewis from Call of the Wild was last week named, not once but twice,  as one of Wales’ top leaders at a prestigious ceremony at Cardiff’s Hilton Hotel.

Geraint at Call of the Wild was recognised for his outstanding leadership in the Business Leadership Initiative  in the Community and Leading Management  and Leadership Skills Development for the Leading Wales Awards 2010. We were the only company to win two awards at the event which is unique.

Read on for more about the Leading Wales Awards 2010 Winners

Call of the Wild Ltd has been chosen by a judging panel including Deborah Meaden, of the BBC’s Dragon’s Den fame, and other leading entrepreneurs such as Bebo Founder Michael Birch as a winner of Smarta.com’s inaugural “SMARTA 100”.  Not only did Call of the Wild make the Top 100 Small Companies in the UK it was also voted in the Top 5 for its Business Ethics.

The Smarta 100 is the ultimate business accolade, recognizing the UK’s smartest small businesses. Smarta.com has uncovered remarkable companies who have gone the extra mile to differentiate themselves from the market or found clever ways to compete, from their marketing plan to their ethical stance. The result is a fascinating insight into the unique business ideas that are thriving in the current economic climate.

Business isn’t always about bulging bank balances. The top 5 for ethics category chose “companies are out there to make a positive impact on the world. They dedicate themselves to protecting our environment, helping people more vulnerable than themselves and rejuvenating communities starved of socio-economic opportunity.”

The finalists proved to the judges that they have what it takes to run a successful venture, from spotting a new opportunity to making it a reality. And the high-profile panel were delighted to see that ambitious people are saving hard and raising finances to turn their ideas into flourishing businesses.

Deborah Meaden commented:
“Discovering great new businesses is a passion of mine as is encouraging businesses to think and work better.  The Smarta 100 does both of these things – and celebrates the best of British business at the same time. I was delighted to see ambitious people saving hard and raising finances to turn their ideas into flourishing businesses ”

Call of the Wild Managing Director Geraint Lewis said:

“We are absolutely delighted. It illustrates that the Company is recognised as being of the best in the UK. It is always reassuring to know that our ethical approach to business is recognised and the contribution made to the local economy is not underestimated.”

Smarta.com founder Sháá Wasmund said:

“Socially conscious, disruptive businesses that are not afraid to challenge the status quo are being set up in the four corners of the country. I founded Smarta to make sure these enterprises are supported at any stage of development. The results speak for themselves – the Smarta 100 list is a collection of remarkable success stories.”

Read more about Call of the Wild’s awards

We are pleased to announce that Dr.Barrie Kennard has agreed to become an Associate of Call of the Wild.

Barrie is the Academic Standards and Quality Manager for Leadership and Management Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government funded Centre of Excellence for Leadership and Management Skills in Wales

Read On>>

Geraint Lewis from Call of the Wild Ltd has been shortlisted at the Leading Wales Awards 2010, which recognises and celebrates outstanding leaders across Wales.

Geraint Lewis, Managing Director at Call of the Wild Ltd is one of the three finalists in the “Developing Leaders” and “Business Leadership in the Community” categories sponsored by Leadership Management Wales and The Church in Wales respectively.

Read on For Leading Wales Awards 2010 >>

The real cost of Christmas and New Year for many companies is the holiday hangover blues. After the partying, eating, drinking, socialising, lay-ins and general time for reflection with New Year’s Resolutions comes January and back to the reality of work. Little wonder January is the month with one of the highest number of resignations and a time when people are looking to change jobs.

So how do you combat this all too familiar trend? In business, a good company keeps its most valuable people by treating them fairly, rewarding their performance, and creating opportunities. The optimum time for re-engaging, reinvigorating, motivating and renewing the commitment of your staff is NOT when they resign, but long before that.  Read On >>

John Lewis Cardiff

On September 24th 2009, John Lewis opened its second largest Shop outside Oxford Street London. The anticipation and buzz created by this event was palpable on the day as huge crowds from Cardiff and South Wales finally had the opportunity to get the John Lewis experience.

 As an organisation with its roots in South Wales, it was a real privilege for Call of the Wild to be asked to work with The Cardiff MD Liz Mihell and Training Manager Will Read to design and deliver an intervention as part of their leadership development strategy for the new shop.

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If you are considering sending your staff on a training course or are putting it off due to the cost then take a look at this update on the funding available in England and Wales.

Leadership and Management Advisory Service

£1,000 per SME organisation

Response to Redundancy

Train 2 Gain and European Social Fund

Aimed at reskilling the newly unemployed and those under threat of redundancy. Between £270 and £1,200 per learner.

Learning and Skills Council

Used for workplace entry support and business start-up.

Women and Work – Sector Pathways Initiative

£100 to £600 for funding to train women in England within occupations or sectors where women are significantly under-represented.

Wales

ReAct

The Redundancy Action Scheme is a package of support to help individuals who have been recently made redundant or under threat of redundancy.

ProAct

This is a financial support package designed to help well-run businesses cope with the downturn. It provides additional training for employees who are on short-time working.

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Management and staff assessment and development centres offer a robust method of selecting and developing new or potential managers and staff within an organisation.

 The aim of such centres is to present the selected individuals with an environment that reflects the reality of the roles they have applied for and therefore should provide the individuals with a wide range of opportunities to demonstrate the competencies required. Call of the Wild have now developed a programme to assist clients with recruitment and development of new and existing staff. The aim is to reduce costs for the client through the selection of individuals with appropriate skill sets and behaviours best suited to the needs of the job. This avoids costly probabtion periods during which it is discovered that the individuals are not appropriate for the position.

Read On >>