Throughout 2023 Education Unlimited has delivered Service IQ’s NZ Certificate in Business (Introduction to Leadership) Level 3 to six groups of New Zealand Couriers employees – three in Christchurch and three in Auckland. Aptly named Driving Ahead, the programme teaches everything from report writing, problem solving and making presentations right through to health and safety and standard operating procedures – and for recent graduate Hayley Wilson it has had a massive impact on the way she and her Christchurch based admin team navigate their roles.

“I can confidently say that our team has benefitted immensely by completing the course,” says the New Zealand Couriers employee. “So much so that my manager Jenny Agnew and I have taken what we learned in our classes and are putting it into practice for our customer services team.”

That team of 14 are now reaping the benefits of regular monthly meetings and improved team bonding.

“Previously we’ve been unable to hold monthly meetings due to the demands of our inbound customer centre, however through the Driving Ahead course we’ve gained a better understanding of how important this is for our team and for our business. In these meetings we will be speaking about relevant work topics, including health and safety, and also implementing staff team building activities that focus on active listening, giving oral instructions and feedback.

“We are very excited to take what we have learned and put it into practice for our team, and we are looking forward to watching our team grow because of it.”

Designed to empower emerging leaders to step up and lead with confidence, Driving Ahead runs for 2.5 hours a week for 20 weeks, equipping learners with the knowledge and skills to becoming forward thinking and effective communicators. Education Unlimited trainer Jenna Paton has been delivering the programme in Christchurch, and has loved watching participants build their capabilities and confidence.

“Driving Ahead has been a very successful programme for New Zealand Couriers,” says Jenna. “Learners have become more confident about expressing their ideas, and finding and sharing  solutions to various workplace problems. In fact Hayley and the admin team set the new gold standard for solving a problem in their workplace.”

As part of the programme each group is tasked with problem solving a real problem that exists within their organisation. They then have to present their solution to the CEO and management. 

“The admin team smashed it out of the park with their presentation and came up with a brilliant solution that has the potential to become a nationwide problem solver. It was amazing.”

By prioritising workplace training, New Zealand Couriers is supporting their teams to learn and grow – and that’s not just good for the employees themselves, it’s also great for business.