A day in the life of a Bravo Networks Learning & Development Executive

Linzie Barnes takes you through a typical day for her at Bravo Networks as a Learning & Development Executive, showing how the Learning and Development (L&D) team can grow, protect and support your business with a wide array of learning opportunities.

9am – Preparing for the day ahead

Every morning, myself and the L&D team have a quick catch up on Teams to see if there is anything urgent that needs attending to, and to say ‘good morning’ to each other.

I then check the main L&D inbox to see if there are any queries from Members. There was an email from one of the young people taking part in our Kickstart initiative. They’ve discovered during the scheme that they’re kinaesthetic learner and asked for some information around learning styles. I sent them some resources and pointed them towards content on our online training platform, LINK.

10am – Time to host a Webinar Wednesday

Part of our ever-popular Webinar Wednesday series, Lindsey Nelson from CFC Underwriting lifted the lid on Cyber Insurance. The webinar was one of our most successful to date with 123 Members joining. The feedback was extremely positive, with 100% of surveyed attendees saying they would recommend it to a colleague.

Members told us they thoroughly enjoyed the webinar. They said it was well presented with an enthusiastic presenter who provided good ideas to help customers understand that as small businesses they’re more vulnerable than larger corporations.

11.15am – Giving Members the opportunity to catch up on the webinar

After the webinar, I exported the recording and got it ready to go on our digital platform, Engage, so attendees can rewatch it or any Members who couldn’t attend live can watch it at time that suits them best.

12noon – Exciting opportunities with AXA

The rest of the L&D team and I had a video meeting with AXA to discuss collaborating for future Virtual Classrooms for all Members that focus on sales. The meeting was productive, with AXA discussing how their series of training videos could supplement the Virtual Classroom.

2pm – Looking ahead to September’s Webinar Wednesday

I had a meeting with the Networks’ team of BDMs to talk through our September Webinar Wednesday, so they can recommend it to Members on their panels who they feel will benefit from it. Chris Judge, founder of Directions for Men, will be hosting the session. It’s set to be a truly insightful, inspirational and interactive webinar.

3pm – Exploring L&D possibilities with one Member

I had a call with a Member to discuss the learning needs of their people. This broker wanted their team to tap into the learning and development resources on offer as part of their membership. We went through the different learning avenues, and which would be most beneficial to different employees. This included specific modules on LINK that are relevant to their roles, our Webinar Wednesday rota and series of Virtual Classrooms.

We also discussed our broker-specific apprenticeships as some members of their team are looking to take their CII qualifications. We launched our Cert CII apprenticeship in 2018. This year, we added both the Level 4 and Level 6 senior apprenticeships for those wishing to gain their Dip or ACII qualifications. The Member was excited to get some of their newer recruits onto our next Cert CII cohort, which will be starting in September.

4pm – Checking in with Members

In the afternoon, I always check the inbox to see if there are any further emails from Members. There was an email from a broker who wanted to set their new starters on a Maximising Their Teams Virtual Classroom. I responded to set up a time for a chat.

4.30pm – Listening to brokers’ feedback

Last week, I hosted a Bounce Back Virtual Classroom where I helped attendees to understand tools and techniques they can use to bounce back from everyday setbacks and develop a strategy for resilience. We’re always refining our learning opportunities to best suit the needs of Members, and following some feedback after the session, I added in some extra content to the Virtual Classroom presentation and worked on some further interactive exercises for the next session.