Essential Professional Skills Training Programme

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Join us for our 3-day "Essential Professional Skills" training programme on Thursday 6th November, Thursday 13th November, and Thursday 20th November 2025.

Please note that if you are not available for all 3 days, catch up opportunities are available later in the year, so please contact us with your specific situation and we will try to accommodate you.

DEVELOP ESSENTIAL PROFESSIONAL SKILLS THAT MACHINES CAN'T REPLICATE...

The business world is rapidly changing for employees, employers and customers. Technical ability on its own will no longer be enough.

To stand out and succeed in your business and future career, you will need to develop and use certain core professional skills, including emotional intelligence, strong communication and interpersonal skills, an ability to think strategically, analytically and creatively, and the confidence to present your ideas with clarity and impact.

This FREE* Essential Professional Skills Programme will equip you with practical, real-world, human skills that form the foundation of every successful career.

Across four engaging modules, you’ll develop the communication, financial, marketing, and presentation skills that employers and customers value, and that machines can’t replicate!

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

This 3-day in-person training programme, delivered by experienced strategic advisors and finance experts from The Uncommon Practice is for anyone who thinks they might benefit.

Previous participants have included employees, business owners, start-up founders, job seekers & future entrepreneurs. It provides a brilliant opportunity to boost your business skills and your future career prospects.

The programme consists of four interactive and experiential modules:

- Communication and interpersonal skills

- An introduction to business finance

- Marketing essentials

- Presentation skills

Participants will be expected to attend all 3 days of the programme – although catch up opportunities are available if you cannot attend a specific date. Buffet lunch is provided and there is free parking on-site.

Every participant will also be offered an individual coaching conversation after their programme.

Participants who attend all three modules will also receive a certificate of completion.

COST

The “Essential Professional Skills” programme is free to attend*. However, as the programme is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, eligibility criteria apply (see below).

While the programme is free to attendees*, it is highly valuable. The RRP of this programme and coaching would be over £2000.

You will also be expected to attend all 3 days of the programme. However, if you are unable to attend on a certain date, please let us know before you book, as catch-up opportunities are available.

*ELIGIBILITY

To attend this programme, ONE of the following criteria must apply:

1. You work for a Wrexham-based business (your place of work must have a Wrexham County postcode)

OR

2. You are an individual living in Wrexham County with a Wrexham County postcode

Applications for places will be verified on a case-by-case basis.

*Please note: This criteria is different to our previous Essential Professional Skills programme delivered as part of the Multiply Fund.

👉 We expect places to go quickly so don't miss out - sign up now to secure your spot!

For more information email: d.armstrong@theuncommonpractice.com

WHO SHOULD JOIN AND WHY?

WHO SHOULD TAKE PART?

The programme is for anyone looking to develop essential professional skills and frameworks for success in their career.

Previous participants on the programme have included high potential employees, business owners, start-up founders, new graduates, apprentices and early-career employees, team members who have recently taken on new responsibilities, those returning to work or transitioning into new roles, people in between jobs, and future entrepreneurs.

WHY SHOULD YOU TAKE PART IN THE PROGRAMME?

Confidence in any professional setting: Whether you're speaking in meetings, interpreting financial reports, managing team members, promoting an idea, or talking to clients, these modules will help you feel more confident, more credible, and more effective in every professional interaction.

Develop the human skills that technology can’t replace: As automation reshapes the world of work, it’s the human skills like communication, empathy, financial insight, critical thinking, and creativity that are becoming more valuable than ever. This programme helps to develop the essential cognitive and social skills that are difficult to automate but crucial for progress and impact.

Excel in the world of work and turbocharge your career: You can be brilliant at your job, but if you can't explain your thinking, speak with confidence, or understand how your work contributes to the bottom line then you’ll always feel held back. This course gives you the tools to bridge that gap.

Develop critical skills for the future: According to the World Economic Forum, core higher-order skills such as analytical thinking, problem solving, self-awareness, motivation, creativity, communication, customer service, and active listening are among the Top 10 Skills for 2025, and the core skills that will be needed in 2030. This course will help you develop them.

AN INTERACTIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITY

THIS ISN’T JUST A THEORETICAL PROGRAMME…

Yes, we introduce theories, frameworks, tools and strategies on the programme, but this isn’t just a theoretical programme, it’s a hands-on, applied learning experience designed to build confidence, competence, and real-world capability.

Every element of the course is designed to be practical, relevant, and impactful.

Led by business experts: Learn from experienced trainers who bring real-world business insight, not just classroom theory. Every session is grounded in practical application, drawn from real-world experience.

Interactive role-plays with professional actors: You’ll take part in realistic simulations to practise different communication scenarios, and assess realistic interactions, led by professional actors and facilitators. A safe space to stretch your skills and grow your confidence.

Real-life case studies: Each module features many case studies drawn from real business scenarios, helping participants to apply what they’ve learned to situations they’ll actually face at work.

Learn through challenges, application and reflection: You don’t ‘learn’ in a classroom, you learn by applying the knowledge and theory in real-world challenges and situations and reflecting on this experience. After each module you will be encouraged to carry out a series of challenges, that will form the basis of your individual coaching session.

Individual coaching session: Every participant will be offered an individual coaching session after the programme, helping you reflect on what you’ve learned, identify development priorities, and create a clear plan for applying your new skills in the workplace.

MODULE 1: COMMUNICATION AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

This full-day module will develop participants’ proficiency in both verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as their ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with different stakeholders.

You’ll understand how to build trust, listen actively, manage conflict, and communicate with emotional intelligence. Participants will be better equipped to communicate clearly, foster collaboration, build meaningful relationships, handle difficult conversations and navigate workplace dynamics.

New to 2025: This one-day module now also includes role-play and practice with actors to better simulate real-world interactions and to aid with experiential learning in different communication scenarios.

Development areas include:

- An introduction to emotional intelligence

- Building trust, status and credibility

- Dealing with conflict and resistance

- How to influence and persuade

- Non-verbal communication

- Active listening

- Giving and receiving feedback

MODULE 2: INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS FINANCE

We believe that everyone who wants to thrive in their career should have a basic understanding of the fundamentals of business finance, even if you do not work specifically in a finance role.

Led by a Chartered Accountant and working through a case study with real financial documents, this half-day module will equip participants with a foundational understanding of key financial principles and practices crucial for business success.

Participants will be able to understand core financial concepts, better interpret financial data, and make better-informed strategic decisions.

Development areas include:

- An introduction to finance and why financial insight is vital in every role

- Key financial terms and metrics

- The Balance Sheet

- The Profit and Loss Account

- Cash Flow Forecasting

- Budgeting

- Analysing financial information

- Sources of finance and securing investment

MODULE 3: MARKETING ESSENTIALS

This half-day module will give participants an understanding of fundamental marketing principles, important for success in business, even if marketing isn’t your main role.

You will learn how everyone’s can be a marketer, how to develop a marketing strategy, how to create value propositions based on what their customers really want, and how to implement marketing tactics that drive growth and engagement.

Development areas include:

- The role of marketing

- An introduction to marketing planning

- Situational Analysis

- Understanding value

- Differentiation and positioning

- Setting Objectives

- The Marketing Mix and using different marketing tactics

- Key marketing metrics and measuring success

MODULE 4: PRESENTATION SKILLS

This 1-day module will draw on all the elements developed in the previous modules and enable participants to deliver effective and engaging presentations. Participants will learn how to plan and structure presentations, master public speaking techniques, deliver key messages and handle questions and objections.

Above all, participants will gain greater confidence to overcome nerves and present their ideas clearly and persuasively.

NEW to 2025: In the second half of the day, participants will have the opportunity to structure a presentation and then, if they wish, take part in delivering a short presentation.

Development areas include:

- Understanding your audience and key stakeholders

- Generating ideas and how to structure a presentation

- Storytelling and constructing your narrative

- Managing time

- What makes a good presentation? incl. body language, and visuals

- How to open and close a presentation

- Dealing with objections and difficult questions

- Managing nerves and building confidence

- Managing virtual presentations

LOCATION

The programme will take place at The Uncommon Practice: Unit 2G, Redwither Tower, Wrexham Industrial Estate, Wrexham, LL13 9XT

Please note: We reserve the right to move the location to a larger venue if required based on participants. You will be contacted well in advance of the programme with the new location in Wrexham.

ACCESSIBILITY

We want this programme to be as accessible and inclusive as possible. If you have any specific needs, whether related to learning support, mobility, communication, or anything else, please let us know when booking your place. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re fully supported and able to get the most from the experience.

FUNDED TRAVEL

To make this programme accessible to as many as possible, there is opportunity for direct travel to/from the programme to be funded. Please speak to us about this when you book your place.

BOOKING YOUR PLACE(S)

Numbers are limited on each programme, and we expect places to go very quickly, so we urge you to book your place(s) without delay.

If you would like to book more than 4 places from the same Wrexham-based business, please contact us directly.

We are happy to accommodate multiple people from the same business, but we may need to spread participants across programmes, depending on numbers registered to attend.

If you cannot attend all 3 days of your chosen programme, please contact us to discuss your booking, as catch-up opportunities may be available.

Please email: d.armstrong@theuncommonpractice.com or call us on 0333 242 3743