Training put my career on course

Last year, the Chamber’s Enterprising Women network teamed up with Nottingham Trent University to offer a Level 7 Women in Leadership course. Ahead of the course returning on 17 April, Jasmine Thompson speaks to past delegate Jo Jepson (pictured), CEO of Base 51, about her experience of taking part and the key takeaways she is applying to her organisation.

Which organisation do you work for?

Base 51 is a youth charity, based in Nottingham city centre. We work with young people aged 11 to 25 who are typically facing various levels of deprivation and disadvantage. Our services include a counselling service, youth provision and specialist programmes such as Outburst for LGBT+ young people; Evolution Plus for victims of serious violence and knife crime; and Safe Space, working with those at risk of or affected by exploitation.

As CEO, I take on strategic leadership, supported by a team of operational managers. Much of my role is focused on service sustainability and development, and my day-today responsibilities also include finance, bid writing and working with our board of trustees in areas involving governance.

Why did you enrol onto the Women in Leadership course?

I felt this would be a great opportunity to grow my professional network of other female leaders in the East Midlands. I have completed various leadership courses and always find there is something else to learn, and continuous learning and development is vital to “keep up” with a changing environment.

Eligible D2n2 Smes Urged To Sign Up

The Women in Leadership Level 7 course is fully funded through the European Regional Development Fund, and is free to those working in eligible SMEs based in the D2N2 area.

Beginning with an induction on 17 April, sessions then run from 19 April to 21 June. Most are from 1pm to 3pm on Teams, with one full day spent on-site at Nottingham Trent University on 15 June.

Modules include:

•Goal setting, development planning and career management

•How management and leadership deliver value to SMEs

•Women as leaders

•The importance of organisational culture

•Power and politics in organisations

•Leading high-performance teams

•Communicating with impact.

To enrol on the next cohort, visit bit.ly/EMCWomenLeadership

What did the course involve?

The course was mostly held virtually, which worked really well for me as I can’t always commit the time away from the charity to just focus on my own development.

All sessions had some form of breakout space involving group work. I found this element hugely valuable as it also gives an opportunity to learn from others.

The content ranged from understanding yourself, through to understanding the environment, workplace culture, collaboration, coaching and leadership and strategic theories that underpinned the assignments.

How will the course support you in your job role?

The course helped me to contextualise the challenges of our charity – having the theoretical knowledge is a super useful tool, particularly when working on strategic plans.

When were you introduced to Enterprising Women and how have the other activities organised by the network supported you since?

Since becoming a member of the Chamber, I have received newsletters about various events. I have attended an Enterprising Women networking event, and it was great to meet new people as well as catch up with those I already knew. I heard about the training course via one of those emails.

I am now encouraging one of my managers to take up the opportunity to join a future cohort, as well as get involved in the events.

Why is it important to support aspiring female leaders in organisations and what role can dedicated learning and development programmes have?

I am a huge advocate of females coming together to learn, develop and support each other. Building a peer network can be invaluable to women who work in small businesses as it can be very lonely at times.

Dedicated programmes feel inclusive and relevant to your role. Taking the time out for your own development is a hugely underrated resource, and one that is often limited by financial barriers. Female leaders are usually supporting and developing others so it’s a refreshing change to have an opportunity to top up our own skills.

Chance to learn the skills to be a director

There is still time to book onto the Director Development Programme, which begins on Tuesday 18 April and runs until 6 June.

The course is designed for individuals who want to support and grow their business, or the department they lead.

The objective is to equip them with the skills and confidence needed to achieve objectives that will ultimately drive the business forward.

Delivered as a five-day modular programme, it covers the following topic headings:

•Developing vision, values and strategy (18 April)

•Planning and direction (26 April)

•Finance for non-finance directors (9 May)

•People management approaches (17 May)

•Driving performance and leading change (6 June)

The Director Development Programme is delivered by course trainer Charles Barnascone at the Chamber’s office at NG2 Business Park, in Nottingham. It costs £1,450 + VAT for Chamber members and £1,850 + VAT for non-members. For more information, visit bit.ly/DDPApr23