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“Participants are more committed to personal and firm improvement.” Lovewell Blake

Overview
Lovewell Blake is a large, multi-office practice covering East Anglia.  They have a well-developed internal professional training programme, but identified a need to provide continuing personal development in parallel with their accountancy modules.

Courses Selected

• Introduction to Management
• Communicating Effectively
• Leadership and Team Building
• Working in Teams
• Successful Practice Management
• Successful Commercial Management
• Managing Staff Performance
• Managing Client Relationships

Objectives
“We recognised that whilst the firm prides itself on dealing with professional training for its accountants, there was little available for those who were not studying or those who were now qualified in terms of continuing personal development outside of the accountancy arena.  It was also evident that our qualified accountants could benefit from some management skills training.  More junior levels, especially those who are non-chargeable, could also be provided with the opportunity to hone their personal skills within the workplace – making training accessible to all parties, not just fee earners.

Also, as technical managers, accountants are increasingly required to manage teams of people and it is this area the firm wished to focus upon in order to develop individuals who can help the firm achieve its objectives and long-term goals.”

Reasons for Choosing Mercia
“Mercia seemed a natural choice when selecting a provider for a very key programme within the firm’s development.  The trainers are extremely experienced in the delivery of such programmes and have worked hard to facilitate sessions and aid in a slow cultural shift within the firm.  They have been able to tailor their programmes to the firm’s needs, tweaking the content and making suggestions for improvements in response to the firm’s needs and feedback from attendees.”

Training Process
“We have adopted an in-house programme for all of our staff which has continued to prove successful over a number of years.  There are five levels to the programme:  the first two are aimed at new recruits, covering areas such as communication skills, time management and client interaction.  Levels three – five cover junior, middle and senior management groups.  There are three courses within each level, running at a rate of one per year.”

Results
“Attendees feel that time is being invested in them and they are keen to apply their new skills to the workplace.  As a result, participants are more committed to personal and firm improvement and, where they are fairly senior, they are able to implement their new knowledge and influence how their teams and offices operate.”

Conclusions
“Mercia has the flexibility to amend their training as the firm’s needs change.  The trainers used in the programme are extremely knowledgeable and inspire confidence within the attendees.  Our contact at Mercia is extremely approachable and communication channels are very open and honest, with commitment from Mercia being given to continuously improve the programme and take the firm forward.”