Catch up on recent events and see what's planned over the next couple of months. No Images? Click here We firmly believe that skilled admin professionals are directly impacting organisations' productivity and profitability. And we are helping with that! It's our mission to help our members truly demonstrate their value to organisations *and* the local economy. We do this by providing opportunities to share best practice, develop skills, enhance knowledge, build a network and broaden our understanding of the local business market. — Do we have the right skills in local talent pool? We mentioned in our last newsletter that we were collaborating with recruitment experts Hays to host conversations with local recruiting managers from various organisations across the city to understand their recruitment challenges and identify skills gaps in the local talent pool. These conversations are ongoing, but what we've learned so far is that there is a need to focus on core skills. By way of example, we were told recent recruits have not had the anticipated level of skills in areas such as using Microsoft packages and minute taking. This was borne out at our Conference in Bristol last month when Microsoft Certified Expert Paul Pennant stunned our audience with his time-saving tips. It was clear to him and us that our members simply haven't received sufficient training in this area in the past. We've also met with Rosie Bates of the Growth & Enterprise Team at Exeter City Council and discussed the Skills Strategy for Exeter, when we shared what we'd learned and discussed how we might collaborate further in that regard. — So what are we going to do about it?Whilst we've previously felt our role was to provide development opportunities to support our members to step up into an enhanced role, and have therefore facilitated sessions on topics such as marketing strategy, branding, finance, leadership, technology, etc, it is clear that core skills training is not being provided either at the start of our members' career journey (ie by college or NVQ training providers) or during it (ie by employers). This gap is damaging our economy, and therefore we have decided that we are going to provide training opportunities to plug this gap. This will be our focus for 2019. Save an hour every day with our Masterclass: a full day Outlook Masterclass in Exeter and Bristolwith Paul Pennant We are working with Paul Pennant, Microsoft Certified Expert and MD of multi-award winning training provider, Today's PA, to provide this class tailored for us. In Paul's experience, delegates of this Masterclass typically save an hour EVERY day - that's 34 working days a year! The course will cost £290, compared with £475 for the class in London when booking directly with Today's PA - which is a significant saving in itself. And, because this is happening locally, there are savings to be had on travel and accommodation costs too! Consider how much this course could save your organisation - an hour a day @ an av. salary rate of £15ph over a 48 week period (accounting for holidays) = an average saving of £3,600/year Can you afford not to attend? All the news: Wow! What a night!We had a wonderful time at the Manchester PA Network Awards on 1 November. Those ladies know how to put on an Awards ceremony! There were 720 people at the event, which was beyond glam. Gethin Jones hosted the evening and they raised over £5k on the night for the Network's chosen charity, The Christie.Unfortunately, it wasn't to be our night, and the team at Birmingham PA Forum scooped the External PA Network of the Year award. Still, it was a fantastic achievement to be shortlisted, and we feel very proud of that.PLUS it was a great opportunity to catch up with our friends at Jersey PA Network, East Midlands Network, PA Network SW1 and, of course, our hosts from EPAA. Check out the Manchester PA Awards Facebook page for all the photos! EPAA (Executive & Personal Assistant Association)Those of you who are members of our profession's national association, EPAA, may well have seen the second video in their campaign tackling gender diversity in the PA profession. A recent ONS survey showed the gender split within the Business Support Profession as 94% women to 6% men in the UK. This actually shows a slightly improving position as it was previously reported at 97:3 in the UK, against a global split of 98:2. So, it is improving, but not as fast as we would like. We would very much like to see more men joining this profession. Not only will greater diversity enrich the profession, it will also, we feel, positively impact the perception of the role. We fully support EPAA's #notjustagirlsjob campaign, and are pleased to see them calling out organisations placing inappropriate job ads, such as the company who recently advertised for a 'Mary Poppins'. We encourage you to watch the video and to check out EPAA's website to find out more. Stay tuned in for the latest info: ★ Overnight COMPLIMENTARY stay at luxury Thurleston Hotel ★ 50% off a spa treatment ★ Mary Grose, whose family has owned the beautiful Thurleston Hotel at Kingsbridge for more than 120 years, has offered a fantastic opportunity for Exeter PA Network members to try the luxury hotel and its facilities on a complimentary basis, with a show around with Mary herself. How amazing is that?! You can book your complimentary room with a show around at your leisure, subject to availability, between now and March for dinner, bed and breakfast (including partners). If you want to extend your stay, the cost would be £95 per night on a bed and breakfast basis. The only restrictions are around Christmas and New Year. PLUS, if you would like a spa treatment, there is a further offer of 50% off for the first treatment. Use of all other facilities is included. The hotel is dog friendly, and there are some terrific walks which are super on a crisp sunny winter morning. Does it get any better than this? That's all for 2018 folks!We'll be taking a break from events in December, and look forward to seeing you again in the New Year! In the meantime, please do share ♥ this newsletter with colleagues and contacts who you think would enjoy being part of our network - or encourage them to subscribe to our updates through our website (www.exeterpanetwork.com). Kim Glover |