Upcoming Events & Training
Clerk Development
Training opportunites to support clerks and officers in their roles.
We fully appreciate that the SLCC will provide the primary source of training content for Clerks. This can be supplemented with our offering and CPD points are awarded for you to add to your SLCC profile.
Should you wish to put together a small programme of e-learning modules, we are more than happy to discuss a discount for a bespoke number of modules. Just get in touch and we can discuss your requirements.
Prices listed apply for DAPTC member councils only.
Non DAPTC member councils are welcome to book a place for double the price shown against the training.
Councillor Development
Listed below are courses in a number of different formats for councillors of parish and town councils across Dorset. We provide online, e-learning and in person training as well as events to network at. Take a look from the schedule below and make sure you check with your clerk to make sure you haven't spent the entire training budget!
If your council wish to bulk purchase e-learning modules do get in touch. If you would like to discuss the delivery of one of the courses for the whole council, please call on 01305 224460 and we can discuss what your are looking to do.
Prices listed apply for DAPTC member councils only.
Non DAPTC member councils are welcome to book a place for double the price shown against the training.
| Event | Event Date | Location | Price | Capacity | Registered | Available Place | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Councillors: social media skills | Tue 14 Jan 2025 18:30 | Zoom | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| The Role of Internal Audit | Wed 15 Jan 2025 10:00 | Online | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| How councils can engage effectively with young people in their communities | Wed 15 Jan 2025 18:30 | Zoom | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| Introduction to VAT | Thu 16 Jan 2025 10:00 | Online | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| Communicating with your community Part 1: Creating a communications strategy | Tue 21 Jan 2025 9:30 | Zoom | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| Dealing with difficult people and conversations in our local councils | Wed 22 Jan 2025 9:30 | Zoom | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| Internal Controls | Wed 22 Jan 2025 10:00 | Online | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| Finance for Councillors | Thu 23 Jan 2025 10:00 | Online | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| Latest National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) revisions | Thu 23 Jan 2025 19:00 | Zoom | £35 members | 25 | 2 | 23 | |
| Recruiting and retaining councillors | Tue 28 Jan 2025 9:30 | Zoom | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| Finance for Councillors | Thu 30 Jan 2025 18:30 | Online | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| Getting the most from local and regional media | Tue 4 Feb 2025 9:30 | Zoom | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| VAT - Partial Exemption | Tue 4 Feb 2025 10:00 | Online | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| A Basic Introduction to Planning | Wed 5 Feb 2025 10:00 | Zoom | £35 members | 25 | 1 | 24 | |
| Crisis Communications for Local Councils | Thu 6 Feb 2025 9:30 | Zoom | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| Freedom of Information for local councils: obligations, procedures and exemptions | Mon 10 Feb 2025 9:30 | Zoom | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| VAT for VAT Registered Councils | Tue 11 Feb 2025 10:00 | Online | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| Communicating with your community Part 2: Engaging with your community | Wed 12 Feb 2025 9:30 | Zoom | £35.00 | 0 | |||
| An Intermediate Understanding of the Planning System | Wed 12 Feb 2025 10:00 | Zoom | £35 members | 25 | 0 | 25 | |
| Introduction to VAT | Tue 18 Feb 2025 10:00 | Online | £35.00 | 0 |
Council Employee Development
Opportunities for Council Employee development are scheduled below.
We have a number of e-learning modules that can be packaged to provide an annual re-accreditation to esnure your team is up to speed and compliant. Just call so we can talk you through any bulk purchase deals we have.
Prices listed apply for DAPTC member councils only.
Non DAPTC member councils are welcome to book a place for double the price shown against the training.
Communications and GDPR Training
We partner with Breakthrough Communications to bring you all year round Communications and GDPR courses for Councillors and Clerks/RFOs.
Courses are booked directly with Breakthrough Communications on their website. You will get confirmation of your registration so it's clear you have secured your booking.
DAPTC will invoice your council after the course has taken place,
Working Together Webinars
Working Together webinars are hosted by DAPTC to ensure the working relationship between parish, town and unitary authority are productive and informative. The sessions run monthly and will be for about 1 hour. The timings are geared to appeal to either officers or councillors attending, so invariably 4:00pm to 5:30pm on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
If you feel any of the webinars are relevant to your council, please send someone along to so they can report back at your next meeting.
There will always be an opportunity to pre-submit questions or ask them during the session and resources will be provided afterwards. For some of the webinars there may be a defined audience and invites will be directed to those groups; this could be geographic or specifically rural parishes or towns. We'll make this clear ahead of the webinar.
Member Engagement
In the schedule below are the dates and time of Area Committee Meetings, Executive Committee Meetings and the Annual General Meeting.
The event details will also hold the agendas and meeting papers and information. In addition you may register your attendance and there will be joining details or location information.
If you have any questions please get in touch.
e-Learning
e-Learning has been a common format for training in the workplace for about 15 years and has developed significantly in the last 5 years. This method of training covers a wide range of topics and is beneficial for the following reasons:
- You can undertake the training when it's convenient to you
- There is no travel involved
- This is the most effective way of getting the most out of training budgets
- There is a short assessment to check understanding
- It's invariably good fun to do!
Each module allow you complete flexibility in terms of when you choose to complete the learning and at the close of each session there is a short assessment, to check your understanding of the topic.
| Event | Event Date | Location | Price | Capacity | Registered | Available Place | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Big Lunch 2025 | Thu 30 Jan 2025 12:00 | Online | Free | 0 | |||
| Planning enforcements and appeals | Thu 24 Apr 2025 18:30 | Zoom | £35 members | 25 | 0 | 25 | |
| Neurodiversity at Work Essentials | Go at your own pace | Online | £14.00 | 0 | |||
| First Aid Essentials | Go at your own pace | £14.00 | 0 | ||||
| Working With Volunteers Essentials | Go at your own pace | £14.00 | 1 | ||||
| Prevent Awareness | Go at your own pace | £10.00 | 2 | ||||
| Respectful and Positive Communications on Social Media for Local Councils | Go at your own pace | Online | £16.00 | 1 | |||
| Leadership in Challenging Situations | Go at your own pace | £16.00 | 2 | ||||
| Anti-bribery Essentials | Go at your own pace | Online | £14.00 | 0 | |||
| Cyber Security Awareness - Basic | Go at your own pace | Online | £15.00 | 5 | |||
| Cyber Security Awareness - Password Management | Go at your own pace | Online | £15.00 | 2 | |||
| Cyber Security Awareness - Video Conferencing | Go at your own pace | Online | £15.00 | 1 | |||
| Data Protection Essentials | Go at your own pace | Online | £14.00 | 18 | |||
| Environmental Awareness Essentials | Go at your own pace | Online | £14.00 | 0 | |||
| Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Essentials | Go at your own pace | Online | £14.00 | 23 | |||
| Human Factors Essentials | Go at your own pace | Online | £14.00 | 0 | |||
| Intro to Behavioural Agility | Go at your own pace | Online | £10.00 | 0 | |||
| Introduction to Changing Behaviours | Go at your own pace | Online | £10.00 | 0 | |||
| Mental Health Essentials | Go at your own pace | Online | £14.00 | 0 | |||
| Unconscious Bias | Go at your own pace | Online | £14.00 | 0 |
Digital Skills
Digital Skills for Local Councils
Transform your council's efficiency and service delivery through our specialized digital skills training programs. Whether you're a clerk, responsible financial officer, council employee, or councillor, we offer tailored courses to help you harness the power of modern technology.
Why Develop Your Digital Skills?
Today's councils are embracing digital transformation to better serve their communities. Our training helps you:
- Save time and resources through efficient digital workflows
- Enhance transparency and accessibility of council information
- Improve communication with residents and stakeholders
- Ensure compliance with digital record-keeping requirements
- Boost productivity with the latest software tools
Why developing your digital skills is important: Digital Skills Fact Sheet
| Event | Event Date | Location | Price | Capacity | Registered | Available Place | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trello with Ducks In A Row | Go at your own pace | Video - Watch when you are ready | Free | 0 | |||
| Meta with Ducks In A Row | Go at your own pace | Video - Watch when you are ready | Free | 0 | |||
| Mailchimp with Ducks In A Row | Go at your own pace | Video - Watch when you are ready | Free | 0 | |||
| ChatGPT / OpenAI with Ducks In A Row | Go at your own pace | Video - Watch when you are ready | Free | 0 | |||
| Canva with Ducks In A Row | Go at your own pace | Video - Watch when you are ready | Free | 0 | |||
| Minute Taking with Ducks In A Row | Go at your own pace | Video - Watch when you are ready | Free | 0 |
