BTS Open Workshops 2018; an update…

We have just finished the first quarter of BTS offering face to face open R0 workshops, after the CII pulled out of this market. We had no idea if there would be an appetite out there for what BTS can offer.

How have BTS R0 workshops been received?

Well, you will not be surprised to hear that some R0 subjects have proved more popular than others; for example, we ran two R06 workshops for the April exam sitting – one in London the other in Manchester.

For the R06 workshops, we analysed the two exam case studies and came up with lots of practice questions and answers. Apparently BTS predictions were pretty much spot-on, with few unexpected questions.

Here is some R06 student feedback:

• “No surprises at all thanks to you and the BTS R06 workshop. I would have ploughed it had I not gone on your course.’
  Kim B London

• ‘Having attended several BTS workshops, including R02 and R06 I have found that all trainers have been highly beneficial towards the success in my exams. I would highly recommend them to anybody, even if you think the exam subject is your area of strength, as there will be more than one thing you will learn in each area. I am lucky enough to deal with investments on a daily basis, however in the R02 workshop I came away exam-ready, which is something BTS have given me huge confidence in. Not only do they help you pass the exam, but you also meet some great people who are going through the same journey as yourself; maybe a different age but all in the same boat. Luckily in the case of BTS the boat we’re all aboard is not the Titanic! I would further recommend any of the trainers in BTS as they all train their topics day-in, day-out, so have a huge knowledge on how to get you through the exam. Just got to keep my fingers crossed that my R06 comes back as well as I thought it had gone. Thank you again to Luiza who was great support throughout.”
  Tom P Dorset

• “The R06 exam went really well thanks, Luiza! You predicted a lot of the questions very well and I feel very confident.”
  Francesca A London

• “Thank you for the last couple days – it has been incredibly helpful.”
  Connor R London

• ”I found the RO6 course incredibly helpful. We not only focused on the topics of possible questions but also, more importantly, the exam technique needed to tackle those questions to achieve the highest mark. We paid particular attention to the buzz words within the question and the implications of that with regards to what the examiner was looking for. I left the course feeling confident and it thoroughly helped me when in the exam room. Not to mention that Luiza was an amazing teacher; she kept the sessions engaging, light-hearted and fun!”
  Alex London

• “The course was perfect and made the difference to how I was able to approach the R06 exam – when I looked at the paper there wasn’t anything I wasn’t prepared for and hadn’t practiced.  Would definitely recommend BTS for any future CII exams.”
  Amanda London

• “The two-day course was just fantastic for the preparation for the exam, along with being an enjoyable experience.”
  Craig Leeds

• “Almost all of the questions in the exam were ones that you had predicted! Thanks again for the training, it really helped!”
  Siobhan R Leeds

BTS also produced an R06 exam analysis for the first time ever, which could be purchased by anyone for the princely sum of £65. This was available from our website at www.bespoketrainingsolutions.com

We also ran an R01 workshop (4 passes so far from our attendees) and an R03 workshop (2 passes so far), with some students still to sit their exams. Everyone who attends a BTS workshops has fed back that it has been more than worthwhile.

What issues are we coming across?

The biggest issue we are finding is getting sufficient students signed-up to make the workshops viable.

BTS are committed to offering this support in 2018, especially to individuals who are not part of a large network, so may have little or no company support, but it would be a real shame if we had to stop this support due to a lack of take-up.

We have cancelled an R01 and an R03 workshop this last quarter as we just did not have enough students signed up to make them viable. It is a shame, as we feel we are letting people down who really need the valuable assistance we know we can give them.

What we are finding is that we can usually get 4 people signed-up, but we need 6 as a minimum to make a workshop financially viable.

BTS must cover the costs of both the venue and the trainer before we make any profit whatsoever. We are not aiming to be multi-millionaires (though that would be nice) but if we can’t make a small profit we can’t continue to offer this service.

How can you help BTS?

Please continue to spread the word to all and sundry. It would be such a shame if there was nothing like this available to support individuals studying for R0 qualifications.

What about PFS member support

We are finding this very a difficult nut to crack! As far as we can tell, only one region has put on any R0 support workshops so far this year. We would have thought that PFS regional chairs and managers would be welcoming us with open arms and letting their members know that these workshops are available, but ‘nope’ this is not the case…

Any help you can give us here will be much appreciated. Tell your local PFS office about us – we are more than happy to come along and do a presentation. What we want is for members to know there are options out there to help them achieve professional qualifications.

Lobby them to get in touch with BTS on our website or office number 01748 822777.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide …