Let’s Build Your Workforce Skills

Levelling-up, Net Zero and Upskilling

The UK Government levelling-up agenda is an opportunity to transform the jobs and skills system by considering social inclusion for diverse communities. The levelling up white paper has set out 12 high level “missions”, one of which is the commitment to increase the number of adults engaged in high-quality skill training.  At the same time, the government has a emphasis on reducing economic and social inequalities across the different regions of the country through its levelling up agenda.

The question is can net zero emissions and the levelling-up agenda for communities achieved at the same time?  To benefit from economic growth and access to job opportunities it creates, people need to have the right skills which employers seek for their businesses. In this respect, levelling up is faced differently by every place in different regions of the country. Identifying the right skills to invest in is more complex for areas in need of levelling up. This is because delivering sustainable and socially inclusive economic growth in these areas will require investments, interventions and right skills according to area and its employers need.

To achieve net zero target, decarbonisation must happen in every place across the country. This will require local leadership to deliver interventions which encourage socially inclusive economic growth, increase mode shift, reduce carbon footprints and add social value. But with the impacts of moves to net zero and digitalisation require significant updating of the skills of the workforce to deliver these interventions. It is also essential that the UK workforce has the correct skills for net zero to take advantage of the jobs which will be created by new projects and initiatives.

The levelling up white paper in its sections on education and skills makes a number of statements and promises about the role of employers. The white paper asserts that via ‘employer-led’ (LSIPs), which will be put on a statutory footing, the ‘reforms will embed local employers at the heart of an increasingly devolved, outcomes-oriented system way in which skills policy is formulated and delivered’. The white paper also establishes some relatively modest targets for increases in state-funded training activity, perhaps most notably 200,000 extra adults receiving or c per annum, of which 80,000 are to live in deprived areas. 

In brief, skilled workforce and training provision to build skills are vital and can deliver the game changer projects on achieving national vision on net zero and levelling up agenda. Organisations (along with state-funded training investment) both in public and private sectors should invest in their workforce on delivering projects timely by using the right tools and value of money.

 Zeenara Najam

i-Select Consultancy

Micromobility, Levelling-Up and Net Zero

Micromobility, in the widest sense, and its electrification, presents an opportunity to achieve a reduction in private motor car use by enabling more and a wider range of people to move about without using motor vehicles.

Micromobility allows riders to ride a e-bike, or e-scooter for short journey trips of time at a relatively low cost can also enable more people to travel in this way. Research shows the 3 mile car journey can be mostly replaced by micromobility for personal travel.

Globally, micromobility is outpacing electric car adoption and shared mobility schemes increasingly offer a viable alternative for transportation needs, through electric powered bikes, scooters, mopeds and cars. As well as reducing air pollution, bikes, scooters and mopeds can also help remove parked cars from city streets providing further opportunity for regreening and community spaces.

The latest data from the Department of Transport (DfT) shows there’s been over three and a half, maybe four million journeys since e-scooter operation started in August 2020. It’s clear that there is a benefit. In 2023 the DfT will set to legislate for the micromobility provision.

Not everybody can afford a car, not everybody wants a car, and we really don’t want everyone using cars, so they are beneficial. As the cost of fuel continues to climb the price of running a car is expensive. Connectivity and accessibility are the core parts of the UK Government’s levelling up agenda, micromobility can support this.

Micromobility faces a promising future by replacing short distance vehicle trips and providing currently underserved first- and last-mile solutions for public transit riders. However, transport sector faces challenges particularly around lack of infrastructure, policy and regulation to achieve this promising future. There is a need to find the best way to integrate electric and shared vehicles to the full  transport network with other road user vehicles and to take full advantage of their potential in increasing the efficiency of the transport network.

We have launched UK’s first ever training course on Micromobility inclusion into Transport Policies and Road Network.

This one day training course will focus on defining micromobility and describing their potential for individual, business use, as well as for towns and cities as a whole. Scooters, bicycles, ebikes, power ebikes, cargo bikes and other micromobility will be assessed in terms of their proper place in streets with a description of cases for personal, business and freight. The course will present case studies from international experiences.

Our course trainer Carlos F Pedro, with 20 years of experience in urban mobility spanning on four continents, says 

“The transport sector is ill prepared for micromobility, but the good news is that solving this is straightforward. This course is designed to learn how to understand and act upon that disruption”.

The course will discuss the impact and benefits of micromobility in achieving net zero carbon emissions. This will be presented based on case studies from international experiences. Please contact us and book your workforce bring micromobility experiences on their doorstep.

Zeenara Najam

i-Select Consultancy

Levelling-Up and Bus Funding

The Levelling Up White Paper has set an aspiration to improve public transport outside London and identifies the need to close the UK’s productivity and the economic gap to alleviate the country’s geographical differences. Strong local bus networks will be at the core of both of these policy issues; good urban mobility, through a robust bus network, increases the number of workers who can access the places in which their jobs are located, particularly in city centres.

The statement in accompanying the Levelling Up White paper said this would “connect people to opportunity, improving local skills provision, or being able to act more flexibly and innovatively to respond to local need.” Transport will be helped by “improved services, simpler fares and integrated ticketing.”

The £3 billion national bus strategy, Bus Back Better published in March 2021 acknowledged the role of local buses in improving social cohesion to support the Government’s net zero agenda. Local authorities were also encouraged to publish Bus Service Improvement Plans which outline what can be done at a local level to make travelling by bus as attractive as possible.

However, reports that local authorities will now have only £1.4 billion to bid for from the original £3 billion will simply add to the uncertainty facing regions and bus operators.

Buses are the cornerstone of the Government’s future plans to decarbonise the way we travel, as set out in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan and also in the National Bus Strategy. Buses are a form of good public transport to deliver net zero agenda especially where electric vehicles and modal shift can’t be achieved. Transport regional and local authorities have warned funding cuts would affect city bus routes at risk to operate. Bus routes could be cut or completely lost to connect communities with city centres, employments and with other vital services.

The Confederation of Passenger Transport, which represents operators, said the situation was urgent as almost a third of city bus routes could be cut within weeks without urgent government funding.

Local authorities are unlikely to be able to find money to maintain routes requiring subsidies, typically those in rural or isolated communities and those running outside peak hours. Also, with ongoing debate for proportionality of rail infrastructure investment for North to unlock the economy, investment in buses is vital for both city and rural routes across the country to “level up”.

Zeenara Najam

i-Select Consultancy

Awareness to Follow the Highway Code Changes

The new guidance to Highway code includes a hierarchy of road users - with drivers expected to be aware of cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders. Nine sections of the code have been updated with 50 rules added or amended - including motorists now expected to give way to people crossing or waiting to cross at a junction.

The changes follow a public consultation on a review of The Highway Code to improve road safety for people walking, cycling and riding horses. It ran from July to October 2020, and received more than 20,000 responses from the public, businesses and other organisations. Most people who responded were in favour of all the changes.

The changes were made to The Highway Code on Saturday 29 January 2022.

Under the new rules, cyclists are now advised to ride in the centre of lanes on quieter roads, in slower-moving traffic, and when approaching junctions, to make themselves as visible as possible.

The code also says that cyclists should be aware of people driving behind them and allow them to overtake when it is safe to do so. Drivers who enjoy listening to music as they travel are being warned to be careful. New rules shake up mean those who carry out a simple action could be fined up to £200. People with music streaming apps like Spotify and Apple Music are most likely to be affected, but the rules apply to anyone with a mobile phone.

The new measures are supposed to boost protection for cyclists and pedestrians despite concerns that millions of drivers are unaware of the changes. Charity Cycling UK welcomed the new code, but also warned that drivers and cyclists needed to be aware of the changes, according to The Telegraph. Charity said the changes must be “communicated with simple, accurate and memorable messaging”.

Leading motorist groups have joined forces to fight back for control of the roads as they called for changes to the new Highway Code.

The Alliance of British Drivers, FairFuelUK and Motorcycle Action Group said they want cyclists being encouraged to undertake and overtake vehicles shelved because they 'will cause more crashes'.

IAM RoadSmart, the trading name of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), said low awareness of the changes, which come into force on January 29, could cause drivers to break the rules inadvertently.

While IAM RoadSmart says it has “welcomed” some of the changes, but fears many drivers will not be aware of the rules when they come into force. Neil Greig, the director of policy and research at the charity, said communication about the changes would be vital to the success of the schemes.

An AA survey of more than 13,700 drivers carried out earlier this month indicated that 33% were unaware of the changes, including 4% who had “no intention” of looking at the details.

A communications drive will be launched by the Department for Transport’s road safety offshoot Think! in mid-February, with further activity later in the summer. We are hoping that communication drive will ensure “road-users across the country understand their responsibilities”. Engaging communication using accurate data with drivers and motorcyclist is vital for all road users’ safety - an awareness campaign to follow the Highway Code changes.

Zeenara Najam

i-Select Consultancy

Happy 2022 - Recommendations for Skills Boosting Trainings

The rollout of new smart motorway schemes will be paused until a full 5 years’ worth of safety data is available, as the Department for Transport (DfT) invests £900 million to improve safety on existing all lane running (ALR) motorways.

In line with the Transport Committee’s most recent recommendations, the rollout of new ALR smart motorways will be paused until a full 5 years’ worth of safety data becomes available for schemes introduced before 2020. After this point, the government will assess the data and make an informed decision on next steps. For more details on the news can be found here. 

While Department for Transport (DfT) will be taking forward all the recommendations set out in the transport committee’s report into the safety of smart motorways. We at i-Select would like to recommend our professional skills boosting trainings for your workforce to attend this year. You can book onto our trainings either in-house or online. Please also look at our website for bespoke training services to design, develop, and delivered tailored workshops, seminars and courses to fulfil a range of learning and development needs for your organistion. 

Also, please watch some glimpses from our 2021 training days. We look forward to see you in 2022.

Thanks

Team at i-Select

i-Select 2021 Trainings at a Glance

COP26 - The UK Decarbonisation Plan for Transport

The UK is hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 31 October – 12 November 2021.

The COP26 summit is bringing parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Transport emits around one-quarter of the energy-related CO2 that feeds global warming. It remains more than 90% dependent on fossil fuels. With a rapidly growing demand for moving people and goods, transport emissions are set to keep rising even if all currently planned decarbonisation measures are fully implemented.

The UK has published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP) in July 2021 which is a significant step. The plan sets out the government’s commitments and the actions needed to decarbonise the entire transport system in the UK to achieve net-zero target by 2050. Overarching strategic priorities set out in the plan include accelerating modal shift to public and active transport – making these the ‘natural first choice’ for daily journeys – as well as decarbonising road transport and logistics, and focusing on ‘place based solutions’ to emissions reduction.

It includes:

• The pathway to net zero transport in the UK

• The wider benefits net zero transport can deliver

• The principles that underpin our approach to delivering net zero transport

It also pledges to publish a ‘Local Authority Toolkit’ this year providing guidance to support local areas to deliver more sustainable transport measures. The government has also published a Rail Environment Strategy, which sets the direction for achieving a fully zero emission rail network by 2050.

However, Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP) is just the start. The transition to zero-carbon vehicles and a modal shift to active travel and public transport are critical if the country is to deliver on its legally-binding 2050 net-zero target.

While active travel and public transport are prioritised before any other modes in the TDP, with the government wanting them to become the “natural first choice”, details on them are fairly light and contain no new policies or funding. The second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, due out later this year, presents an opportunity for the government to outline its ambition further. The role of regional and local government in delivering international and the UK national climate ambitions is also paramount. Councils want to work as partners with Government to tackle climate change.

In brief, if we are to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and meet the UK’s net zero target by 2050, decarbonisation must happen in every place across the country and this will require local leadership to deliver active travel schemes which encourage mode shift, and to deliver those schemes right skills with tools to appraise the scheme benefits will necessary.

Zeenara Najam

i-Select Consultancy

Levelling Up - Jobs and Skills

The Levelling Up White Paper presents an opportunity to reset the relationship between central and local government and put councils at the heart of delivering the Government’s ambitious programme to improve opportunities in all parts of the country.

The Government launched the prospectus for the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund alongside the Budget 2021. The Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including town centre and high street regeneration, local transport projects, and cultural and heritage assets. The Government has identified priority places based on an index of local need to receive capacity funding to help them co-ordinate their applications.

How levelling up agenda can be achieved for North?

The Northern Powerhouse aimed to promote economic growth in core cities through improvements to infrastructure, education, science, and innovation.

The UK2070 Commission – an independent inquiry into the UK’s city and regional inequalities – produced a report highlighting the extent of UK’s North South divide. The report found that a child qualifying for free school meals in Hackney, London, is three times more likely to attend university than a child growing up in Hartlepool under similar economic circumstances.

It is likewise predicted that pupils in the South of England are 40% more likely to achieve top GCSE grades than those in the North of England, who at the same time, are vastly underrepresented at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

The government’s levelling up agenda been criticised for adopting a largely ‘place-oriented’ approach which neglects the people there within. The consultancy company Frontier Economics stresses that effective regional policy is ‘people-orientated’, and aims to enhance the employment and salary prospects of those living in particular areas.

In a document published today by the Convention of the North and the NP11 group of northern local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), northern leaders set out the five “gamechangers” which, through collaboration across the North and with Government, will grow an inclusive economy that delivers for the North and the country, while also tackling the health inequalities that have been laid bare by COVID-19. Those game changers are:

• Leading the Green Industrial Revolution

• Closing the healthy life expectancy gap between the North and South through innovation

• Closing the education and skills gap

• Improving connectivity in towns and cities in the North

• Increasing private and public investment in R&D spending in the North

Skills and trainings are vital to levelling up. We believe trainings provide a huge opportunity to level up skills. A skilled workforce can deliver the gamechanger projects to achieve levelling up agenda. Look at our trainings list and contact us today to arrange in-house trainings for your workforce.

Zeenara Najam

i-Select Consultancy

Sit Back, Relax and... See What's Never Being Said!

Body Language... Sit Back, Relax and... See What's Never Being Said!

So, change your game, change your Body Language. However… Why Body Language?

It’s a fact that some Team Leaders, CEO's, Planners, HR Managers Lawyers, Politicians, practicing body language for a minimal part of their communication. When one becomes 95% fluent in it, they would have a whole new language on board, including amazing results.

Many people loose 90% of their chance to win-win opportunity at meetings, interviews and public speaking by the way they stand and move and their handshake. Never change your decision to claim a goal or deal, empower yourself by changing your Body Language. 

How much improvement would Body Language give you or your team in understanding social behaviour, analysing the meaning of a communication and maybe even realizing when someone is not truthful or in doubt? 

So, why body language? 

#1 See what’s never being said in meetings

#2 Raise your self-confidence 

#3 Understand clearly what is meant by what people say

#4 Pull people towards you instead of pushing them away

#5 Increase your results with at least 80%

New voices, new questions, new techniques, new perspectives, new passions, new challenges with only one goal, ... new and better results.

I’m looking forward to welcome you, your colleagues & your company for body language an art of communication course, taking place on 22nd May in Birmingham with only win-win situations as a result. On the completion of this course, you will be able to raise your self confidence to present yourself in meetings, board meetings, public consultations, public inquiries, performance management meetings, interviews & list goes on. 

Kind regards,

René Deceuninck,

I-Select Course Trainer for Body Language An Art of Communication  

Festive Gift - Open Opportunities to Join us in 2018

We all at i-Select Consultancy wish you a Happy Holidays and a New Year filled with prosperity and success!

As a our gift for festive season we are today opening  "be our trainer or speaker" and "be our ambassador" opportunities for you.

By becoming our trainer or speaker you will get a dynamic platform to share your knowledge and experience with other industry fellows both in public and private sector. 

Take a forward step towards your career progression in 2018 and become our trainer or speaker. 

By becoming our ambassador you will get an excellent opportunity for networking and sharing your ideas with us and others.

Join us for gala get together in 2018 for networking and sharing ideas. 

Festive Lucky Draw

To celebrate the festive season, we are delighted to run a lucky draw competition for all our delegates, clients and stakeholders. To enter the lucky draw please you would need to do any of the following steps:

1: Follow us on LinkedIn @https://www.linkedin.com/company/10284978/
2: Sign up for our newsletter @www.iselectconsultancy.com
3: Follow us on Twitter @iselectconsult

Two lucky winners of the draw will receive a free place to attend any of our future events.

The closing date of the lucky draw is 23:59 on 21st Nov 2017. The winners will be announced on 24th Nov 2017. If you know any of your colleagues who might be interested in participating this lucky draw, please forward this information to them.

You can be a group

Do you know that you can attend our courses on group delegate price - £199 only? You can do that by booking any of our two or more upcoming courses at a time. Many of delegates are benefiting with this offer and you can be next.

Book today your place at http://www.iselectconsultancy.com/upcoming-courses/

Zeenara Najam

Director, i-Select Consultancy Ltd

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

EIA of transport infrastructure is required as part of most consenting processes. This is a complex and often expensive exercise, needing not only specialist expertise in environmental science disciplines such as noise, air quality and ecology, but also excellent co-ordination and communication skills. Compliance with legal requirements is a key consideration, but done properly, EIA also

provides ways of improving the acceptability of a project and speeding up delivery.

There is a wealth of guidance on what should be included in EIA and how it should be done. There is also considerable legal caselaw that determines the form and content of assessments. Finding a path

through all this is often far from straightforward. It also is important the needs of the target audiences for EIA – both decision-makers and the public at larger – are taken fully into account. Therefore, i-Select Consultancy has created a one-day course to help those who might need to undertake and EIA or who could be on the receiving end of one develop better understanding of the

principles and practice of EIA that support and shape successful consent applications. The course I have developed is based on my experience over the last 40 years examining the environmental effects of transport and ways of avoiding or reducing these, securing consents, and engaging with decision-makers and stakeholders.

The course which is called “Environmental Impact Assessment” has been designed to improve attendees understanding of the theoretical and applied background to EIA. It will introduce participants to procedures that should be followed in order to comply with

requirements for a sound environmental assessment process, and introduce techniques and tools to support EIA, methods of improving the effectiveness of EIA to investigate the environmental

implications of projects and investment initiatives. Overall, it aims to enable attendees to understand how transport appraisal techniques can be appropriately applied to their projects.

Chris Ferrary BA, BTP, MSc, MRTPI, MCIHT, CMILT, FIEMA, CEnv
Director
Temple Group Ltd

What is your New Year's Resolution?

Are we not quick to wish you a Happy New Year with our exciting New Year's training programme? There are lots of courses to choose from to help you to make your New Year's Resolution.  

We are also launching two new courses: Environmental & Social Impact Assessment; and Transport Infrastructure Investment, Economic Growth & Devolution. Many more courses are coming soon.

Give a look at our upcoming events and book your place to avoid the rush!http://www.iselectconsultancy.com/upcoming-courses/

See you in the New Year!

Thanks

Zeenara Najam

Director, i-Select Consultancy Ltd

Interpretation of Transport Appraisal Guidance

A business case supported by robust and coherent transport appraisal can elevate your project above the competition and save you considerable money by being adequately prepared for its delivery. The Department for Transport’s ‘Transport Appraisal Guidance’ (TAG or WebTAG) describes the analysis which supports the business case and, hence, the investment decision. Considerable interpretation of appraisal guidance is needed in terms of their application to schemes of different scales and natures.

The requirements for a major public transport scheme are very different from a local highway improvement, yet both may need a ‘WebTAG compliant’ appraisal. As a result, i-Select Consultancy has created a one-day course to help organisations develop a better understanding of Transport Appraisal techniques which support and shape successful Transport Business Cases. The course I have developed is based on my over twenty years’ experience with Steer Davies Gleave, preparing Transport Business Cases; securing public sector funding; and engaging with assurance reviewers and stakeholders. 

The course which is called “Transport Appraisal in Investment Decisions and Ex-Post Evaluation”, (taking place on 28th Sept in London) has been designed to enhance attendees understanding of: the appraisal/WebTAG building blocks and processes of proportionate Value for Money assessment; the principles and importance of Ex-Post Evaluation; and to enable attendees to understand how transport appraisal techniques can be appropriately applied to their projects. 

Steve Hunter MEng CEng FCIHT MAPM TPP
Associate
Steer Davies Gleave

Introduction to Transport Business Case

i-Select Consultancy would like to invite you to our new training course on the Introduction to Transport Business Case, taking place on 15th November in Birmingham.   

This one day course will equip delegates with basic skills to understand the requirements of the 5 Case Model for producing successful business cases for transport schemes. The course will cover the principles of producing business cases following guidelines from the HM Treasury’s Green Book, DfT’s WebTAG, Transport for London or Local Enterprise Partnerships. 

The delegates will be able to bring their own examples to discuss at the course and also will learn about key points to remember whilst reviewing and scrutinising the business cases.  
Learn more about course content and outcomes.

We hope to see you at our upcoming events.

Thanks

Zeenara Najam

Director, i-Select Consultancy Ltd

Your Guidance to Transport Assessments

Planning applications worth billions of pounds are submitted every year in the UK by both private business and the public sector. Each application when considered by planning officers and committees needs to take into account the potential implications on Transport.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was introduced in 2012, in an attempt to simplify the planning system and to bring the power as well as decision making back down to a local level. As a result of this the previous guidance on best practice with regard to undertaking Transport Assessments has been revoked with very little if anything replacing it.

Guidance  on the preparation of supporting documentation in highway assessment terms can be found in the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) suite of documents. These guidance documents set out the methodology that should be used when undertaking a Transport Assessment and state the importance of entering into early discussions with the Local Planning Authority and other relevant authorities / consultees.
 

The PPG guidance is very general and does not provide as much guidance as before. As a result I-Select Consultancy has created a one-day course to help organisations develop a
better understanding of the process and details required for a successful Transport Assessment. The course has been prepared by Transport Planning Associates (TPA) and
will be presented by myself in four sessions, covering Policy and Guidance, Baseline & Impact Assessment, Mitigation and Sustainable Travel and Case Studies & Monitoring.

The course which is called “Rules for undertaking Successful Transport Assessments for Developments” has been designed to enhance attendees understanding of the language of the planning process, the principle of TA’s, the role of modelling and enable them to recognise what is a good rather than a bad Transport Assessment.

Daniel Ekstrand BSc TPP MTPS MCIHT
Associate Director
Transport Planning Associates

What's it value and benefits?

Careful investment appraisal lets you figure out which opportunities are a great deal and which ones you should avoid like the plague. Similar to any other investments, the investments in transport are also long lasted, and costly, and at the same time have great impact on the economic development of communities and regions. Investment decisions should be therefore well thought and various alternatives should be compared carefully before choosing the preferred option.

We have seen further investment in transport announced in the last week’s budget. The Chancellor backed the Crossrail 2 rail link (connecting Surrey and Herts through London) and gave the green light to the HS3 rail link and the four-lane upgrade of the M62 (between Manchester and Leeds) including upgrades for the cross-Pennine A66 and A69 roads.

 The generation of monitoring and evaluation evidence helps us to find out whether investments have been effective, delivered value for money and achieved the expected outcomes. This evidence improves our ability to demonstrate accountability and helps us to refine our appraisal assessments and forecasts for future decision making.  

 Since more decision making is being taken at the local level under the devolution plans, it has become important to learn about what works and why/why not and use this knowledge to advance understanding and decision making.

We at i-Select Consultancy have therefore designed a training course on ‘Transport appraisal in investment decisions and ex-post evaluation’. Further information about the course and how to book your place can be found here.

Zeenara Najam
Director, i-Select Consultancy Ltd

Share With Us Your Objectives For 2016

Hi - Whether you’re looking to learn, absorb and understand, write, speak and influence, manage and lead, or tackle and win, i-Select consultancy can work with you to enhance your skills and your organisation’s performance through in-house training. Our in-house training courses are tailored to meet your particular objectives, and deliver exceptional results on your specific work related issues.

We would love to listen your training objectives for 2016. Please write us at training@iselectconsultancy.com  and we will help you fulfil your objective by delivering beskope training.

Thanks

Zeenara Najam, I-Select Consultancy Ltd

Visualise your ideal future

I am sure many people have had times in their career when things go wrong or mistakes are made. These setbacks often throw up roadblocks and can stop personal development or even change and innovation.

However, for many leaders, setbacks provide opportunities to learn from. Former US President Bill Clinton said: 'If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.'

It isn't always to do with age though, and Steve Jobs hits the nail on the head when talking about innovation: 'Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.'

Planning or visualisation

A way of planning for mistakes is to visualise and test them. This can be done mentally, on paper or with trusted people. This is a technique we use in PR when looking at possible negative issues or when responding to a crisis.

Visualising and testing in advance gives you the opportunity to ask difficult questions or plan responses to difficult scenarios. You can also visualise where you want to end up and hold that in mind when dealing with the issue at hand. This helps calm you in a crisis and gives you the confidence you need to handle those sticky moments.

Success

The same can be said when thinking or visualising about the success of your business or career by giving you an objective to strive for. This technique is used in sport to often great success. You can also do this through training. Why not take a look at the i-Select training services to see how this can help you visualise your way to success. Or speak to them about training tailored to your needs. 

Marcus Chrysostomou, Marketing Advisor, I-Select Consultancy Ltd & Owner Equilibrium PR

Will 2016 act as a showcase year for resilience of the UK transport network?

I recently (November 2015), produced a technical programme for a one day conference on the topic of the UK rail network resilience in dealing with severe weather conditions.

The conference programme covered recommendations from the UK Transport Resilience Review 2014, lessons learned from failure of the rail line at Dawlish by a storm in 2014, national and international case studies, data forecasting techniques and the importance of cross sector working. At the time of the conference programme production, I didn’t think that transport network resilience would again become a lesson learned with another rail line closure in December 2015.

Much of the North of England has been devastated by floods caused by record levels of rainfall over the Christmas period. Power and transport networks have been cut off and Network Rail has confirmed that the West Coast Mail Line north of Carlisle will be closed for several days to deal with the impact of the floods.

A recent research by Mott Macdonald estimated that the damage done by the storms in 2014 cut off rail links in Cornwall and Devon for several weeks, is to cost the economy £1.2bn. The cost of the closure of vital infrastructure from the recent floods is yet to be calculated but will include the impact of closing the west coast main line, the loss of power to 55,000 properties and businesses, and the impact of lost connectivity between towns and villages as bridges were destroyed by surging flood waters. The question is: were the lessons from 2014 learnt and if lessons were learnt, are the implementation of these lessons not apparent yet or are we just using these as opportunities for discussion rather than making changes? I hope 2016 is not going to be just another year to debate the lessons learned from the new floods of 2015 but to act as a showcase year and gives us a successful case to discuss and act on of "how well our transport network and infrastructure is resilient in response to severe weather”.

Wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Zeenara Najam, i-Select Consultancy Ltd