client case studies

The Global Reach of The Springboard Consultancy

With a well-established international reputation The Springboard Consultancy is increasing its global network daily. Reaching over 200,000 participants in over 30 countries, women and men of all ages and backgrounds worldwide are benefiting from our unique personal and work development programmes: Springboard, Spring Forward, Navigator and Fresh Steps.

We have licensed over a 1,000 trainers scattered across the globe. Despite the geographical distance, they all actively network and support each other through the Chat Forum on our website. We recently caught up with some of the most inspirational international trainers at our Lighting Fires Conference, and this is what they had to say:

Di Ferguson: Tasmania

Australia was the first country outside the UK to request Springboard programmes, Navigator programmes followed soon after, and now Fresh Steps is successfully running. Over 20,000 participants later we heard the news from Di Ferguson, one of our trainers in Tasmania:

"We are currently facing the same demographic time bomb as the rest of the world. I’ve been noticing how older workers are feeling disenfranchised and this prompted me to train to deliver Fresh Steps. The University of Tasmania recently ran 2 courses and the results have been truly spectacular. It’s a wonderful programme that can transform a person’s experience of their life and work – they gain the confidence, focus and enthusiasm to actively plan for their futures."

Corinne Devery: France

Springboard was first introduced in Europe in 1994. Corinne is one of the Springboard trainers in France and we asked her to tell us how she started out:

"The Sector Sociale asked me to equip trainers with the skills to teach literacy skills to unemployed women. After an initial pilot the role of the trainers became more like that of a coach for the women they were helping and the results were amazing. The women gained so much more than literacy skills: a woman who hadn’t been out of the house for 20 years, gained the confidence to go out with her friends for the first time.”

We asked Corinne why she thought Springboard Programmes were so successful in France: “It's the flexible and subjective nature of the programme: each woman chooses her own objectives and goals. Also, the issues of lacking confidence and self-esteem are global and have far-reaching implications. It’s the contexts and cultural differences that define what needs to be adapted in terms of culturally specific stories, quotes and images. The essence of the programme is cross-cultural and I think that’s what makes it so successful and sought after."

Axèle Lofficial: France

We asked Axèle Lofficial, another French Springboard trainer, if there was anything she wanted to add about Springboard’s international network and she said: "Many of our clients are decision makers and, having seen an established international network producing such phenomenal results, they are asking me where there are other Springboard trainers worldwide. Clients have contacted Usha in India and we are now getting requests for Springboard training in China."

The Springboard Consultancy programmes are organic and evolve to each culture’s or individual’s needs. The training really does make a difference – it touches peoples’ lives, empowering them and helping them achieve what they want. It's the passion, perseverance and commitment of the trainers that really makes it so successful worldwide.

Zibah Nwako: Nigeria

Our work in Africa began with the British Council in Nairobi in 1996 and according to Zibah Nwako, a Springboard trainer in Nigeria, the programme really has changed lives. We asked her whether cultural differences had caused any problems:

"Nigeria is a multi-faith country so the programme had to be able to cope with this. Also, issues like assertiveness caused a bit of a difficulty at first, until I explained that the programme belongs to the individual – they can make it very much their own. It is not prescriptive it is subjective. That’s what is so great – each woman can make it her own."

Zibah continued: “The only real problem we have here is funding and I say: you can’t give what you don’t have. So I’ve set up a non-governmental organisation which is a charity. I can then apply for funding to enable people to do the programme."

When asked about the future Zibah said: "I’m going to introduce a programme for women at grass roots level (in isolated villages) – we will need an interpreter and I will have to travel out to them. I will also have to work out what to do about the workbook as many of the women will be illiterate. I’m really excited about this. With the team at Springboard, nothing is impossible."

Mariam Daher: Middle East

In 2004 we were invited by The British Council to go to the Middle East, and what started as a relatively small initiative is now a large network which spans the Continent. The enthusiasm with which it has been received is evidenced by the amount of Arab women training to be trainers: the majority of the Springboard programmes for Arab women are delivered by local Arab
women.

We asked Mariam Daher, a Springboard trainer and Regional Manager from the British Council, about culturalising the programme: "As well as the translation, all the stories were replaced with stories about Arabic women. Arabic examples were inserted, and some Arabic research and resources were added. Also, we had to remove references to subjects that are illegal here.” Mariam continued: "Adapting the programme and workbook to be culturally suitable is the most important part of taking on Springboard programmes. The profiles and workbook are what inspire the women – and they can only be inspired from stories they can relate to and understand."

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