Wild Work Programme of Events Begins

It feels like the Veri team are expectant mothers this week, after 9 months of nurturing creativity, digitally enabling our ecology team all on our Veri platform , developing online content and working on VR elements, the Wild Work project arrives in Cavan and West Limerick this week,  and to its original home Cork in a few weeks.

Our role has been to lead the project as a solutions provider for data driven programmes.  We have a team of a dozen people ensuring all communications and KPI’s are tracked and measured to achieve the best outcomes for the over 400 volunteers. With our ecology team under Dr. Amanda Greer we are bringing Irish place based learning into this new innovative blended programme.

 

Work Place Well Being

Work place well being is one of the key themes of the programme. Wild Work has developed important relationships with many businesses directly engaging with over 100 individuals in the business community.

“If you want to make your workplace a more vibrant, fun, enjoyable, healthy place to work, try and learn what nature you have at your premises and see what you can do to help it. Get your staff involved and the outcome will be that everyone will be much happier and more interested and excited in the place that they work”

William O’Halloran, Wild Work Team Leader

Our work with businesses aims to bring nature into the workplace by helping companies discover, protect and promote the biodiversity that can be found at their site. Encouraging nature and wildness at work is not only good for biodiversity, but for people too. By engaging staff through nature walks and talks, we show how nature can greatly benefit mental health and stress management.

“Rather than people sitting in offices, if people can go for a walk at lunchtime and have a bit of colour and diversity and learn something from that, then it will be very beneficial.”

 Dermot Kelly, Director Regulatory Affairs at Pfizer

The free, flexible, 12-week training programme will be delivered in 20 locations across South Cork, West Cork, West Limerick and Cavan, as an extension of the award-winning Wild Work not-for-profit biodiversity initiative first established by SECAD Partnership CLG in 2017.  It is hoped that, over time, it will be rolled out nationwide and will inspire other counties to create similar programmes for the benefit of both people and place.

“The Covid-19 global pandemic and Ireland’s commitment to the sustainable goals agreed at the recent COP26 UN Climate Change Conference have brought the wellbeing of both people and the environment back into sharp focus and so initiatives such as Wild Work have never been more important.“

As a team we are so privileged to transform and digitise the original Wild Work into the 2022 programme.

“Over its five-year history the Wild Work model of learning has already provided more than 200 education and awareness sessions, delivered 5,500 consultation hours, sown over 18,000 m of wildflowers, and developed more than 50 nature friendly landscaping projects.  This new training initiative represents a significant expansion of its work into counties Limerick and Cavan in a bid to engage more people in the important work of protecting, valuing and enhancing our flora, fauna and habitats for the benefit of our people, our communities and the places in which we all work and live.“

Already almost booked out, registrations for the free Wild Work Training Programme are open online at www.wildwork.ie.

No previous experience or qualifications are required to take part.

 

 

 

 

 

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

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

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.

Anyone with a business idea has to be smart enough to admit that they might not know all the answers. The key is to reach out and engage with people who can help you along the way.

Working with the South East Business Innovation Centre helped Veri develop strategies that ended in progression for the product.

‘We would not have achieved CSF and HPSU without the strategic support and advice we got from South East BIC.’                                                                          Ann-Marie McSorley

We are proud to be featured as one of the many success stories on their website. Read the full extent of their support here.
https://www.southeastbic.ie/index.php/success-stories

On the 21^st of January the 12^th cycle of Going for Growth got underway in Dublin. The initiative is designed to go beyond helping women set up businesses and to actively encourage growth in their sector. The programme is the brainchild of Paula Fitzsimons. Funded by Enterprise Ireland and KPMG the programme has 83 female participants. The list of entrepreneurs is formidable, collectively producing an annual turnover of €170.6 million and employing just over 2,401 people. As  CEO of the Team at Fioru Software Solutions and Veri I am really proud to have been selected as a participant.
The success of Going for Growth rests with the lead entrepreneurs who volunteer their time to mentor a group. These leaders have considerable experience when it comes to growing their business. The belief within the programme is that entrepreneurs learn best from each other not from consultants or trainers. The fantastic lead for Veri and me as CEO is Áine Denn. Áine’s insight is informed by more than 25 years’ experience in enterprise software, business development, operations and customer engagement. Áine was the co founder of Altify which was recently acquired by US technology company Upland Software (UPLD) in a deal worth nearly €76 million.
The take home after two meetings with Áine is the importance of a  product development road map. Design Partnership has been our model from the get go. Without input from initial innovators like Bernie Stephenson at the Irish Red Cross, Niamh Fitzgerald from Impact training and Liz Doran at Barrow training we would not have the fit for purpose tool that we have today.
As we grow into new sectors, trying to ensure this model keeps to a customer needs focus while ensuring we are following international developments in data and training management systems, is something we are going to resource more. Recently we have had wonderful inputs from Grant Thornton’s People and Change practice. The  team of specialists focus on  people challenges facing organisations today and have a huge focus on digitisation and change management. We are learning all the time.
Last week saw I attended my second workshop session run by Geraldine Kelly who is a non-Executive Director at Bank of Ireland Mortgage Board. This round table strategy session uncovered many thought provoking insights. The table was a varied group of impressive women; Glenda Hahn who has a healthcare management platform, Jennifer Lawlor who helps families be organised through her beautiful products, Pamela Doyle co founder of Job Alert and Ellen Gunning director of The PR Training company. It is privilege to be in such company.
Looking forward to the inspiring days ahead with Áine, the ladies in my group and the learning!