What do People Say About Our Courses?

Here are some examples of the feedback that we have received from some of our recent webinars, seminars and in-house courses:

Webinars

To see feedback we have received about webinars, please click here.

Seminars

All You Want to Know about Local Authority Housing Finance

“I thought I would drop you a line to say how much I enjoyed the course, and how useful I found it… I think I learnt more on the day about housing finance than I have over the last ten years. I will certainly recommend you to others. Thank you.” (Alan Davies, Corporate Director at Northwest Leicestershire District Council).

At our latest seminar in Leeds, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as interesting, clear, thought-provoking, valuable and comprehensive. Specific comments included:

• Extremely useful course, which has provided me with a refresher on housing finance.
• Excellent course, very interesting.
• As with the housing company course in Lambeth / Waterloo in May 2018, this course is comprehensive, informative and represents good value for money. Venues, as Novotels, are also excellent, good facilities and catering included.

At the last seminar in London, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as interesting, useful, clear, comprehensive and thorough. Specific comments included:

• Very useful for my needs, to acquire overview of housing revenue account and enable me to gain high level appreciation and understanding of the associated actions and chances.
• Well paced and a lot covered. Grateful for the information to take home.
• A really good and helpful course.

At the previous seminar in London, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as useful, interesting, valuable, clear and practical. Specific comments included:

• I have been in local government for about ten years now but have been in housing general fund and housing revenue account for only five months. I found this seminar very useful and informative.
• A good general view from which to research specific aspects.

At the previous seminar, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as interesting, clear, comprehensive, practical, thorough, thought-provoking, useful and valuable. Specific comments included:

• I always find these seminars to be very informative and easy to understand.
• Great to go on a course where I could sit back and absorb the information. I made plenty of notes and the accompanying material seems very good.
• I was very conscious at the start of the session that I was the only non-full-time council employee (I am an ALMO board member) and one of only a few non-finance / accounting delegates. The course, however, was provided in a well-paced and accessible manner and the handout looks comprehensive and will surely be a useful resource that I can come back to and use as a reference.
• Adrian was very knowledgeable about the subject and brought it to life. A very comprehensive seminar.
• Useful overview of housing revenue account finances.
• Nice, easy understanding terminology. Helped to understand a lot of jargon and terms used in finance.

Following the session one of the delegates wrote to me to say:

“Thank you for yesterday's course, it certainly helped fill a number of knowledge gaps and I will be recommending it to others.”

At a previous seminar, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as clear, useful, interesting, thorough, enjoyable and thought-provoking. Specific comments included:

• This course is value for money, useful and informative, I will definitely recommend the course to anyone who is new to the Housing Revenue Account or who needs a refresher.
• Being new to Housing Revenue Account and Local Authority Accounting I found the training very useful. It provided me with an overview of how local authorities account for housing and it met all my needs. I’m sure I will have further questions when I digest all the information.
• Thoroughly enjoyable, thank you.
• This was very comprehensive. The course was very interesting- I need to go away and read the book to consolidate the information.

At another recent seminar, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as clear, thorough, useful, interesting and valuable. Specific comments included:

• Excellent course, very informative.
• Really helpful and interesting. Thanks.

At the session prior to that delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as Comprehensive, Interesting, Useful and Valuable. Specific comments received included:

• Session was comprehensive.
• Wide range of issues discussed.
• Enjoyed informal approach to session.
• Fantastic food.

All You Want to Know about Welsh Local Authority Housing Finance

Following our latest in-house session, the organiser wrote to say:

"Hi Adrian, thank you very much for presenting the seminar to us last Wednesday.  It was very informative and well received by my colleagues."

At the previous in-house session, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as interesting, thorough, clear, useful and valuable.

All You Want to Know about Service Charges in Social Housing

Our most recent session in London was well attended and well received. The delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of the presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as useful, clear, interesting, practical and valuable. Individual comments included:

• Very interesting and relevant.
• Enjoyable day. Good engagement from the group. Well-paced and interesting throughout.
• Very knowledgeable and useful to clarify setting and details.
• Good course. Has provided some direction where we need to be heading.
• Very informative and Adrian is very knowledgeable. Will definitely help improve income from service charges.

The previous session in London was well attended and well received. Delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as clear, interesting, practical, useful, comprehensive, enjoyable and thorough.

The previous session in London was well attended and well received. Delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as interesting, practical, useful, clear, thought-provoking and valuable. Specific comments included:

• Very useful and engaging seminar. I learnt a lot.
• Very knowledgeable presenter. Clear and concise information provided.
• Use of case studies good.
• Very good course presented very well. Very well paced.
• All good. We need to improve our service charge recovery. Thank you.

After the seminar, one of the delegates wrote to say that:

"I would like to say that I really enjoyed your seminar... and gained a lot of new information from it."

Our previous session in London was also well attended and well received. Delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as useful, interesting, clear, thought-provoking and valuable. Specific comments included:

• Trainer was very good. I am much more confident with service charges.
• The handout was very useful. Very thought provoking and enjoyed group conversations.
• Good sized group to network.
• Really Useful.

At our latest session in Manchester, delegates said that the information provided was relevant to very relevant, the quality of the presentation was good to excellent and the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as interesting, practical and useful. Specific comments included:

• Very thorough and informative information and provision of service charges book an additonal bonus.

After the session a delegate wrote to say:

"Thank you for yesterday. I found it very informative and have already been telling some colleagues about some things that they may find beneficial."

The previous session was fully sold out and was well received. Delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was good to excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as useful, thorough, interesting, clear, comprehensive and valuable. Specific comments included:

• Fantastic venue
• Useful one stop overview.
• Book will be useful for staff and new starters as a good introduction to service charges.
• Informative & good examples
• Very informative day.
• Lots of information covered in a short time
• Good pace throughout
• Really useful & enjoyable session.

At the previous seminar, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of the presentation was good to excellent and the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as: Clear, Useful, Interesting, Practical and Thorough. Specific comments received included:

• A good pace and timing of breaks was perfect. Good content, nice relaxed style of presentation.
• It was great… we all got a chance to ask questions.
• The course was delivered well and very thoroughly. The course content was useful and met my objective of filling gaps in knowledge regarding supported accommodation and housing benefit eligible housing costs.
• Interesting overview of the subject with practical case studies.

At the session before that delegates said that the information provided was relevant, the quality of the presentation was good and the training met their needs fully. They described the session as: Useful, Clear, Interesting and Thorough. Specific comments received included:

• Good Overview… Informative overall, very useful.
• A good overview and introduction to service charges
• The session has given me some areas to consider and think about when considering the introduction of service charges.
• Very useful as I will be looking at options for de-pooling service charges very soon.
• Very thorough. As someone without any expertise I feel more confident in introducing service charges.

Our most recent in-house session was at a housing association in Northeast England. Delegates aid they found the information provided was relevant and the presentation was good. They described the session as thorough, useful, clear, comprehensive, thought-provoking and valuable. Specific comments included:

• It was very clear and thorough. It was really good at refreshing my knowledge.
• Very passionate about the subject which is nice to see.

A previous session was with a local authority in Northwest England. Delegates said that they found the information provided very relevant, that the quality of presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as useful, clear, comprehensive, interesting and practical. Specific comments included:

• Really useful and thought provoking.
• Clear and concise – a good base to look at our future service charge review.

After the session, the organiser wrote to me to say:

"Hi Adrian, thanks for the training, it was very informative.  I think we’ve probably got a long process to go through to get to where we want to be with service charges but at least we have a better knowledge of where to start now!"

The previous in-house session was at an almshouse charity in the West Midlands. Delegates said that they found the information provided very relevant, that the quality of presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as interesting, clear, comprehensive, thought provoking, useful and valuable. Specific comments included:

• Presentation was a blend of theory and tailored information that I found very useful.
• Questions and Answers were exceptionally useful.
• Really enjoyed the training session. Now service charges make a lot more sense.

After the session, the organiser contacted me to say:

"Thanks for your advice and thank you for an interesting, informative day yesterday."

At a recent in-house session at a housing association in Northwest England, delegates said that the found the information provided very relevant, that the quality of presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as useful, clear, thorough, interesting, comprehensive and practical. After the session, the organiser contacted me to say:

"Many thanks for the presentation today which was extremely useful."

At a recent in-house session at a housing association in London, delegates said that the found the information provided very relevant, that the quality of presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as useful, interesting, practical, clear, comprehensive and valuable. Individual comments included:

• Just thank you!

At an earlier in-house session at a housing association in the West Midlands, delegates said that the found the information provided very relevant, that the quality of presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as interesting, thorough, clear, useful, practical and thought-provoking. Individual comments included:

• Very good presentation and demonstration of good knowledge of subject.
• Challenging in a good way. Challenging how we do things.
• Great to get us started looking at this.
• A very useful overview of service charging – thank you.

And after the session, one of the delegates wrote to say:

"It was good to meet you last week and we really learnt a lot"

At an earlier in-house session delegates said that the found the information provided very relevant, that the quality of presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as clear, useful, practical, valuable and thorough. Individual comments included:

• Really enjoyed it. A great refresher and chance to discuss service charge issues.
• Good session pitched at the right level.
• Good training.
• Very comprehensive.

And after the event, the organiser contacted me to say:

"Thanks for this Adrian – from the feedback it would appear the objectives around learning were definitely achieved."

At another in-house session delegates said that the found the information provided relevant, that the quality of presentation was good to excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as thought-provoking, interesting, thorough, useful, comprehensive and practical. Individual comments included:

• For someone with a basic knowledge of service charges it was very useful.
• Very good overall.

All You Want to Know about Service Charges in Social Housing in Wales

At the most recent in-house session for a housing association, delegates said that the found the information provided relevant, that the quality of presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as useful, practical, interesting, thorough, clear and comprehensive.

At another recent in-house session delegates said that the found the information provided very relevant, that the quality of presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as interesting, clear, comprehensive, practical and useful. Individual comments included:

• Found the information discussed was set at just the right level so it was understandable and enabled learning.
• Very useful for me, being new to housing – increased knowledge on service charge calculations and housing benefit issues.
• Adrian was very clear and I received useful information to help me in my role.
• Very interesting training day.
• Very good training event.

Developments in Local Authority Housing Finance

At the latest seminar in London, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of the presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as: Interesting, Useful, Clear, Thorough and Valuable. Specific feedback received included:

• Very informative as always.
• Useful overview of developments.
• Thank You.

At the previous seminar in Leeds, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of the presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as: Interesting, Useful, Clear, Enjoyable and Valuable. Specific feedback received included:

• Found this event really useful with well researched information across a broad range of financial topics.
• Very informative and would definitely recommend, thanks.
• Very interesting course, giving a broad overview.
• Well structured and a good overview of the background context. Very good handouts and course manual.

After the seminar, one of the delegates wrote to say that:

"I really enjoyed your presentation and look forward to attending the next one maybe after there’s been some further developments in the housing world."

At an in-house session for a London Borough Council, delegates said that the information provided was relevant, the quality of the presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as: Useful, Practical, Clear, Interesting and Thorough. Specific feedback received included:

• Thank you for the insightful seminar

At the previous seminar, delegates said that the information provided was relevant, the quality of the presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as: Useful, Thorough, Comprehensive, Clear and Interesting. Specific feedback received included:

• Good, thorough overview of housing policy development. Sets things in context well.
• Lots of food for thought. Many thanks.

At another seminar, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of the presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as: Useful, Thorough, Comprehensive, Interesting and Thought-provoking. Specific feedback received included:      

• As always, a very useful day with the opportunity to focus the mind on some challenging areas.
• I needed a thorough refresher and documents to look back on and refer to – so Yes, Very Good. Enjoy the blogs and free downloads too.
• Good and Informative. Another Good Seminar. Thanks Adrian.

Local Housing Companies and Development

At a recent seminar, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of the presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as: Useful, Clear, Interesting, Thorough Comprehensive, Practical, Thought-Provoking and Valuable. Specific feedback received included:

• Really enjoyed the training seminar.
• I really enjoyed the course and the venue and catering were also of a high standard.

At a recent in-house session, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of the presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as: Interesting, Useful, Thought-Provoking, Clear, Comprehensive and Practical. Specific feedback received included:

• Very useful and thought-provoking session. Thank you very much.
• Everyone who attended thought the seminar was really useful for us and well delivered so thank you!

Funding Supported Housing

At a recent in-house session, delegates said that the information provided was relevant and the quality of the presentation was good. They described the seminar as: Thorough, Useful, Interesting, Comprehensive and Valuable. Specific feedback received included:

• Very comprehensive overview of the area.
• Another useful visit to allow staff time and space to reflect on the proposed and potentially significant changes.

Housing Business Planning in an Uncertain Environment

At a recent seminar, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of the presentation was excellent and that the training met their needs fully. They described the seminar as: Interesting, Useful, Practical, Clear and Valuable. Specific feedback received included:

• Enjoyable and useful day.
• Relaxed approach with opportunity to input and ask questions is appreciated.
• Thank you for the interesting and informative session.

All You Want to Know about Housing Association Finance

At a recent in-house session, the attendees said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was good and that the training met their needs fully. They described the session as: Interesting, Thorough, Useful, Practical and Comprehensive. Particular comments included:

• Adrian is very experienced and knowledgeable in this topic
• Useful real world examples
• The booklet will be a good source of reference to cement what has been learned today

All You Want to Know about Scottish Social Housing Finance

At a recent seminar, delegates said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of the presentation was excellent and the training met their needs fully. They described the session as interesting, useful and thorough. One delegate commented that there was ‘a lot of ground covered in a one day session’.

At a recent in-house session for board members at a housing association, members said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was good and that the training fully met their needs. They described the session as useful, clear, interesting, practical, thought-provoking and valuable.Individual comments included:

• I look forward to the second session in two weeks’ time.
• Really enjoyed it. Looking forward to next time. A lot to take in but very interesting.
• Interesting information on ancillary subjects.

At another recent in-house session for board members at a housing association, members said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was good to excellent and that the training fully met their needs. They described the session as thorough, practical, clear, comprehensive, interesting and useful. One of the board members commented as follows:

“Clear, well-paced presentation, ample time for discussion. I would have liked to have seen some middle managers there to develop their understanding.”

Welfare Reform: The Implications for Housing and Local Government

At a recent seminar, 88% rated the quality of presentations as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. The material of the course was described as ‘valuable’, ‘thought provoking’, ‘comprehensive’, and ‘thorough’.

• “Previously only vaguely aware of the changes proposed — this training has brought it into sharp focus and the impact seems a little alarming, e.g. impact on front line social work commitments if increase in debt / poverty that appears inevitable.”
• “A good range of practical examples / views provided to enhance existing knowledge”
• “Impressed with the thorough knowledge and structured delivery of the presentation. Good to link local knowledge and information - obviously making it more pertinent and imaginative”

Development Finance

At a recent in-house session for staff at a London Borough Council, attendees said that the information provided was very relevant, the quality of presentation was excellent and that the course met their training needs fully . The course was described as clear, interesting, useful, thorough and valuable. Individual comments received included:

• I really enjoyed the course and I found it really informative. Please can you email me the slides?
• A great course, better understanding of how the housing revenue account can fund its housing scheme
• Good range of current examples used.
• Very informative.
• Very useful for when I apply for a housing related job.

Risk Management

At a recent in-house session with board members, attendees said that the information provided was relevant and the quality of presentation was good. The course was described as useful, clear, interesting, practical and comprehensive. Individual comments received included:

• Was very useful

Rent Arrears Management

At a recent in-house session with staff at a district council in southeast England, attendees said that the information provided was relevant and the quality of presentation was good. The course was described as useful, thought-provoking, interesting, practical and thorough.

General Feedback

• Fitting to attendee’s needs: “Helped me put into perspective how Local Government Finance works” / “Very informative insight into the financial process of Local Authorities” / “The application of our budgets to the presentation made the information very relevant, informative and understandable”
• Good discussions and activities: “Good to be able to have a discussion on Value for Money as senior managers. Good practice examples were useful” / “Provided a stepping off point for discussion. Real value came out of the discussion” / “Learned a lot from training day. Good real-life examples and interactions with group. Hand-outs to take away were very useful”
• Knowledgeable presenter: “Well presented – good use of presenting experience, to illustrate points, the hand outs good – the presentation was at the right level and at the right pace.” / “Clear and very informative. Knew his subject really well” / “Very clear, clearest financial ‘explanations’ I’ve ever had / Understood fully as jargon minimal” / “You have a very good communication style that is immediately understandable”

An AWICS seminar about to start at the Conference Centre at the Novotel Hotel (Waterloo) in London.

To make enquiries about seminars please contact us at enquiries@awics.co.uk or 017683-51498.

More information about our training opportunities:

For more information about seminars, please click HERE

For more information about in-house training, please click HERE

For more information about webinars, please click HERE