Monthly Archive for January, 2016

News: Infero Is Approved By Skills Funding Agency

Skills Funding Agency Logo

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) is a UK government funded scheme that funds skills training for further education (FE) in England. The scheme supports over 1,000 colleges, private training providers , and employers with £3.7 billion funding each year.

 

 

The scheme is renowned for its selective properties and many SMEs struggle to become approved as it is such a prestige list. To quote SFA “Organisations that passed the due diligence questions at the Register refresh are listed on the Register. We look to deliver excellent business performance through our people”.

 

 

Here at Infero we are proud to state that we are a SFA registered training provider. The scheme is aimed at organisations that provide exceptional quality training and have a top priority of delivering an outstanding service, these are aspects in which we pride ourselves on. We were first approved in 2015 and now again re-approved in January as a SFA Training Provider.

 

 

We see the register as a guideline to ensure our customers receive outstanding services. This is also a testament to our company’s quality standards and our 100% Money Back Guarantee. We will continue to work hard to deliver to the standards of SFA and we would like to thank our customers for their feedback to help improve our services and courses.

 

 

Don’t forget, if you have any questions then don’t be shy, we’d love to hear.

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Excel Tip: Conditional Formatting

Conditional formatting is a feature within Microsoft Excel which is used for highlighting cells with a certain color, depending on the cell’s value. It can be a great tool for your Excel sheets, as it has various purposes and outcomes, whether you are after the top 5 values or a simple way to values that need your urgent attention.

 

To get to conditional formatting, go to the Home tab, then to the Styles command group:

conditional formating

 

There are plenty of in-built options for users who don’t want to modify anything or want to do things on the go. However, Excel gives users the chance to customize their own rules for conditional formatting for that added personal touch.

 

Conditional Formatting

 

To customize your own rules, follow the same steps above, select the New Rule command to bring the New Rule Dialogue Box.

 

Want to learn more? Check out our Courses and our other Hints and Tips

 

Article: 5 Ways Classroom Training Is Better

IT Training Courses are a great way to enhance personal skills, productivity and personal knowledge. Once you have a Microsoft expert in the office, that person can share their knowledge with other and reduce time and effort spent figuring out and producing spreadsheets and documents. However, a lot of companies want to step away from sending employees to day courses, and think it’s better to do online courses or even ask employees to spend personal time watching YouTube videos or learn in their own time!

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Although there are some advantages to online based training, such as reduced travel costs and reduced time out of the office, classroom based training can actually be more effective and have a greater outcome on building knowledge! So we decided to present to you 5 reasons why classroom based training courses, such as the one we present here, are better for your company and better for individuals:

 

 

  • The office can be distracting!

Especially on a Monday, phone calls, emails, POs to sign, follow ups to send and more phone calls, being away from the office on a business-based training can be refreshing and useful. A classroom can be a great place to share ideas and come up with solutions to everyday problems at the work place and allows a trainer to teach employees in a safe, quiet, clean environment, away from the noise and pressures of the work area.

 

 

  • Can provide a great opportunity to interact with other companies and build business links and opportunities.

I often find that training sessions with a variety of individuals from various companies lead to new business opportunities for clients. It also creates an environment where business leads can be generated and new links within other industries can be easily established.

 

 

  • A Relationship between the Trainer and the Learner(s) can improve the experience.

The classroom environment provides the important “human touch,” which is often missing in technology-based training. It makes way for a lot of interaction, team-building, social skills and may lead to increased learning opportunities as well as finding a place to practice any new skills acquired. Besides, a Trainer is hand to answer any questions that may come up on the spot!

 

 

  • Group interaction enhances learning.

Employees learn from one another as well as from the trainer. Sharing experiences from the office and work can help the Trainer understand why a learner wants to learn the software and helps others in the classroom understand possible wider application of it. After all, sharing is caring.

 

 

  • It can be the ideal Team building exercise.

The group setting also teaches employees how to interact with one another in a professional, productive, cooperative way, which is something that other forms of training often do not provide.

 

There are more positives to classroom led training, to experience those and see what Infero Training can offer you, check out our Training Courses can offer here, or simply sign up to our mailing list for more articles as well as hints and tips here.

Project 2013 Tip: Using the Task Inspect Tool

The Task Inspect Tool was introduced by Microsoft in Project 2010 to help project managers have even more control on their project and help, especially in long and complicated projects, and to determine and track down the causes of slipping tasks, which can be very problematic.  Trying to determine which predecessor relationship is pushing the scheduled start date out can be difficult with linked tasks residing multiple screens away.

 

After you have added your tasks, assigned resources and set your predecessors, you can use the Task Inspect too to help manage the project easily, without the need to bring up the Task Information Dialogue box every time.

 

To get the Task Inspect Tool:

 

1) Go to Task Tab on the Ribbon and head to the Tasks Command Group

 

pic 1

 

2) Click on the Inspect command

 

pic 2

 

3) This will bring the Task Inspect Tool next to the Ghant Chart Table view in Project. Now every time you select a Task the Task Inspector will bring all the details (predecessors, Assigned Resources, Calendars…) up in a simpler view.

pic 4pic 3

 

As you can see from screen grab, the Task Inspector can also be useful if Resourced assigned to the tasks are over allocated and will give you possible solutions.

 

If you want to learn more about Microsoft Project, join our Microsoft Project course. You can also sign up to mailing list for more hints & tips on Project and other MS applications.

Article: Introducing Leadership Competencies in Star Wars

J.J. Abram’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens burst into cinemas last month like a force-choke out of hell, smashing most sales records as surely as the Empire smashed the rebels on Alderaan.

 

The remarkable cinematic success was exactly what the Star Wars franchise needed, and was a glowing confirmation that Disney’s purchase of LucasFilm in 2012 for over $4 billion was the right move.

 

I loved the film and everyone I’ve spoken to who has seen it so far agrees.

 

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Prior to me seeing the movie, over the Christmas holiday, I took the opportunity to have a Star Wars marathon for the first time since the second trilogy came out a decade ago, and it reminded me how much Star Wars characters impacted us. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca and others have taken their place in our memories, much like James Bond or Superman have done over the decades. However, I believe the Star Wars’ characters remind us of the people we need in every season of our life and their certain characteristics are those which healthy leaders intentionally maintain.

 

So let’s look at Leadership Competencies in Star Wars. Why? Because it is more fun that way.

 

I’ve realised that writing about all of them in one long article, could be very discouraging to read, so instead I separated them in nine blog instalments which will be rolled out over the course of 2016 and will each focus on the importance of a particular competency of leadership: passion, humour, courage, integrity and trust, energy/vitality/enthusiasm, building a team, setting priorities, creativity, and vision. The idea behind this is to identify and define these components of character.

 

Our first blog will look at the Leadership Competency: Passion. This is perhaps is the most controversial subject in Star Wars between the codes of Jedi and Sith.

 

Stay tuned. I’ll look forward to your comments, challenges and opinions along the way.

Microsoft Outlook Tip: Creating Email signatures

In this tip, we will guide you on how you can create your own personal email signature which can be added to the end of each email that you send from Microsoft Outlook 2007 and 2010. A new start for a New Year!

 

Having a signature which contains your contact details means that the recipient is more likely to remember your details, especially if you have a healthy backward-forward dialogue going with them through emails. The recipient will also know who they need to talk with and their position within the company, ensuring that they are dealt with by the right person and in the most effective way.

 

Microsoft Outlook Tools

 

To set up your own custom Microsoft Outlook signature in 2007, follow these simple steps:

 

  • Select Tools > Options > Mail Format tab.
  • Click Signatures > and go to the E-mail Signature tab > New.
  • Type the new signature’s desired name.
  • Click OK.
  • Type the desired text of your signature under Edit signature.
  • You can use the formatting toolbar to format your text, or insert an image in your signature.
  • Click OK.

 

 

Email Signiture 1

To set up your own custom Microsoft Outlook signature in 2010 , follow these simple steps:

 

  • Select the Home tab > and click New Email.
  • In the Message tab > Signature > and click Signatures.
  • This will bring up a Signatures and Stationery box.
  • Click New and type the name of what you wish to call your signature, and click OK.
  • Type the desired text of your signature under Edit signature.
  • You can use the formatting toolbar to format your text, or insert an image in your signature.
  • Click Save > OK.

Email Signiture 2

 

 

If you would like to read more Microsoft Outlook tips, please visit our Outlook Tips page.

 

If you would like to learn more about Microsoft Outlook, then you should book yourself on one of our Microsoft Outlook Training Courses. Just give us a call or drop us an email; we are more than happy to help!