The common theme of my week has been professional development – both my own and that of individuals who work in the ERS and related sectors.
On Tuesday evening, I was privileged enough to attend the second annual Institute of Employability Professionals Fellows Lecture delivered by Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP. It is a key event in my own Continued Professional Development (CPD) event diary – an opportunity to be challenged, learn about new developments and reflect on current practice, as well as network with like-minded professionals.
Part of my responsibility as a Fellow is to support others in their career development, and outside of the IEP I mentor a couple of individuals who are looking to develop their careers, particularly within the business development arena. I have found mentoring to be a rewarding and mutually beneficial activity – where I believe I have developed and learnt as much if not more than my mentee’s!
I have been fortunate to be able to combine my passion for lifelong learning and the need for high quality professional development to improve quality and performance, with 20+ years ERS operational and business development experience. This has led to my involvement in a partnership project developing and delivering a suite of frontline advisor training. It is a challenging but exciting time for the ERS sector and more than ever we need to develop capacity and competency within our frontline delivery teams. To do this we need to put training and development at the heart of our businesses.
Author: Christine Brown, Owner & Principal, Future Excel

Christine has worked at a senior and executive level in the employment, skills and training sector for nearly 20 years, across the private, public and third sector. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP) and was elected as a Non-Executive Board Director of the Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP) in October 2013. Christine’s passion for the role of SME’s and third sector organisations in the delivery of public services, led her to found Future Excel in 2011.