All our Business Skills courses are approved by CPD.
Check out our range of online courses.
Our CPD approved online Business Skills courses are suitable for those working in any business environment and will help to develop and enhance skills and knowledge.
Showing 1–36 of 44 results
Endorsed by The Institute of Hospitality and CPD
The course content is aimed at employees at all levels of an organisation that may encounter bribery or corrupt working practices.
Acts of bribery and corrupt business practices are still an all to common part of business to business activity in the UK and Worldwide. Inducements can range from small ‘facilitation payments’ to gifts worth millions of pounds. They can come in many different forms and can sometimes be hard to track down.
This course examines some of the reasons why bribery and corruption occur as well as providing an overview of how common these practices are believed to be, before discussing how normal business activities, such as gifts, hospitality, sponsorship and donations, can be manipulated to become bribes. It goes on to cover the legislation that is in place both in the UK and Internationally and the severe penalties that can be brought against someone found to be acting a corrupt way. It also looks at the effects of bribery at a national level, including corruption in state-owned enterprises and governments, worldwide. Finally, on a more practical level, it will show you some of the ways management and employees can reduce the risk of bribery and corruption in their organisations, particularly through anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies.
Approved by CPD
Your Company should be committed to providing a working environment free from harassment and bullying and ensuring all staff are treated, and treat others, with dignity and respect..
This course covers the commitments that will be laid out in your company’s anti-harassment and bullying policy. It then explains the differences between harassment and bullying, the steps that can be taken if either of these occur in or out of work, and some case studies to illustrate the points covered throughout the course.
Endorsed by The Institute of Hospitality and CPD
This course is suitable for anyone working in an organisation that handles large amounts of money. It can also be used as an introduction to the subject for those working or planning to work in a regulated sector.
Money-Laundering is a major criminal problem, worldwide. This course starts by defining money-laundering and describing the ‘regulated sector’ as defined by the Proceeds of Crime Act. The course discusses a number of money-laundering offences, including tax evasion, theft, fraud, bribery and the financing of terrorism. You’ll learn about some of the ‘red flags’ which could indicate illegal activity, and the connections between money-laundering and certain financial institutions. You’ll see how the regulated sector combats money-laundering through compliance, due diligence, and record-keeping. Finally, the course examines the internal controls and monitoring used by companies to fight against money-laundering.
Approved by IIRSM
This course is aimed at those responsible for assessing display screen equipment (DSE).
So what do we mean by display screen equipment?
The first thing most people think of is a computer monitor. But that’s not the only thing it refers to Display screen equipment could also mean laptops, tablet PCs, televisions, smartphones, CNC control pads, portable diagnostic screens or equipment containing cathode ray tubes, or CRTs.
The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations contain special directives covering DSE safety. Both employers and employee‐users have responsibilities under the legislation. This course fulfils your statutory training obligations and covers among other things,,, the correct way to set up and use your display screen equipment safely. Reducing the risk of work related conditions.
Endorsed by The Institute of Hospitality and CPD
‘Unmanaged conflict is the largest reducible cost in organisations today, and the least recognised’ .
Our society, and therefore our workplaces, are full of individuals with very different backgrounds, beliefs, values and attitudes. With such diversity conflict, at some point, is inevitable.
Conflict in workplaces is not only inevitable, it can actually be valuable. That is if it is handled correctly and focused on the right areas.
This course will consider what conflict is as well as its impact and role in the workplace. We will consider some of the triggers for workplace conflict and how it develops before looking at a number of different ways of managing it.
The objective of this qualification is to support learners working or preparing to work in a customer service role or where using a telephone is a part of their role. It is suitable for all industries where customer service is a requirement.
The qualification covers the principles of customer service including how to meet customers’ expectations, the importance of appropriate behaviour and communication techniques as well as ways to deal with problem customers.
Packed with engaging and interactive content this online customer service training will equip anyone working in a customer-facing role with the knowledge to deliver excellent customer care.
Learners will understand what is meant by, and how to deliver, good customer service in any organisation.
This course covers preventing infection when working within retail and provides the necessary retail protocols to stay safe in relation to COVID-19.
These training courses are ideal for businesses to issue to employees to complete either before returning to work or once they are back at work and will give your customers peace of mind that you are creating the safest possible environment.
Companies can use this certificate to display their commitment to COVID Secure training in the workplace.
Approved by CPD
This course explores the risk to workers caused by the Covid-19 virus and covers actions that can be taken by employers and employees to protect themselves and each other as they return to work.
The content of this course is based on the latest information from the UK government and the NHS. It covers information about the virus, risk assessments and personal safety, along with how to make changes to the daily work environment to address these risks.
Aimed at employers and employees the course is intended to help plan and implement changes to the workplace and ease the transition back to the workplace for those returning to a central work location after long periods of remote working.
This course is aimed at anyone responsible for risk assessment and health and safety in the workplace. The course can also be useful to those returning to work after working from home, or starting work during and following the pandemic.
CPD Approval Pending
Employees, managers and directors should all have a good understanding of the threat posed by cyber-attacks and the importance of guarding against data breaches.
This short course will explain why cyber attacks and data breaches happen and provide practical advice on how to set up effective defences. First, the course will identify potential ‘cyber threat actors’ who initiate cybercrime, along with looking at the main motivations behind cyber-attacks on individuals and organisations.
On a more practical level, you’ll learn how to recognise and deal effectively with phishing attempts. The course will highlight the importance of keeping passwords secure and cover security for devices, such as smartphones, laptops, tablets or desktop computers. You’ll learn how to report a suspected cyber attack, and what to do if you genuinely make a mistake.
Finally, we’ll underline the importance of cooperation and show how working closely together helps overcome a wide range of cybersecurity issues.
Approved by CPD
If you or your organisation handles personal information about individuals you have legal obligations to protect that information.
The benefits of good data safety are numerous and include, good business practice, the protection of people’s rights and the protection of your organisations reputation.
In recent years some companies and individuals have experienced serious legal consequences for data protection breaches and this highlights why it is so important to get it right.
Training should be a vital part of any company’s data protection policy.
Approved by CPD
Effective businesses encourage the development of positive relationships between managers and employees, as well as amongst co-workers. Establishing and maintaining good work relationships is the key to a positive workplace, and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time.
This course will define employee relations and cover the many benefits good relations can bring to an organisation. It’ll explain how to build confidence in management, including sharing the company vision, building strong teams and the importance of employee feedback.
It’ll examine how a proactive HR presence benefits employee relations. Then look at employment contracts and the role of the Employee Handbook.
The course briefly discusses Performance Management including information on motivating employees and how best to show your appreciation of their contribution to the company.
Finally, it’ll show you how to deal effectively with complaints, discipline and how to combat negativity.
Approved by CPD and ILM
Developing Teamwork is all about building stronger relationships within your team by getting to know each other better and creating the foundations for an exceptionally high performing group of people.
This course will start by explaining in detail what team working is and cover some of the basic principles for putting together a group of people who will work well together. It then goes on to cover conflict within teams, explaining some of the reasons conflict occurs and some strategies for managing conflict. It finishes off by exploring some of the different styles of management behaviour and how to develop a resilient team.
Candidates completing this course will receive an ILM Certificate.
Approved by CPD
The aims of the disciplinary procedure are to provide a framework within which managers can work with employees to maintain satisfactory standards of conduct and to encourage improvement when necessary.
This course covers the aims of the disciplinary procedure, penalties including investigations, allegations and suspensions, procedures for carrying out hearings, and appeals.
Approved by IIRSM
This course is aimed at users of display screen equipment (DSE). A user is anyone who regularly uses display screen equipment for a significant part of their normal work. In practice, if you use display screen equipment continuously for more than one hour a day, then you are a ‘user’.
So what do we mean by display screen equipment?
The first thing most people think of is a computer monitor. But that’s not the only thing it refers to Display screen equipment could also mean laptops, tablet PCs, televisions, smartphones, CNC control pads, portable diagnostic screens or equipment containing cathode ray tubes, or CRTs.
The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations contain special directives covering DSE safety. Both employers and employee‐users have responsibilities under the legislation. This course fulfils your statutory training obligations and covers among other things,,, the correct way to set up and use your display screen equipment safely. Reducing the risk of work related conditions.
Endorsed by The Institute of Hospitality and CPD
The Online Drug and Alcohol Awareness course is aimed at managers and staff in all industries who play a role in reducing drug, alcohol and substance misuse in the UK.
The course starts with official statistics to illustrate the scale of drug and alcohol abuse in the UK. You’ll learn in detail about commonly used drugs, including cannabis, cocaine, heroin, LSD, ecstasy and some new designer drugs.
Turning to alcohol abuse, the course will show you how to introduce a 4-stage plan to deal with any problems – including how to write an effective Drug and Alcohol Policy.
Beyond this the course will explore best business practice in terms of HR, legislation, spotting signs of drug misuse and the implementation of workplace solutions. The course also explains how the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) can help with effective alcohol and drugs policies and the development of related management skills.
Finally, it looks at current drug treatments and the options for outside support available to individuals and organisations.
Approved by CPD
Effective delegation is an essential skill to learn if you want to be an effective manager. After all, the best managers don’t strive to be super-heroes.
Instead, they are exceptional at picking good people to do what they need to have done, and then letting them get on with it.
However delegating effectively can be difficult. It means identifying the right tasks to delegate, overcoming barriers to delegation and taking the time to delegate properly so that everyone knows what they’re expected to do and by when.
When it’s done right the benefits are numerous and improve the working lives of everyone involved from the managers to the staff and it has wide ranging benefits to the organisation as a whole.
This course will start with the essentials – defining exactly what we mean by delegation and why it’s so important. It then goes into details about, the elements of delegation, overcoming the barriers to delegation, how you can choose which tasks to delegate and who to the process of delegation and much more.
Approved by CPD
We’ve all heard and used the words ‘equality’ and ‘diversity’ before but what do they actually mean and how do they affect you as an employer or employee?
Well if you take the words on their own they are actually quite different, equality is the state of being equal, especially in rights and opportunities. Diversity is the state of being different or varied.
However these 2 things should not be seen as opposite to each other, after all people can be different but they still have the same rights.
When it comes to places of work there is legislation in place to ensure that we all meet our responsibilities in relation to equality and diversity… And one way to make sure we meet these responsibilities is through training.
Approved by CPD
Facebook is the world’s largest social network. With over a billion users it’s very likely that a proportion of your target customer audience will have a Facebook account. In the ‘Social Media for Business’ course you’ll have been encouraged to research and investigate the preferred social media platforms used by your target audience, so you should have a good idea at this point if Facebook is one of the right platforms for you.
Using Facebook in your business is about providing an effective means for your customers to interact with you and connect their friends to your business. Recommendation is the most powerful way a potential customer can be connected to a business, particularly when it’s being recommended by a friend. So if you know that a trusted friend likes a particular brand, you’re much more likely to engage with that brand.
Facebook is essentially a platform designed to facilitate social interaction between people with whom you’ve already established some mutual recognition.
When it’s done right the benefits are numerous and improve the working lives of everyone involved from the managers to the staff and it has wide ranging benefits to the organisation as a whole.
This course will start with the essentials – defining exactly what we mean by delegation and why it’s so important. It then goes into details about, the elements of delegation, overcoming the barriers to delegation, how you can choose which tasks to delegate and who to the process of delegation and much more.
Approved by CPD
Emotional Intelligence is a set of emotional and social skills that collectively establish how well you perceive and express yourself, maintain social relationships and cope with challenges. It’s not just a passing management fad, in fact it is based on a great body of data, based on studies of tens of thousands of working people taken from a wide range of industries.
The research shows which qualities make a star performer and while Emotional Intelligence isn’t the sole predictor of performance potential, it has been proven to be a key indicator in this area.
This course will introduce the concept of emotional intelligence and look at how you can use it in effective and meaningful ways. It will examine the difference between emotional intelligence and IQ and dispel some of the myths surrounding emotional intelligence. It contains a sections on the advantages and disadvantages of using emotional intelligence and considers the biological purpose for emotions and how best to manage them. Finally it will highlight the role played by emotions in the workplace and provide practical advice including tips for using emotional intelligence to deal effectively with emotions in situations that can arise in the workplace.
This course is aimed at supervisors and managers that want to develop more effective relationships with members of their teams. The course can be a great starting point for people new to their leadership role as well as more established managers that want to enhance their skills. This acts as a great introduction to the subject and covers the key concepts and theories relating to emotional intelligence.
Fraud costs UK business up to £190 billion every year. Investing in prevention is cheaper than the consequences of being a victim of fraud. Learn the basics of fraud prevention with this online Short Course.
It’s estimated that the cost of fraud to UK businesses could be as high as £190 billion each year, with over 70 per cent of fraud occurring in the private sector and over 20 per cent in the public sector.
An increasing number of companies are experiencing fraud, or finding they need to invest more to prevent it. Ensuring your organisation understands the different types of fraud and how to prevent it is vital, and will help you protect your business and employees from the serious consequences fraud can result in.
The Highfield e-learning Introduction to Fraud and Fraud Prevention Short Course is designed to help your organisation understand the nature of fraud, how you may be vulnerable and its effects. It will give you the knowledge needed to reduce risk within your organisation and implement anti-fraud policies.
The course forms part of a suite of short e-learning course that focus on different types of economic crime, and is ideal for employees in busy workplaces who need to understand the issues around fraud.
Approved by CPD
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is designed to strengthen and unify the principles of data protection for all individuals within the European Union and the European Economic Area.
The GDPR is an incredibly important change to data privacy regulations so understanding its correct implementation is vital for all UK businesses and organisations, and particularly for staff who regularly deal with personal data.
This online course is designed specially for those front line staff and provides a clear introduction to the main elements of the GDPR, including compliance and the consequences of non-compliance.
It explains the roles of key players – Data Protection Officers, Data Controllers, Data Protection Leads and Data Processors and covers the main categories of personal data, along with the six lawful bases for processing data, and how to audit the data your organisation holds.
Other topics examined include the Seven Principles of the GDPR and the Eight Rights for Individuals, along with the importance of your Privacy Policy – how to construct one, and how to use it effectively when dealing with data subjects.
Finally, there’s important information on data breaches; how to avoid them, what to do if one is discovered and how to file a breach report.
This course is aimed at anyone who has access to personal data. This mainly applies to front line data processors but will also include HR personnel, supervisors and managers.
Approved by CPD and ILM
A leader doesn’t necessarily have to be a ‘manager’, but it’s difficult to see how a manager could be truly effective without having at least some leadership skills.
This course will introduce you to some of the important techniques and theories that can help you to improve your leadership skills and be more effective in your role.
Candidates completing this course will receive an ILM Certificate.
Approved by CPD
Linkedin is a very well established and respected social network with over 259 million users in more than 200 countries. It’s known as “Facebook in a Suit” or the most professional level of Social networking for businesses.
Linkedin is a very valuable tool to find the key decision makers within certain companies. It’s used for finding the best point of contact, gaining familiarity with their background before a call or sales pitch, making such contact much more effective.
It’s a social network for professional people. Normally a person would create a Linkedin profile that would include career details and would update their information periodically as to their current appointment. It would often include a personal statement, personal web address and possibly testimonials from employers and members of staff. If the person has particular interests both professionally and personally they may subscribe to one or more interest groups to receive updates and discussion opportunities.
Approved by CPD
I think everyone would agree that poorly called or run meetings waste valuable time for any organisation. This course will show you how to run meetings effectively and improve your ability to instigate actions that are quick and efficient.
The course starts with some basic definitions and statistics that outline how important running meetings effectively can be.
It examines factors that make meetings great, and some practical steps you can take to ensure everything runs smoothly and successful outcomes are achieved. It also covers some of the ways you can handle any problems that may arise.
Finally, it looks at different decision-making approaches you can use and finishes off with some notes on keeping a learning log to help you learn and grow, ultimately becoming a more confident and effective participant or chairperson.
Approved by CPD
Employee absence can be costly in terms of both lost time and money. It impacts businesses, managers, and colleagues in ways that range from them having to take on extra work or undertake additional training, to experiencing additional stress and a drop in morale.
This course will help you to understand the different types of absence and Identify ways of measuring absence. It covers why you should complete return-to-work forms and how to conduct effective return-to-work meetings. The course finishes off by explaining the formal processes involved in managing absence and how to apply appropriate policies.
CPD and IIRSM Approved
This course is aimed at employers and employees responsible for developing and following a workplace mental health policy.
When people have good mental health, they are more likely to fulfil their potential. That means they enjoy work and cope easily with work situations. They have a happy family life and good social relationships.
Organisations are required by law to promote and protect the mental well-being of their workforce. A comprehensive Mental Health Policy, along with easy-to-understand operating procedures, will incorporate mental health issues into established organisational thinking. It will make sure everyone knows how the organisation views and deals with workplace mental health.
This course covers the steps that organisations should consider when developing and implementing a comprehensive workplace Mental Health Policy.
Approved by CPD
Negotiation is a basic means of getting what you want from others. It’s a back and forth communication designed to reach an agreement when you and the other side have some interests that are shared and others that are opposed.
This course covers the basics of what constitutes a negotiation, the key stages of a negotiation, skills you can apply to your negotiations and some practical advice so you can bring all of this together and become a more effective negotiator.
Approved by CPD
Setting clear and precise goals and objectives ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal, allowing for business and personal growth. Objectives clarify priorities and allow employees to allocate their time and resources more effectively. They also introduce a way of understanding how work will be measured and evaluated, thus enabling employees to evaluate their own performance, and make adjustments as necessary.
This course aims to help you write effective objectives that deliver results. It covers the importance of goals and objectives and why we need them, the barriers to you achieving your objectives and how to overcome them, what SMART objectives are and how to write and identify them and concludes with some tips for successful objective setting.
CPD Approval Pending
This course is aimed at people who are starting out in their careers or those who might need to refresh their interview skills after being out of the workforce for a long time.
Interviews are two-way processes, where the employer and the interviewee can both decide if they are a good fit. This short course will provide you with some useful tips for how to prepare for an interview including preparing answers to common questions.
The course also covers other things to consider in advance of the interview including planning how you will get there. It briefly covers some of the key differences between online and face to face interviews.
Approved by CPD
In any organisation, the traditional model of strict command and control wastes a significant amount of time and money. Mutual trust, employee motivation and readiness to perform can easily be undermined. Performance management, on the other hand, offers a different, much more effective approach.
In formal terms, performance management involves the achievement of performance targets through the effective management of people and the environment in which they operate. It’s about setting achievable goals for the organisation and targets for individuals and teams.
Approved by CPD
Giving a successful presentation can be one of the hardest parts of many people’s jobs.
Ultimately preparation will be the key to success when it comes to giving a presentation, but how do you make sure you are prepared enough?
What about the structure? The content? How should you use visual aids?
Being a successful presenter also involves understanding your audience, their expectations and needs.
This course covers the common mistakes people make when preparing for and giving a presentation so you can avoid these, as well as going over good practice and providing some practical advice that you can put to good use the next time you have a big presentation to make.
CPD Approved
This course covers a range of problems that occur in the workplace – and how they can be recognised, controlled and solved.
The three main areas in which problems can occur will be covered – people tasks and resources.
Problems with people can include personality clashes, dangerous, offensive or illegal behaviour, poor communication and differences of opinion. The course covers the Equality Act 2010 and how it applies to discrimination.
There’ll be coverage of time-wasting – due to individual actions and poorly organised work systems – and how to ensure time at work is spent productively.
It also covers problems with resources, such as a lack of raw materials or equipment.
The course looks at the ways problems can be solved by the actions of managers, employees and outside organisations and investigates the use of arbitration, negotiation, compromise, conciliation and mediation
to resolve conflicts as well as the many benefits these resolutions can bring to the workplace.
Approved by CPD
The effective management of projects is an essential skill in many workplaces. Correct control of stages and different aspects of projects helps to increase the chances of projects being successful.
There are many tools and approaches to managing projects, from a simple ‘to do’ list, to complex methodologies.
When a project is managed correctly it ensures that there’s a sound business reason for undertaking the project, that it’s clear who’s involved in delivering the project, what the expected outcomes are and how resources and risks will be managed throughout the project.
When it’s done poorly the project can suffer from feature creep, delays, go over budget or not get finished at all.
This course covers some of the common project management methodologies, setting goals, and actually achieving them, identifying the need for a project to be started, using key project management tools and much more.
All our Business Skills courses are approved by CPD.
Check out our range of online courses.