NICVA celebrates learners' achievements

Celine McStravick, NICVA CEO, welcomed everyone and congratulated them on achieving their qualifications, recognising the commitment that it takes to attend class and complete assignments when they are all in busy jobs in the sector.

Our guest speaker was Prof Karise Hutchinson, Professor of Leadership at Ulster University. Karise spoke of The LeaderShift  - "You cannot be the same, think the same and act the same if you hope to be successful in a world that does not remain the same". (LeaderShift by John C Maxwell). She encouraged us all to consider the behaviours we need to unlearn, as well as challenge ourselves to do things differently. She then outlined the 3 Rs: 1. The reality of leading, 2.The responsibility of leadership, 3. The rest required for leadership.

This was followed by a panel of graduates hosted by Dawn Love, NICVA's Skills Development Officer. The graduates shared why they decided to complete the course with NICVA and how their learning has impacted their work and their organisations. Thanks to our panel listed below for talking so openly and inspiring others to continuously develop and learn.

• Linda Warwick, Cruse Bereavement Support NI, who completed ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management
• Diane Huston, Larne Community Care Centre, who completed ILM Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management
• Deborah Boden, Mind your Mate and Yourself, who completed ILM Level 7 Award in Leadership and Management
• David Penny, Boys’ Brigade NI, who completed TQUK Level 3 Award in Training and Education

Sandra Bailie, Head of Organisational Development gave a summary of the achievements over the last number of years.

"NICVA has been an approved accreditation centre for ILM since 2005 and TQUK since 2014. We are proud to have direct claims status proving our high standard of quality assurance. We design and deliver accredited programmes from Level 3 to 7 specifically for the Voluntary and Community Sector in NI and since September 2019, a staggering 510 people have completed an accredited course and of these 399 achieved an ILM or TQUK qualification."

In our recent survey of learners they told us of the impact that the training has had, such as:

• Improved relationships
• Better problem solving
• Increased confidence
• More effective leadership
• Improved work practices
• Networking has opened doors 

We heard directly from learners about the difference it has made:

"Without this training I would not be in the position of CEO of my organisation. The tools, techniques, and learning paved the way for me attaining my ultimate CPD goal within a short space of time."

“The course was well structured and well organised. The support received throughout the course was excellent from start to finish. It provided me with new skills, confidence and affirmation in what I was already delivering in my current practice.”

The event ended with a big congratulations to everyone who had achieved their qualifications, thanks to the trainers and assessors, and then a chance to network over lunch.

Congratulations to all our graduates!