FDM appoints coach to give IT consultants vital soft skills Industry first

FDM, the IT training and recruitment specialist, today announces the appointment of Dr. Bill Moir as the company’s first Soft Skills Coach. FDM has created the new position to combat the shortage of business and communication savvy IT professionals, and follows well-publicised calls for industry action from across the corporate sector.

A management consultant and learning and development specialist, Dr. Moir has worked with prominent blue chip companies, including Nike, Microsoft, Costa Coffee, Amnesty International and the BBC, developing programmes to achieve business goals through staff development.

Dr. Moir is an expert in providing strategic advice on organisational development and research methodologies and has worked as a freelance coach since 1999. He recently acted as a consultant for PR industry body, the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA), which involved working with over two hundred PR companies across the country.

His recommendations and programmes are overlaid with best practice gained from many years practical experience, and often have colourful and creative implementations. For example, whilst project managing internal communication events for American Express, he incorporated Irish dancing, human chess and a Gothic dining room experience for delegates at a single event. His leadership and management workshops have also culminated in the teams modeling their company’s values in fancy dress.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Moir said: I joined FDM because I could not resist the challenge of overturning the lackluster

’IT crowd’ stereotype. IT consultants have long hidden behind their PCs, and will benefit from some more imaginative techniques than they will have been used to on more technical training courses.

The new appointment makes FDM the first company of its kind to provide IT contractors with soft skills training as part of its core training programme. It is a further demonstration of its support of the London mayor’s bid to promote the city as a centre for training businesses and financial professionals from around the world.

Rod Flavell, CEO of FDM says: A recent survey of UK businesses carried out by FDM showed that a number of IT candidates lack soft skills and so are being passed over at interview. The corporate sector has been vocal about the need for IT consultants with business and communication expertise, but until now, there has not been a definitive response. We’re proud to be the first IT training and recruitment specialist to equip our consultants with a full portfolio of expertise required by modern businesses.