Planning Ahead for 2010

Planning ahead
What are you reading?
This week's projects
Opportunities to develop

Planning ahead

In the middle of the run up to Christmas it sometimes feels as though nothing will happen until we've reached the 'other side' of the holidays. In particular, if clients haven't decided to start a new project now, they probably won't pick up the phone until 1st working day of January, which in my experience has often been a frantically busy day. So a good way to think of this period if you're not currently busy on a project is as time to prepare and think about how to approach the market in the New Year, what new things you're going to try and how you're going to develop your skills and practice to make sure you get the best and most interesting projects.

What are you reading?

On that note, there's been a lot of debate recently about whether the future lies in on-line news or if printed papers and magazines still have a place. I know a lot of people rely on industry magazines to keep up to date with developments and new ideas and I thought it would be interesting to get a view from you as to what publications (on-line and off-line) you rely on. We've done quite well in getting news about Skillfair consultants into the press this year and as part of our drive to support your own marketing so information on what you and your clients read would help us with that. If you have a few moments to fill in this very short survey we'll be able to give the Skillfair verdict on on-line/off-line and tell you which publications you should be aiming at for your own articles.

This week's projects

As usual we've had a wide range of tenders and projects this week, and expect tenders particularly to peak over the next few days. We've also had some interesting requests for collaborations and partnerships and have client enquiries we're checking out for FEM analysis and other specialist help.

Direct Client Mac computer specialist , United Kingdom
Opportunity Partners needed for collaboration , United Kingdom
Warehouse consultant, Africa,Africa
Small to medium scale manufacturers required, United Kingdom
Client Web Site Executive Training Programme for Experienced Exporters , United Kingdom
Graphic Design Support,Europe
Sports Facilities Strategy, Scotland
Climate Vulnerability Assessment , Wales
Business Support to Social Enterprises , North West England
Client Web Site Leisure Facilities Management Consultancy Services , South East
External Consultancy for Dance Agency,Yorkshire and Humberside
SAP Student Management , North East England
Business Plan for Railways,Eastern Europe
Evaluation of Community Training Programme, Wales
Client Web Site Training in Capacity Building and Marketing., West Midlands
Website Design, Scotland
Internet Security Test , North West England
SME (Small Medium Enterprise) Marketing Support, North West England
OJEU Wartime Interpretation Project, South East
OJEU Customer Relationship Management System, North West England
OJEU Business mentoring service, North West England
OJEU Specialist IT Consultancy, London
OJEU Redesign of Children's Services Partnership, Scotland
OJEU Database Implementation study , London

Remember that Skillfair membership goes up to £144 on 1st Jan so if you're coming up for renewal this would be a good time to renew!

Opportunities to develop

Another effective way of developing your skills is to attend one of the many seminars and workshops put on by professional bodies and other consultants. These events are usually reasonably priced (and often free) and are great way to meet and network with people with similar specialist interests. Our weekly Offer and Event alert usually contains some interesting development opportunities but it's also worth checking what's posted on the Skillfair site, just enter 'workshop' 'offer' or 'training' in the search field and click on the Offers tab to see what's available.