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Programme development

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Programme development is a crucial stage in the training process - it determines the nature and the impact of a programme. Because this phase is so important, we have cultivated it to become our competitive edge. It is here that we live two of our values:

1. Passion for quality

Programme development is our passion. We have turned it into an art. We are therefore committed to creating rich, stimulating and meaningful learning experiences and are not satisfied with anything less. The importance we place on this is evident from the fact that Alinda Nortje, our Executive Chairperson, personally develops all our programmes, supported by a design team.

2. Innovation

Through 25 years of experimentation and research in the field of learning, we have developed a distinctive learning methodology that makes learning stick. We keep abreast of cutting edge learning and dialogue techniques and integrate aspects of e.g. Future Search, Graphic Facilitation, Open Space Technology and World Café into our methodology. We also regularly update or rewrite our programmes to keep them current.

Sustained change

The objective of our programmes is to build capacity and change behaviour. We therefore focus on addressing underlying values, beliefs and attitudes that shape behaviour and not merely on the transfer of knowledge and skills. This approach sustains the change long after the initial ‘feel good’ factor has worn off. This is verified by an independent PhD Study by Dr. Ruth Albertyn from the University of Stellenbosch. Numerous success stories of change in individuals and organisations support these findings.

Contributing factors

The following factors contribute to the impact of our programmes:

  1. Selection of content: We apply the Pareto principle, or the 80/20 rule in the selection of content. In the same way one would carefully select the most precious beads to include in a necklace, we carefully select the 20% content that has 80% value and impact. Addressing the ‘must knows’ in depth helps participants focus on what is important, and allows enough time for integration, reinforcement and application.
  2. Application: We do not believe in ‘transferring information’, but focus on application of knowledge. Participants leave the course with concrete action plans they can apply immediately. This greatly enhances client value.
  3. Customisation: We have the expertise to align our programmes to the context of a particular industry or to a client’s values, culture and strategies. Participants can therefore relate more easily to what they learn and apply it back in the workplace.
  4. Accessibility: We remove all the barriers to learning that are within our control so that participants are able to utilise the programmes fully. We do this by:
  • Providing many of our programmes in different versions, catering for the unique needs of participants from different educational and job levels
  • Enabling participants to experience our programme in their own language. Some of our programmes have been translated into French, Portuguese, Swahili, Oshivambu and 9 South African languages. More translations are done when the need arises.

Feedback

“I am really impressed with the quality of the programme and the attention to even the tiniest detail. It is clear that a lot of care went into putting the programme together and making it specific to the needs of our organisation. The shifts I saw in people who attended were truly astounding.”
Susan Myburg, GM, Learning Institute, South African Post Office

 “Free To Grow has mastered the facilitation technique.”
Megan Thulukanam, Training Consultant, University of Witwatersrand

 “What makes the program work so well? It  is not highfalutin, but practical and simple. People come out of it with a practical set of skills they can apply in the workplace; compared to many other programs where the principles are lovely, but you do not see any change afterwards, or if you do, it is very short-lived.”
Eleanor Ford, Occupational Health Manager Western Cape, Woolworths

 “We are engaged in a project that is ground breaking in financial services. Being in the innovations space is always challenging. So it was wonderful to find a partner in Free To Grow because they were prepared to develop new learning material to meet our needs and to travel the road of learning and building a unique model with strong community roots. In a world where ‘cutting and pasting’ is the norm, it was refreshing to work with professionals who took the time to understand what we needed and then implemented the material that reflected our objectives.”
Caroline Southey, Director Community Banking Strategy and Reporting, Standard Bank

"We realised fairly quickly that Free To Grow were the ideal people to redesign our home-owner education programme, HomeWise, which is now a compulsory requirement for all our new homeowners and we are very pleased with the results. The manner in which they have nurtured the programme has resulted in a very interesting and engaging product."
Paul McHardy, CEO, SACS Property Solutions