Designing Programs

 

We design and deliver participatory skill-building workshops tailored to meet the needs of our clients. We also collaborate with our clients to help them address their workplace learning and performance challenges.

Relevant: Every training program is designed or tailored to meet the specific client’s needs

Practical: The focus is on practical application, not theory

Research Based: The training format, content and activities reflect research regarding how learning occurs and is retained

Affirming: The training validates the participants’ existing skills and builds their
confidence in their ability to effectively use newly acquired skills

Results-Oriented: The intent is to build or strengthen skills through in-class learning contracts and opportunities for hands-on application of new techniques

Participative: Ninety percent of the training involves interactive exercises

Enjoyable: The training is designed to ensure that the participants feel comfortable, are successful and enjoy the learning experience

Applied: Each participant commits in writing to apply specific techniques learned in the class

Effective: Participants can immediately apply their new skills on the job

Examples of Our Scope

We have provided training needs assessment, curriculum design, training delivery, train the trainer, trainer certification and training audit services for a wide range of industries and specialty areas. These include:

  • Business Management
  • Call Center
  • College Management
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Energy Optimization
  • Financial Management
  • Gender Relations
  • Government
  • Health Education
  • Health Management
  • Industrial Development
  • Performance Management
  • Public Sector Leadership
  • Regulatory Enforcement
  • Student Leadership
  • Teacher Development
  • Transportation
  • Utilities

Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Project-Kenya, USAID- for Banyan Global
Curriculum Design and Training Pilot: Designed the curriculum, facilitator guides and PowerPoint slides for a twenty-two-day Business for Health training series for private medical practitioners. Piloted the program in Nairobi, Kenya.
Train the Trainer and Trainer Certification: Conducted a five-day Business for Health Train the Trainer program in Nairobi, Kenya to prepare and certify local trainers to deliver the Business for Health program.

Bureau of Driver Services Call Center, Division of Motor Vehicles, Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Curriculum Design: Designed a fifteen-day new employee orientation and training program for new call center employees. This program introduced the organization, the mission of the call center, technical motor vehicle and driver policies and procedures, and specialized telephone and computer systems. It also included shadowing current call center employees.

Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Project –Zambia, USAID- for Banyan Global
Training Needs Assessment: Created a training needs assessment that staff in Lusaka, Zambia used in meeting with the owners and staff of small private medical teaching institutions in Zambia.


Curriculum Design and Training Pilot: On the basis of the results of the training needs assessment, designed the curriculum, facilitator guides and PowerPoint slides for an eight-day Business Management Training series for Small Private Medical Teaching Institutions in Zambia, then piloted it in Lusaka, Zambia.

Open Society Institute-Croatia, Soros Foundation
Curriculum Design and Train the Trainer: Designed and facilitated two five-day Train the Trainer classes for the business and academic staff of small business development consulting centers that were in the process of being established in Osijek and Dubrovnik, Croatia. The intention was to prepare them to teach entrepreneurship using training best practices.


Curriculum Design: Over a period of four years, consulted with professors in the Economics Department of J.J. Strossmeyer University in Osijek, Croatia to design the first Eastern European participant-based Masters Degree program in Entrepreneurship. Trained the professors, audited their programs, and facilitated coaching training as part of the program. This program has resulted in the creation of more than 40 new businesses in Croatia.

Curriculum Design and Training Pilot: On the basis of the results of the training needs assessment, designed the curriculum, facilitator guides and PowerPoint slides for an eight-day Business Management Training series for Small Private Medical Teaching Institutions in Zambia, then piloted it in Lusaka, Zambia.

National Compressed Air Challenge, U.S. Department of Energy
Curriculum Design: Designed the curriculum, facilitator guides and audiovisual aids for the eight-hour Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems and the two-day Refresher Training for the National Compressed Air Challenge (CAC), which have been the highest rated training programs provided by the U.S. Department of Energy. An evaluation of CAC training participants found that 75% of the end users made efficiency improvements to their compressed air systems, saving an average of $7,428.


Train the Trainer and Trainer Certification: Designed the curriculum and audiovisual aids to train and certify compressed air consultants and vendors to deliver the Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems and the Refresher Training. Facilitated this two-day Train the Trainer program three times over a period of ten years.
Training Audits: Audited the certified trainers around the country to provide guidance and coaching feedback to ensure quality and consistency in training delivery.

Citizens Bank, Flint, Michigan
Curriculum Design: Over a period of five years, designed curriculum for a variety of banking topics related to branch manager skills, the branch operating model and how to make the perfect sale.


Train the Trainer: Provided train the trainer programs, including: the three-day Increasing Training Effectiveness and the two-day Facilitating a Positive Learning Experience.

Train the Trainer and Trainer Certification: Designed the curriculum and audiovisual aids to train and certify compressed air consultants and vendors to deliver the Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems and the Refresher Training. Facilitated this two-day Train the Trainer program three times over a period of ten years.
Training Audits: Audited the certified trainers around the country to provide guidance and coaching feedback to ensure quality and consistency in training delivery.

Banyan Global
Curriculum Design: Designed a three-day Designing a Gender-Transformative Results Framework training for inclusion in Banyan Global’s proposal to gain an Advantage IDIQ contract, which was successful.


Econoprint, Inc.
Training Delivery: Designed and delivered the two-day Preventing Sexual Harassment.


Highsmith, Inc.
Training Delivery: Designed and delivered the one-day Communicating Across the Gender Gap.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Curriculum Design and Train the Trainer: Designed the curriculum and job aids, created facilitator guides, and trained the trainers to deliver the two-day New Employee Orientation for the three modal Divisions of the Department.


Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia
Curriculum Design: Converted technical lecture-based training curriculum into skill-building participant-centered training for the 35-day Community Supervision Officer Academy.

Community Academic Partnership Grant, Wisconsin Hospital Association
Training Needs Assessment: Facilitated four focus groups to determine health consumer training needs.


Curriculum Design: On the basis of the focus group feedback, designed the curriculum, facilitator guides and PowerPoint slides for three four-hour modules: Tools for Making Health Care Choices, Using Health Care Internet Tools, and How to Talk to Your Health Care Provider.
Train the Trainer: Designed the curriculum and PowerPoint slides and then facilitated a one-day Train the Trainer program to prepare nursing association representatives, social workers and patient advocates to deliver the three consumer education modules.

Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Project –Nigeria, US AID, for Banyan Global
Curriculum Design: Designed the curriculum, facilitator guides and PowerPoint slides for the five-day Managing a Healthy Business for small private medical practices.


Train the Trainer and Trainer Certification: Designed and facilitated a four-day Train the Trainer program in Lagos, Nigeria to certify trainers to conduct Managing a Healthy Business in Nigeria.


Train the Trainer and Trainer Certification: Designed the curriculum, facilitator guides and PowerPoint slides for a three-day program: Basics of Business Counseling. Facilitated and then subsequently trained trainers in Lagos, Nigeria.

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Framework Document Development: Created the Development Framework for the UNIDO Training Package on Fan System Optimization. This included the goals, objectives, targeted participants, workshop delivery modalities, curriculum outlines and indicators of outputs achievement, delivery modality effectiveness and impact for four different training programs. It also included the national trainees selection criteria and procedure for the six-day Fan System Optimization Expert Training.


Curriculum Design: Worked with international subject matter experts to design the curriculum, PowerPoint slides and facilitator guides for a one-day and a two-day Fan System Optimization (FSO) End User Training, a half- day Fan System Equipment Vendor training, and a six-day FSO Expert Training program for delivery in South Africa. Also revised the materials as necessary for delivery in Malaysia and Russia.

University of Wisconsin Credit Union
Curriculum Design and Facilitation: Completed a six-month program of providing training and consultation to all managers, supervisors and selected staff in the development of position descriptions and performance standards. Part of this process included redefining organizational roles, clarifying organizational goals, and developing human resource development policies and procedures.

Rock County Leadership Development Program, Rock County, Wisconsin
Curriculum Design and Delivery: Designed and delivered six leadership development modules to build or strengthen the skills of current and potential public sector leaders.

Bureau of Storage Tank Regulation, Wisconsin Department of Commerce
Curriculum Design and Facilitation: Designed and delivered the one-day Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution Training program for petroleum inspectors who had to perform new regulatory enforcement activities that could close down businesses.

ASPIRE Series, Willis L. Jones Leadership Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Curriculum Design: Designed the curriculum, facilitator guides and PowerPoint slides for a four-module leadership series based on the Authentic Leadership Development model: What is Authentic Leadership?, What Makes You Tick?, How to be Your Best Self, and How Feedback Can Help You Grow.

Allendale School District, South Carolina
Train the Trainer: Designed and delivered a four-day training program based on the UCLA Mastery Teaching Model to elementary and secondary school teachers and principals.


Training Audits: Audited fifteen teachers in the elementary, middle and secondary schools against teaching best practices. Recommended remedial coaching activities, where necessary.

Southern California Edison
Curriculum Design and Train the Trainer: Designed and facilitated the two-day Technical Trainers’ Toolbox and the one-day How to Invite Adults to Learn for utility and consumer trainers.


Training Audits: Audited five of the most popular consumer training classes conducted at both the Community Training and Assistance Center and the Agricultural Training and Assistance Center to create awareness, increase knowledge, change attitudes and affect behavior related to energy use. Recommended significant revision of programs based on adult learning best practices.