Climate Action for Leaving Cert

Climate Action and Sustainable Development is to feature as a new subject in a major reform of the Leaving Certificate. These reforms are expected to be introduced to sample schools beginning in September 2024. When Minister Foley announced the changes she said that there is an ‘appetite’ for change to the Leaving Cert Cycle. Before changes can occur there will be a detailed implementation plan developed with education partners, including teachers, students, school leaders and parents.

Biodiversity Training

As a company that delivers Biodiversity Training we view this introduction as a great step in the right direction. We have experienced the aforementioned appetite for education in the area of climate action from participants the length and breadth of the country. Attendees from all backgrounds engage with energy in all our courses. We see an increase in the social responsibility for the corporate sector and as a result people attending as part of their continuous professional development. We have  also had participants who are teachers, join our training to voluntarily increase their knowledge base.

Participant Testimonial

Green Skills

The educational sector is going through a phase of innovative changes. There is an increased interest in ensuring  multiple routes to education. Noticeably there has been a greater emphasis on soft skills to complement the academic offering. Now we are beginning to see the emergence of green skills.

Simply put, green skills are the knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource efficient society. – UNIDO

Real Life

Environmentalism and climate action is moving from a hobby and a set of ideals into a skill that is transferable and needed in the current and future labour market. The move for inclusion of Climate Action and Sustainable Development in the Leaving Certificate reflects this.

PRESS RELEASE

The Business Post

When the Business Post contacts you for an interview, it’s safe to say that it’s a milestone moment in the journey of any company. The series aptly named Making it Work was the offering. A quick review of the companies featured shows the calibre of talent that is growing in Ireland.  Business opportunities from medtech to retail, shines, through the pages of the paper on a Sunday.

Every business concept starts the same way, with a problem that requires a solution. Veri was no different. We saw how the use of our software could solve problems across many sectors.

Further Education and Training Delivery

Further Education Training has been on it’s own journey over the last number of years most notably with the creation of its own governmental department. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science was established in  2020 and has Simon Harris at the helm. The future of FET has three core pillars

• Building skills
• Fostering inclusion
• Facilitating pathways.

We understand how to nurture these core principles to get results for our clients. We want to facilitate learning that benefits both the providers and the participants. Whether you are dealing with professionals upskilling or people who are employed, we understand the value of attendance data in terms of reasons for absence or mitigating circumstances. This real time data available on Veri can be used to intervene early and ensure successful outcomes.

Make Training Programme Delivery Simple

Removing the complexities that can slow down the operational management of large training contracts is a must and we believe our lean approach does just that. Whether that is skills based training, traineeships or apprenticeships the old approach of using a spreadsheet or good form to document progress is no longer a viable option. Our centralised training management system will make sure that exceptions to the contract are never missed. 

Consistency and quality is a non negotiable when it comes to training programme management and this is one of our core principles. Facilitating our clients to deliver consistently across regions, to duplicate courses to ensure the same level of delivery every time. 

You can read the article from the paper here – Making it Work – Veri

Our sustainability focus at Veri brings to mind the lovely quote from Warren Buffet that said “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

This shade of support and encouragement came to me through my journey in the Going for Growth programme from the former CEO of Amplify  Aine Denn and Payslip founder  Fidelma Mc Gurke. These two amazing women have walked the walk in growing hugely successful international businesses, and voluntarily each year leading a group of earlier stage female founders through a six month professional development networking programme.

Being asked then this week to tell my story to the new round of over 100 female business leaders was such an honour  and a challenge. The added stress of being sandwiched “excuse the pun” between the driving force of Jeanneane O’Brien, the hugely successful food entrepreneur and the Tainiste Leo Varadkar on the agenda didn’t make it an easy Monday morning!

I decided to tell my story  through the three groups of people that have helped so much in developing my business.

The people in my personal story

The people in my company’s story

The people that use our products

The people in my personal story,  people like my mother, an amazing person with a work ethic that I feel is what has helped me and many of my family achieve our successes. It’s by her example that I’ve now come to a place where I’m leading a team of 19 and growing.

The people in our company’s story, our clients and supporters , the people who have helped us to grow , Like The REHAB group and Impact training  who help so many people reach their potential through programme delivery. This means funded support to deliver large scale programmes of learning in employability, education and specialist training services, biodiversity or anything that involves large groups of people sharing person to person skills based knowledge.

And finally the over 15,000 people that are currently our dashboard users. Like the volunteers in biodiversity programmes across the full Island making change happen through their passion for our planet. They participate in a blended delivery of shared  knowledge and skills all using Veri, a concept I came up with and I’m very proud of its ability to facilitate better communications and bring data to life.

I am delighted that my story seemed to  resonate with the group, and in particular  how much I stressed the importance of  family support in the entrepreneurial journey. I told the story of a difficult time in the business and being told  to stop overthinking things by my daughter. Joanne’s  sage advice, “Take a spoon of cement and harden up a bit Mum! ” An email just arrived from the lady that was sitting beside me on Monday, saying well done and that “We all need a spoon of cement at times, I had to take one today”.

If I was to offer advice to anyone participating in this phenomenal opportunity that is Going for Growth it would be to surround yourself with the right people, work hard and never give up. Best of luck to all and I look forward to watching your achievements.

Work from Home

And here we go again. 600 odd days into the pandemic and the government has directed that if you can, you should work from home. It’s difficult to articulate the impact. We recognise how these measures have opened up a whole new culture of working from home and it’s been a revelation for many. 

Employers and employees have realised the many benefit of this working arrangement. For employers it may mean reduced overheads leading to higher profits. For employees it can reduce the time spent commuting and a better work life balance.

That being said, there is a difference between having the option to work remotely and being told you must. The one thing that you are not allowed to do is the one thing you long for. Our working days were busy, filled with cups of tea and hallway chats. Working schedules meant that your interactions were varied and interesting. Stories about pets and children were laughed about over lunch and in between all that we actually achieved our daily working goals.

We have been here before

The only good thing is we have been here before. We have our communication processes refined. Our informal chats will move to Slack and our Notion boards will keep us aligned now that you can’t simply ask a question from across the room. Daily morning video calls means that at the very least once a day we all get to see each other to maintain that human connection that we all need.

Our clients are all dealing with the same issues that we are and there is an empathy, an understanding that we are all trying our best under extraordinary circumstances. Ideally the contracts and the handshake would happen in person but for now we will have to settle for a friendly wave in Zoom. We have become very used to creating Plan B’s to make sure that the programmes don’t grind to a halt. The key is and always will be communication. That is the true beauty of the digital landscape and technology. It keeps the connection alive and allows us to meet the expectations of our clients.

For now we will keep trying to improve our offering and deliver quality results  for our clients. There is an uncertainty in the air and that can be unsettling but there is one thing you can rely on and that’s at least once a day you’ll have to say these four profound words.

‘You are on mute!!!‘

Facebook the Software of Dreams

In terms of branding you can’t get any more recognisable than Facebook. The company which has been renamed as Meta also owns Instagram and WhatsApp. The software that Mark Zuckerberg wrote in his second year of college now has over 2.5 billion monthly users worldwide. It’s power and impact is unquestionable and every software developer dreams of creating the next Facebook. 

At first glance our software and Facebook don’t have much in common but at the core we are the same. Facebook began as a tool to digitise a paper process. 

Digitisation of a Paper Process

It’s not a concept that we are overly familiar with in Ireland but a ‘facebook’ is a student directory for colleges in the United States. It would include a picture of the student and some basic information. In 2003 there were no online facebooks and the information was distributed on paper. Zuckerberg thought this was silly and couldn’t understand why the college hadn’t put this in place. He claimed he could do it better than them and do it in a week. He did just that. He created a website that connected the students in Harvard, based on the paper version of a ‘facebook’ and the rest as they say is history.

It’s understandable to have reservations about any change but neglecting to explore digital solutions can prove costly for your business. The pandemic proved that. Those who had digital processes already in place were able to seamlessly continue to operate and those who didn’t had to pivot furiously to catch up.

Join the Progress

We want to provide our clients with the ability to connect with their tutors and learners effortlessly. The automation of repetitive tasks will free up time to focus on other aspect of the business. Having data at your fingertips when your accreditation or audit deadlines come around will transform how you deliver your programs. 

We may not be at 2.5 billion monthly users just yet but we are growing. Data driven training management is the future and we are here ready to get started when you are. 

The announcements made in Budget 2022 has been viewed as significant step towards restoration of SICAP Budget to 2008 levels.  This increased funding will provide for 60 new SICAP workers to work with disadvantaged and marginalised communities nationwide. Social Inclusion programmes are essential when it comes to tackling social exclusion, especially the manifestations laid bare by the COVID19 pandemic, including digital, educational and health related aspects.

The 10% increase is a welcome step in the right direction. We run a number of SICAP programmes here at Veri and have seen first hand the impact that SICAP funding can have on people across our community. We recognise that the management of SICAP programmes comes with a lot of responsibilities and a number of issues can arise at all stages from initial recruitment to final stages of auditing which can pull you away from the important work that you are doing.

This is why we at Veri have developed a process which takes this heavy workload off your hands:

Our team delivers the full cycle of training on your behalf and compliance and quality assurance is all managed safely by our Veri Software.

• Our content is delivered by quality personable trainers: Highly skilled subject experts who nurture students and use coaching techniques to develop confidence
• Our software tracks progress: Monitor progress around KPI’s and implement Pobal’s DTT digitally. Online and in person sessions tracked.
• We measure success on your behalf: Many courses can be monitored on one centralised digital platform. Participant numbers, attendance and sessions viewable in real time.
• Audit information and support: All of the information is available in one centralised location making the auditing process very simple to manage and our customer success team will be on hand to help.
• We gather feedback: Compliance is simplified by digital evaluation forms and no more paper or spreadsheets necessary.
• Connecting participants with employers : We have run programmes where we have trained companies on how to apply for WPEP and have connected our SICAP users to these and in many cases have ended up with contracts.

Although the content focuses on the hard skills needed for employability such as CV Building, interview and IT Skills, the team at Veri, from our top trainers to our project managers ensure that your SICAP funding can have the biggest impact on the communities that you serve.

“Orla and Noleen have helped me so much with my confidence and even my self esteem. These have been areas I’ve struggled with for years but their dedication and determination have really been amazing so I’d like to say a big thank you to them for that.”

Our Partner Manager Michelle would be delighted to give you a demonstration how our processes and software could work for your organisation and your community.  You’ll find Michelle at 01 60 909 69 or you can send her an email Michelle(at)vericonnect.ie

Fioru Software Solutions brings together award winning training and programme delivery expertise using the latest mobile responsive digital solutions. Our first product Veri is a Google Adopt a Startup and IITD Award winning training compliance software.

Biodiversity Initiative

It had been so long since the Veri offices had to extend hospitality to guests that we weren’t sure we would remember how. The purpose was a gathering of 4 local development companies, (SECAD Partnership (south Cork & west Cork), County Cavan Local Development  and West Limerick Resources), with a shared vision to carry on the ground breaking work that the Wild Work Biodiversity Initiative began in 2017.

A truly collaborative affair, the project falls under LEADER (EU Co-financed Rural Development Programme), and takes a unique approach to biodiversity conservation. When moving forward with plans, the 3 local development companies considered broader national and European environmental policies. The plan is innovative, scalable and most importantly focuses on bringing the wild back into people’s lives in a fun and engaging way.

For many of the attendees this was the first meeting of this scale that was face to face and everyone agreed that it was welcome and productive. We are big fans of anything online but to quote Shay Riordan, West Limerick Resources,

‘There are just some things you can’t do on zoom!’.

When proceedings moved from the office to the Hoban Hotel, we were joined by more contributors to the project both online and in person. Discussion groups were formed and some key actions were agreed. It was clear from the atmosphere in the room that there is passion behind this initiative. Everyone equally invested in making this initiative a success.

Delivering  LEADER Funded Training Nationwide

In the course of delivering biodiversity and water biodiversity courses over the length and breadth of the country we have learned that the pairing of technology and nature are ideal bedfellows. Working across territories with multiple courses, each with many modules and all  iterative in their design is where Veri excels. This is what we do best.

Facilitating sustainable tutor led  training delivery, online and on location, in a simplified, scalable and cost effective way.

From here on in, the efforts by all stakeholders are beginning to increase with launch dates being discussed and the content of the training being conceptualized, developed and created. A full communications strategy is on it’s way making sure that we get the message out to the right people, at the right time and in the right way. With 400 people expected to participate and engage with the ethos of  Wild Work we are excited to share what is being created.

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to travel to Kilkenny. We hope it won’t be the last time that we have the opportunity to extend a warm welcome. Keep your eyes peeled for Wild Work…… coming soon!

When days are filled with meetings and planning sometimes dates go unnoticed. It was only when LinkedIn sent me a notification that I realised Veri was 6 years old. 6 years striving for change and driving data in the business of training program management.  I’m always looking to the future, potential clients, industry trends and streams of revenue but this milestone is worthy of some reflection on our journey so far.

The idea for Veri came to me after experience huge frustration in the inefficiency of the processes involved in collating data for quality training contracts. The endless paper trail was time consuming and fruitless. Paired with the inability to aggregate valuable data intelligence that sat idle in endless excel worksheets or in a dusty filing cabinet somewhere was deflating. 

Through encouragement from mentors, Enterprise Ireland and most importantly colleagues and potential clients, Fiorú (Verification in Irish) was registered and from here our software Veri was created. I was confident that I could help training providers save time and money and improve the efficiency and quality of their training delivery.

When I took my concept to prospects the response was so positive, the early adopters were great but slow. What developed was that a ‘like to have’  in 2017 is now a ‘must have’ in the era of a global pandemic. If companies want to move forward with quality, compliant training delivery, data is the new currency.

The milestones along the way were winning  Google’s Adopt a Start Up – from over 100 participants nationally. Our acceleration as a high potential start up was aided when the following year we won Enterprise Ireland’s Competitive Start Fund for Women Entrepreneurship  another accolade to validate the potential of our concept. 

This brought real players in contracted training onboard. Companies like Impact Training that delivered  22,000 training days in 2019. That partnership prompted us to enter our work into the IITD’s National Training Awards. The results being that we won for the Best Consultancy Partnership.

The real evidence of how effective we are as a company has been our consistent growth in our client base. We span across the public and private sector. Veri software is the Unique Selling Point for our  Employability Programmes which have huge uptake, supporting soft skills and distance travelled data for SICAP & Pobal. We are leading the way in Biodiversity training nationwide with the Department of Rural and Community Development funding data driven blended programmes. This training delivery utilises learning online and in the field for well over a thousand volunteers in every corner of our island. Another facet is that 1000 companies across every industry currently benefit from being supported by our clients through Veri as a dashboard for SME mentoring programmes such as Mentors Work. 

Such is the demand for our services that I now have 14 people employed in 6 short years. We are seeing ideas that we discussed in 2016 now come to fruition. The move to digital and blended support for skills based training from traditional methods of delivery can be daunting. We have struck a balance with a blended approach that our clients are very receptive to and this is the way forward. 

The way to think of the software is like another team member. This team member works hard and is efficient and provides you with a plethora of valuable data that allows you to make decisions on how best to move forward in your company. A sea change in data was what we wanted to make happen in the training industry, and we are so grateful to all our clients to date and I’m excited to lead the way for the next 6.

Team Building

Summer is a great time for team building. The better weather gives you the inspiration and affords us the ability to get out and about in the beautiful Irish countryside. Although we love our data driven training management digital world, the virtual quizzes were growing stale and  fresh air was much needed by all. Although planning ahead is risky in Ireland, a date was set to take the team out for a morale building afternoon. The team was kept in the dark as to what exactly was being planned and that added to the sense of occasion. In the preceding weeks emails were sent dropping clues as to what the event was going to be. There were a few members of the team that had to be told for logistical reasons. They were contracted into silence. We take our staff events very seriously. (more…)

Finalists in IITD National Training Awards

The Irish Institute of Training and Development will host a live stream to announce the winners of the National Training Awards at the end of June. The purpose of the IITD National Training Awards is to promote excellence, best practice and innovation in Training and Learning & Development. It is such an honour to get to this point. We have had previous success at this event with Impact Training when we won the Best Consultancy Partnership in 2019.

NoreVision

We collaborated with 4 local development companies to deliver an ambitious biodiversity project called NoreVision and reached the final in the ‘Best Not for Profit Collaboration’ category. This recognition has been a validation for the stakeholders of Kilkenny Leader Partnership, Laois Partnership Company, North Tipperary Development Company and South Tipperary Development Company of the impact of NoreVision.

Data Driven Training Management

The project began with a series of consultative workshops in 2017 and 2020 saw over 500 participants take part in 53 courses delivered by 8 tutors, all evidenced on Veri’s digital data capturing platform. Spring Into Action, the NoreVision conference was attended by over 120 people over the duration of the 3 day event. It was evident from the attendance that the communities are passionate about the project. NoreVision saw a natural partnership occur between the hunger for climate action to take place at a local level and the need for digital solutions to complement the delivery of this education.

Digital Processes

The core focus of Invasive Species, Litter Picks, Oral History, Farming, Education and Citizen Science were delivered with a blended approach with online and location based training. The Nore and it’s catchment became a living lab. The volunteers were gathering such important evidence and it was all been gathering digitally allowing for seamless reporting to other agencies.

Real Time Data

Minister of State, Malcolm Noonan has said that the broad format of NoreVision is a positive model that can be encouraged in many other catchments linking with relevant government agencies, from local authorities to national water and heritage agencies. This, paired with the ability of the software to gather real time data of the volunteer citizen scientists and feed that back into national research, will have a positive influence on national policy and most importantly the water quality.