Tag: #olivegroup

Olive Group launches ‘emotional first-aid’ online course to ease strain on mental health services. #beingthere #mentalhealth #olivegroup

Olive Group, the Irish-founded EdTech company, today announces the official launch of a new online training course, Being There, to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills to support colleagues, friends and family who may be experiencing emotional distress. The course content has been adapted from the popular workshop series of Dr Derek Smyth, the esteemed international psychologist and co-author of anger management programme, Defusing the Bomb.

A separate version of the Being There course geared towards professionals is in the process of being approved as a Continuous Professional Development aid for the healthcare and legal sectors.

Recent research carried out by Mental Health Reform and the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium* has found that one-third of the population in Ireland has experienced mental health difficulties as a result of the pandemic. A further 75% of the population are concerned that social distancing measures and restrictions will have a long-term impact on the mental health and welfare of society more broadly.

 

The research also found that 80% of the population believe that mental health charities and voluntary mental health services should receive extra supports and funding to deal with the heightened strain on these services in recent months. Being There is designed to empower individuals nationwide to play their part in the mental health recovery of society.

The course has been divided into nine modules, with core strands including active listening, self-awareness and crisis intervention. Being There has already been successfully trialed by a sports club, trade union and a nursing organisation, as well as individual participants.

 

Simon Harris TD. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science speaking at the launch of ‘Being There’ an Interactive Programme from Olive Group.
Photo: John Ohle Photography.

Course creator, Dr Derek Smyth has a rich history delivering a range of highly coveted in-person workshops on human growth and development to organisations, institutions and individuals across Europe and the US for the last 30 years. Commenting on the launch of Being There, he said: “During these unprecedented times, it is vital that people are prioritising not just their own mental health, but that of their friends, colleagues and loved ones. Many of us have been experiencing feelings of confusion and apprehension due to the ongoing pandemic, and that is totally normal. The importance of knowing how to express our feelings, and to support those who may be having a difficult time has never been more pronounced. However, the reality is that the majority of us are not trained in these critical listening and development skills.

 

“Olive Group’s ‘Being There’ platform teaches essential counselling skills for everyday life and empowers individuals to become agents of support for each other. I’m proud that my work has been adapted into this new interactive learning medium, extending the benefits to a global audience online.”

Speaking at the launch of Being There, the Minister for Higher Education and Innovation Simon Harris, said: “Technological progress has touched all our lives and reshaped the way we socialise, communicate and interact with society. The ‘Global Village’ has brought huge benefits to our world. However, these changes have also come at a cost.

 

“We must recognise that for many in our society, there is a profound sense of loneliness, isolation and anxiety that they must live with each day. In recent months, the changes to our lives as a result of COVID-19 have created additional challenges and brought mental health and wellbeing into very sharp focus.

 

“Whether it be at home, in a work or community environment, or as a professional, ‘Being There’ will provide both professionals and non-professionals alike with the skills and techniques they will need to be present in a supportive capacity.”

 

Brendan Kavanagh, CEO, Olive Group, said, “The pandemic has had a profound impact on people’s mental health, and it has also resulted in a discontinuation of crucial in-person mental health services. Being There has been carefully crafted to provide all the benefits of face-to-face support so that anyone can learn to be a source of strength for those who need it.

 

“People who have previously completed Dr Smyth’s programme have noted major improvements in the way they navigate their personal and professional lives. The course content also gives them the tools to help others in their time of need, expanding their interpersonal skills and strengthening personal relationships.”

 

Information is available at https://olivegroup.io/being-there/.

Olive Group launches €5M virtual tutor to address coronavirus training concerns.

Olive Group, the Irish-founded global educational technology company, today announces the early launch of its online training platform, My Virtual Tutor, to help organisations struggling to train staff as coronavirus restrictions put an end to face-to-face training. The new platform represents a €5M research and development investment by Olive Group to enable remote staff learning, upskilling and regulatory compliance. It uses advanced technologies to produce engaging, accredited digital courses tailored for learners.

As the coronavirus pandemic forces organisations to take drastic measures to protect their staff and communities, many are finding that they are no longer able to train or develop employees in important areas – such as health and safety and corporate compliance – due to their reliance on classroom-based tutoring. Organisations are also facing the challenge of ensuring workers are not putting their business at increased cyber-risk by working from home. Olive Group produces low-cost, high-end online training courses that are custom-built to help businesses on-board, train and upskill staff.

To help healthcare workers access the latest information regarding infection control, Olive Group is offering free and unrestricted access to its infection control hand hygiene course to any healthcare worker who wishes to avail of it at https://olivegroup.io/campaigns/free-hand-hygiene.

Since its establishment in 2011, the company has trained more than two million people across the world and created digital learning content in 27 languages. Olive Group works in a variety of sectors including healthcare, nursing, pharma, retail,  construction, hospitality, manufacturing and education.

My Virtual Tutor is distinctly different to traditional video-conferencing applications that tend to limit the user to communication capabilities. My Virtual Tutor is designed using a learner-centric approach. It incorporates a learning management system, mobile apps and document management to allow tutors and learners to engage with each other, submit and assess coursework, track progress in real time, set goals and build individual learner programmes to be reviewed and audited by assessors. The platform also helps tutors to map and co-ordinate the rollout of customised learning materials and content, and many of the courses are created, or co-created by Olive Group.

The launch of My Virtual Tutor follows months of successful pilots with large multinational organisations. It will allow Olive Group to continue to tap into the further education market in Ireland and across the globe, including the UK and US where educational technology and e-learning is flourishing. In Ireland, the company will work with business associations including Ibec, the Restaurants Association of Ireland and Retail Excellence Ireland to provide relevant, accredited employee training to businesses, with expected revenues to reach €20m of which Olive Group expects to generate a total of €8m through  My Virtual Tutor by year-end 2022. Globally, the further education market is worth €40.9bn

Brendan Kavanagh, CEO, Olive Group

 

Brendan Kavanagh, founder and CEO, Olive Group, said: “The educational technology movement extends far beyond the current crisis. Organisations are turning to e-learning en masse, as it is a time-efficient way to train employees; and by using engaging, immersive technologies such as virtual reality, it helps them to retain key information that they can apply on-the-job.

 “Given the coronavirus challenge, we have accelerated the launch of My Virtual Tutor to help organisations to train staff while also keeping their employees and customers safe. Like everyone else in Ireland, we were amazed to learn of the overwhelming response to the call for healthcare workers. These people are putting themselves at risk by volunteering to go on the front line to tackle this virus and we would like to do everything we can to help protect them by offering our infection control training courses for free.

 “The entire planet is looking forward to things returning to normal as soon as possible and we are no different. When it does, businesses will inevitably need to recruit more staff and upskill existing members of their team. We look forward to supporting this and helping the world’s economies get back on track by ensuring businesses have the best-trained people steering them towards prosperity once again.”