I must admit I’m not usually one for focusing too heavily on anniversaries. However, I think any organisation that reaches the milestone of 25 years in business should see it as an opportunity to celebrate, reflect, and plan for the future. Whilst this blog is a personal reflection, it is important to recognise that without the dedication and hard work of the Ouch team and the continued support from our customers, we would never have reached the 25-year milestone.
Each year, we have provided learning opportunities for around 5000-6000 delegates. So, notwithstanding significant events such as a global recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, we can safely say that we are proud to have provided learning and support opportunities to approximately 150,000 individuals and delegates from a vast range of business sectors.
Over the last 25 years, the world of work has changed, and so have we. We have never rested on our laurels and have always sought to improve our knowledge, ability, and experience. This passion for practical wisdom and excellence has fuelled our creative innovation and consistent evolution of our range of learning opportunities, and how we go about supporting our delegates and customers to achieve their goals.
Examples include:
- Midday Mile
- Warm-up for Work
- Gamification of Learning Opportunities
- Permission Granted Approaches
- Ethical frameworks and Ethical Reasoning Tool
- Possible and Preferable Tool (Human Factors Evaluation and Facilitation Tool)
What’s changed?
In recent years, we have invested heavily in the fundamental aspects of good business. We have listened to our customers and designed and implemented a bespoke database and customer portal. We have rebranded, moving our ideology from the provision of training and information to the facilitation of learning and development.
A fantastic new website has been launched, enabling our customers to access information about our products and services, plus polish their knowledge and skills with quizzes and links to reference materials. We have recently launched our monthly blog and newsletter, which allows our clients to keep up to date on important safety and business-related issues.
During this time, the world of work and the expectations of our customers and their teams have evolved. In response to these changes, the Ouch team has undertaken a dramatic process of evolution. The Ouch team has undertaken a wide variety of learning opportunities so we can develop our knowledge and understanding of important topics.
Some of the subjects include:
- Numerous H&S skills update courses
- Leadership
- Drama
- Psychology
- Philosophy
- Applied ethics
- Art
- Graphic design
- Accounting
- Copywriting and editing
- Change management
- Human factors
- Social media
We believe that our customers are deeply committed to improving safety and performance standards and that they will thrive through an effective, efficient, and ethical approach to delivering their products and services.
Because of this, we have added to our range of learning opportunities and support services:
- Support and training in business, professional, and applied ethics
- Change management training and support
- Critical thinking courses
- Collaborative learning approaches to all our offerings
- Human factors (behaviour-based) approach to workplace behaviours
- WeLearning (our unique approach to team learning)
- Motion graphics department, designed to provide engaging internal and external communication of important messages
We see our 25th anniversary as a wonderful opportunity to continue to learn, adapt, and evolve. And yet, after so many things have changed, the commitment and core ethos of Ouch remain unchanged – our commitment to supporting our customers through the facilitation of meaningful learning experiences.
We look forward to the next 25 years and whatever it brings, the Ouch team will do what it always has done: supporting our customers with dedication, innovation, and unwavering commitment to excellence.
Take care
Simon
Director
Sources of learning used by the Ouch team:
Arts University, Bournemouth – Short Courses – including drama, social media, WordPress, and Creative Writing
The Open University – Philosophy and Psychology
Knowadays – Proofreading and Editing
The Open University – Short Courses