Graduates enter the company with academic and vocational qualifications but have less experience of vital soft skills such as resilience and problem-solving as well as leadership skills. In addition, the transition between education and workplace is challenging, particularly given the demands of tech sector workplaces, which are fast-paced and constantly evolving. To thrive, graduates need to have an elevated skill set that allows them to embrace change, communicate effectively, solve problems, be resilient, cope with challenge and think creatively. The aim was to help delegates hone these skills and learn to spot challenges, discuss them with their managers and to find solutions, while also being aware of their own mental health and that of others.

We created a six-part programme which comprised one initial face-to-face session, delivered when the cohort was together in the UK. In this session we concentrated on problem-solving and thinking skills. This was followed up by an online session. We then delivered four other online sessions concentrating on wellbeing and mental health. The modules were delivered in two parts and content included psychology models and theory in addition to our proven unique models and toolkits. These including wonky thinking and FLIP, unique to Laughology. During the mental health sessions, we helped delegates develop their own wellbeing first aid kits to facilitate early identification of potential issues.

We delivered the interactive webinars using Zoom and designed each to be fun and dynamic. We created quizzes, polls, tasks and breakout sessions to keep delegates engaged and entertained while they learned virtually. Delegates were also provided with links for further activities, resources and reading. After each session delegates were given a practical, relevant task to complete before the next session. During the webinars, delegates could interact using instant messaging, annotation and audio. Each webinar was attended by between 108 and 115 delegates.