Overview
Format matters as much as content. A webinar is efficient for awareness and orientation, such as an introduction to a new AI policy or to open-access options, but it rarely changes how someone works. Skills like running a regression, building a search strategy or structuring a chapter need practice, feedback and time between sessions, which multi-session courses and one-to-one training provide.
We therefore help clients choose a format from the outcome backwards. If participants need to recognize something, a webinar may suffice. If they need to do something independently, we recommend a course with exercises and feedback, or one-to-one sessions built around their own project.
All formats can issue certificates of attendance or completion. These describe what was covered, how many hours, and, for completion certificates, which assessed tasks were submitted. They are not accredited qualifications, do not carry academic credit and are not endorsed by software vendors or professional bodies. Institutions wanting accredited or credit-bearing provision should discuss it with their own quality office; contract training for whole institutions is arranged through institutional services.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- Individuals deciding how to learn a research or software skill in the time they have
- Program coordinators planning training for a cohort, lab or professional group
- Researchers who need confidential, project-specific training rather than a group course
- Organizations wanting a mix of live and recorded learning for dispersed teams
- Anyone who needs a record of training for a portfolio, appraisal or doctoral skills log
Common problems we help with
- You have attended webinars but still cannot apply the skill to your own work
- Your schedule or time zone makes fixed weekly courses difficult
- Your project is confidential or unusual and a group course would not fit
- You need evidence of training for a doctoral development record or appraisal
- You are unsure whether a certificate will be recognized by your institution
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Live webinars (typically 60–90 minutes) with Q&A, for awareness and orientation topics
- Multi-session certificate courses with exercises, feedback and a completion task
- One-to-one training built around your own data, draft or project, scheduled flexibly
- Small-group clinics for labs or teams working on shared problems
- Recorded input segments and self-paced materials to accompany live sessions
- Certificates of attendance (attended sessions) or completion (attended and submitted required tasks)
- Help choosing a format and topic sequence based on your goals
Not included
- Accredited, credit-bearing or vendor-certified qualifications
- Claims that a certificate will be recognized for credit, CPD points or promotion — recognition is decided by your institution or professional body
- Completing graded assessments or online courses for participants
What you receive
- Format recommendation
- A short proposal matching your goals, schedule and budget constraints to a format and number of sessions.
- Sessions and materials
- Live sessions, slides, exercises and, where agreed, recordings of input segments.
- Feedback on tasks
- For courses and one-to-one training, written or verbal feedback on practice tasks and a final applied task.
- Certificate
- A certificate stating the title, topics, dates, contact hours and whether it records attendance or completion, with a clear note that it is not an accredited qualification.
- Attendance records
- For organizers, attendance lists and a brief session summary.
How it works
Goals conversation
We ask what participants should be able to do afterward, by when, and what constraints apply.
Format proposal
We recommend a format and outline, and confirm certificate type if needed.
Delivery
Sessions run online or in person, with materials shared in advance.
Completion
Tasks are reviewed, certificates issued where applicable, and next steps suggested.
Formats compared
- Webinar
- One live session for many participants. Best for awareness, updates and orientation. Limited practice. Certificate of attendance available.
- Certificate course
- Usually four to eight sessions over several weeks with exercises between sessions and a final applied task. Best for building a skill. Certificate of completion for those who submit the tasks.
- Intensive
- One to three consecutive days, often for software or systematic review training. Fast, but less time to practice between sessions.
- One-to-one
- Private sessions on your own project, at your pace. Best for confidential or specialized needs and for people who learn best with direct questioning.
- Blended
- Recorded input and self-paced tasks, combined with live clinics for questions and feedback. Suits dispersed teams and varied schedules.
What our certificates mean
A certificate of attendance confirms that a named person attended specified sessions on specified dates. A certificate of completion also confirms that the participant submitted the course's required tasks and received feedback. Both list topics and contact hours so a reader can judge their relevance.
Neither is an accredited qualification. They are not issued by a university or awarding body, do not carry academic credit and are not vendor certifications for software such as SPSS or NVivo. Some institutions and professional bodies accept such certificates as evidence of continuing development; whether yours does is their decision, and we encourage you to check before enrolling if recognition matters.
Sample one-to-one outline
One-to-one training is planned like a short course, not an open-ended chat. A typical four-session plan for a researcher learning thematic analysis in NVivo might run as follows, with the researcher coding their own anonymized transcripts between sessions.
- Session 1: goals, project set-up, importing data, first read-through and memo writing
- Session 2: initial coding on two transcripts, discussing code definitions
- Session 3: reviewing the codebook, grouping codes into candidate themes, using queries
- Session 4: reviewing themes against the data, audit trail and planning the write-up
Choosing a format
Start with the outcome. If you need to understand a change or a concept, a webinar may be enough. If you need to perform a skill independently, choose a course or one-to-one training with practice and feedback. If your project is confidential, unusual or urgent, one-to-one is usually the most efficient. Teams often combine formats: a webinar for everyone, followed by a course for those who will use the skill.
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Illustrative format plan for a research group
A research group of fifteen, spread across three countries, wanted to improve data management and move from spreadsheets to scripted analysis. The plan below is invented to illustrate how formats combine.
Webinar for everyone
A 75-minute session on data management principles, file naming and version control, recorded for those in distant time zones.
Course for analysts
Six analysts took a five-session R course with weekly tasks and a final task reproducing one of the group's past analyses. Those who submitted all tasks received certificates of completion.
One-to-one follow-up
Two members with unusual data structures booked three private sessions each to adapt the workflow to their projects.
Illustrative example; the group, numbers and plan are fictional.
What you’ll need to provide
- The skill or topic you want to learn and what you want to be able to do afterward
- Your available time, time zone and preferred schedule
- For one-to-one training: relevant drafts, data or project details (anonymized if needed)
- For groups: participant numbers and a coordinator
- Whether you need a certificate and for what purpose
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- Format and total contact hours
- Group size, or one-to-one delivery
- Preparation of tailored exercises or use of participants' own materials
- Written feedback on tasks and completion assessment
- Recordings, self-paced materials and reuse rights
Turnaround depends on
- Trainer and participant availability across time zones
- Tailoring time for group courses
- Pace chosen for one-to-one sessions
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
Is your certificate accredited?
No. Our certificates record attendance or completion, topics and hours. They are not accredited qualifications and carry no academic credit. Check with your institution or professional body whether they accept them as development evidence.
Can I get CPD points?
We do not claim CPD accreditation. Some professional bodies let members log self-directed learning; the certificate's list of topics and hours can support such a record if your body allows it.
Are webinars recorded?
Usually, if the organizer agrees. We may pause recording during participant discussion to protect confidentiality.
How many one-to-one sessions will I need?
It depends on your starting point and goal. Many software or method skills take four to six sessions with practice in between. We propose a plan after the first conversation and review it as you progress.
Can one-to-one training help with my graded online course?
We can teach the underlying concepts and skills. We do not complete quizzes, assignments or exams for anyone, and you should follow your course's rules on outside help.
Can training be in person?
Yes, for groups where logistics allow. Most individual training is online, which makes recordings and screen sharing straightforward.