Sam becomes number 12

APA is delight to announce the award of its twelfth 'Distinction' grade pass in the highly prestigious Diploma in Personal Assistance (DipPA). The recipient, Sam McElhill, joins the PA Elite - known collectively as the 'Tenacius Twelve' - who represent just 2% of PA diploma holders who have taken this qualification with APA.
About her Diploma journey Sam said: "Achieving my diploma has given me a new found confidence, I feel I can be more assertive but in a constructive way and therefore colleagues take more notice of my suggestions. As part of module 1 I was able to bring back to the office the RYGB exercise and this has allowed me to understand my colleagues and the team dynamics in a different light. I am very proud of my diploma and the grade of distinction was unexpected but a wonderful outcome. Gareth and the rest of the APA team are hugely supportive and I am sure I would not have succeeded without their help."

Gareth Osborne said: "Sam definitely excelled on the diploma course. She absorbed information intelligently but never hesitated to challenge it when unsure of its relevance or impact on her own role. I think she is a PA to watch and expect she will be invited to a number of events. She joins a ery elite group."

APA

Diploma enrolments keep on coming

This week has seen Diploma delegates start training in London, the Midlands and Scandinavia and the summer months promise to be busy for Module 2 – the final taught session and the test, new dates are constantly being added.

Gareth Osborne said: “We now encourage Members to call us about locations and availability as the published schedule went out-of-the-window months ago; it still exists and is accurate but we have a host of additional dates, locations and even in-house courses where major clients allow us to accommodate additional individual delegates. Let’s call it a moveable feast.”

All those interested in booking a training place should contact Shelley young at APA shelley.young@paprofessional.com

APA will be launching a series of new and more adventurous programmes for senior and career orientated PAs in the autumn.

APA

Pictured (L-R) are: Caroline Date, Apple Sharpe, Tracey Henry-Yeo and Gemma McKenzie.

APA on 'Settlement Agreements'

APA has responded to the Government’s announcement on 'Settlement Agreements' suggesting it is a better option than others proposed but still no substitute for good business management or basic common decency

APA believes the government's proposal on 'Settlement Agreements'; as a method of releasing underperforming employees, merits careful consideration. Plans are still sketchy; with work still to be done, and will need to be studied hard when government publishes details of how it will work in practice.

Gareth Osborne says: “We agree with CIPD when it stresses that it is imperative that settlement agreements should be used to encourage better and more consistent performance management by employers, not as a substitute for it. It is important that the government exercises its duty of care to employers by not overselling or oversimplifying what it is doing here. Employers need to understand that settlement agreements tabled in the context of without prejudice conversations will do nothing to protect them from discrimination or constructive dismissal claims if they act improperly.

"In the final analysis, the simple message for employers is that, with or without 'settlement agreements' there is no substitute for good performance management. Get that right, and there is no reason under the existing law why you can't remove underperforming employees and replace them with the ones you need to drive your business forward.

As the great Jim Collins (author: Good to Great), a hero amongst APA trainers, said: You get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus and the right people in the right seats”.

APA

All hail number twelve

The number of people who have taken and passed the Diploma in Personal Assistance is growing fast but finding those who achieve the ultimate accolade a ‘Pass with Distinction’ remains rare - less than 2%, making this achievement all the more exceptional.

Today has seen the scoring and announcement of only the 12th (twelfth) ‘Distinction holder.

Samantha McElhill FAPA DipPA (pictured left) of Silver Stone Search & Selection in Oxfordshire was thrilled to receive the news this afternoon from APA Director General, APA. Gareth said: “Sam was an exceptional participant, quiet and thoughtful but positive, professional and challenging when the situation demanded, I knew she would do well but was delighted when the judging panel (titled - the Panel of Members) scored her results and course assignments at distinction level. She richly deserves this success.”

Those who would like to follow in Sam’s wake should book their place soon for the exciting and prestigious Diploma in Personal Assistance by contacting training@paprofessional.com.

APA

Previously worn clothes

Staff members at PwC in Newcastle have donated their old suits to a charity for the homeless.

The old clothes will be used as part of a campaign to help disadvantaged and homeless job seekers return to work. Supporting the community is a key priority for PwC, and the firm has a number of activities planned to support local causes.

PwC said: “The Suit Amnesty campaign fits well with our objective to deliver help in the area of employability and we hope to be able to make a real difference to those that need it most. ”

Gareth Osborne of APA, who is well known for regularly taking barbed swipes at accountants and lawyers but resisted this time, said: “We’ll done to PwC I think this is a great initiative and really hope it inspires others to follow suit.”

APA