Janet and I would like here to reflect a little on the inaugural residential weekend of the Advanced Diploma in Treasury Management - without of course giving away too many secrets!
The residential school weekend kicked off with the first day focusing on preparing the students for the dissertation element of their assessment (students could choose whether to attend the dissertation workshop on the Thursday or Sunday). Jon Jeffery, our Advanced Diploma tutor, supported by Paul Cowdell and Monika Kekelikova, presented a high-energy and engaging session split into two parts. In the morning, the presentation focused on key things the students should think about when deciding on what topic to choose: how to structure their dissertation; clarity on how it will be assessed; and support available for them once they start the process.
The afternoon then focused on one-to-one sessions with the tutors, helping the students to define and refine their topics, start work on their dissertation proposal (a key stage in the process which they have to pass before being allowed to start the main work) while also allowing for peer review and discussion with fellow students. At the end of this first day a number of students had almost finalised their proposal and were ready for the next exciting stage of the weekend.
Friday was the first of two days led by Amanda Bradley, ex-Treasurer GSK and professional coach. Amanda has a unique combination of skills - perfect for our purposes! Students got to explore how they come across to others, what are their strongest skills and how to put them into action when influencing others. Working in a team they had to negotiate in terms of how they might present a proposal and, with a tight deadline of 6pm to come up with a submission, there was some serious deliberation!
Come evening, the sun was shining on the lovely gardens of the venue and the group spent a relaxed evening together, with some surprise light entertainment. It was great to get to know each other better in an informal setting, after a very full-on day, but most were sensible and got a good night’s sleep - it was commented by those with young children that they were actually looking forward to it!
Next day, more prep and then the presentations began, where some challenges were posed! The students did very well, and felt the experiential process helped them in terms of learning - in a safe environment where people could experiment. At the end of the day, some went home and others stayed on for their dissertation session.
Outtakes for the ACT: this is a highly valuable part of the course, and overall went really well both in the students’ opinion and ours; we have a really strong group of students here, who will go far - such a pleasure to get to know them better; and, the only less positive outcome: although the venue had its good points and was in a beautiful location, it didn’t quite match ACT service and noise-level expectations, so we will be making a change there!
Student feedback:
Focusing on the softer skills and presentations to boards is an important element of strategic leadership and the 2 day course in my opinion was relevant and welcomed." The structure of the Advanced Diploma allows us to network with our fellow peers and this is such a brilliant opportunity for us." It was impressive to meet and understand the breadth of industries represented as well as the truly global nature of the qualification, with students from UK Ireland, Europe and further afield, as we work together in workshops and master classes the variety of experiences will be very interesting and useful." The opportunity to meet our fellow students at the residential course will help us form a bond that will help during workshops and webinars in the future." The last session on dissertation has given me a good understanding on what is expected for the dissertation and the confidence to progress." The residential is highly relevant for anyone aspiring to become Group Treasurer."
JOIN THE NEXT ADVANCED DIPLOMA IN TREASURY MANAGEMENT
The Advanced Diploma in Treasury Management (FCT) will give you the skills to become a forward thinker. You will be a respected senior finance professional with significant influence who shapes business strategy to deliver success. The syllabus covers the commercial and financial challenges facing a business at a strategic level. The extensive programme provides a practical understanding of the tools, techniques and financial products used by treasurers and, most importantly, how to apply these to real-life, contemporary issues.
Find out more
