Spotlight On: Core Training
Core training is essential for everyone who will use the Star. But what can you expect from your core training in person or online? Outcomes Star Trainers Laura Baker and Farida Thomson share their insights.
Why do you need to attend core training?
Core training is essential for anyone who uses the Star. Laura says, “If you’re going to use the Star, you need to understand it, and that’s what the core training is about.”
Farida adds, “It’s important because it will help you to use the Star effectively and give you consistency across the board; it’s a really interactive way to understand what the Star is, how to use it and see its value.”
What does core training involve?
Core training, whether completed in one day in-person or over two half-day online sessions, involves four main elements: Introduction to the Star, using the Star with service users, action planning using the Star, and how to use it consistently. Laura says, “I will share with people what I know about the Star and they bring their own knowledge and experience which they can apply to the use of the Star.”
Farida says, “I describe training as unwrapping different layers. So, Session One is the theory – What are we doing?, Why are we doing it?, How does it work? Session Two is the practical side – how are we actually going to put this into practice? Session Three talks about what do we do next, now we’ve got a completed Star. This is how it informs our work moving forward. Session Four is consolidation – Have I got it right, do I know how to use the Journey of Change? Do I know how to use the materials? Is there anything missing? All of that put together will help you to use the Star effectively.”
Chat with us about Core Training
What to expect before training?
You don’t need to have any experience with the Star, or maybe you have experience but haven’t been offered the training. Whichever is the case, it’s a great introduction for all. You’ll be sent resources beforehand, and everyone gets a hard copy of their Star to keep. We also have a pre-training call with the training contact to find out more about who is coming to the training and any learning needs you might have.
“Before I took this training I hadn’t even heard about Outcomes Star so it was completely new. I think our trainer, Warren, delivered it extremely well. I found it interesting and easy to follow, bits that I wasn’t getting were covered and he would go over it until everyone understood. Extremely good trainer!” – Core training participant
What do people enjoy most about Core Training?
The learning is interactive with lots of different exercises and opportunities to ask questions as well as discussing your hopes for the training and the use of the Star, says Laura.
She continues, “People hopefully leave with an increased understanding of what the Star is and how they can use the Star with the people that they’re supporting, ultimately to improve people’s lives. We always say the core training is just the start of their journey. We don’t expect people to be experts when they’ve been trained for six hours, but they will go away with a deeper understanding of the Star.”
“Excellent training, it was very interactive which kept everyone engaged in the session.” – Core training participant
“Farida was fantastic in guiding and training us today, her warmth and patience really encouraged us to engage! The training itself was dynamic with very enjoyable interactive tasks and talking points, this was incredibly useful training. Thank you, Farida.” – Core training participant
Farida says – “Our sessions are very interactive. People attending are able to share concerns, talk about good practice, and ask questions. This helps them to develop because they can ask the things that they may otherwise have been worried to ask.
The course is never boring, there’s always something to do, there’s always something to employ, but it’s not too challenging either. I always say you’ve already got the skills to employ the Star, I’m just teaching you how to use the Star with the skills that you’ve got. So it’s a nice balance and I think that’s why people really like it because it brings their skills to life using the Star as a framework.”
“The course was very informative and was presented in a way that was easy to understand. This assessment tool will be very useful in helping the young people who I support to overcome some of the barriers that they may face.” – Core training participant