Project Management – Leading & Influencing – Communication & Collaboration – Personal Effectiveness
are the cornerstones of Fistral’s Product Suite.

"Very well delivered. [The trainer's] engagement with the students and material very impressive and leant sustained interest by students”

NHS Health Scotland 29th August 2018

"We’ve now doubled the number of CAPM deliveries a year in response to growing demand, and it’s fast become one of the most popular and highly valued courses offered as part of the Researcher Development Programme."

Researcher Development Manager, University of Strathclyde 29th August 2018

"Very good course - I am keen to apply this learning in my place of work and have realised that the biggest problem in my team is me giving out concepts, not projects."

Staff member, NHS Health Scotland 29th August 2018

"Very useful. Made [the] subject seem much easier than I've previously been taught. Good use of personal experience."

Staff member, AFRC 29th August 2018

"Very knowledgeable instructor and good sense of humour to create a positive, relaxed working environment. Very useful and will certainly use the material covered."

Student, University of Strathclyde 29th August 2018

"In the five years the University of Strathclyde have engaged the services of Fistral, we’ve worked in partnership to tailor provision which specifically meets the needs of our industry-facing researchers. Year on year, the number of qualified project managers coming through the CAPM programme has increased as a result of its positive reputation and it’s demonstrable benefits within academia and other sectors."

Researcher Development Manager, University of Strathclyde 29th August 2018

"This has to be the most useful and enjoyable course that I have attended. I love the structure of course with lots of practical involvement in exercises working in teams. This is in stark contrast to most of the courses I have attended with PowerPoint slide after slide. I feel that I now want to use what I have learned and put to use asap."

Staff member, University College Cork 29th August 2018

"I expected it to be dull and irrelevant and was pleasantly surprised as it was relevant and practical and high quality."

CAPM participant, University of Strathclyde 29th August 2018

"We’ve now doubled the number of CAPM deliveries a year in response to growing demand, and it’s fast become one of the most popular and highly valued courses offered as part of the Researcher Development Programme."

Researcher Development Manager, University of Strathclyde 25th August 2018

"Will apply tools to my own role, gives me greater understanding of wider project management principles."

Staff member, Scottish Qualifications Authority 29th August 2018

"I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity to take the classes and the exam. I have always been keen on project management and a qualification is the icing on the cake!”

Successful CAPM Delegate, University of Ulster 29th August 2018

"Excellent tutor. Was able to make project management accessible."

EngD Student, University of Manchester 25th August 2018

"Extensive, complex information presented in a relaxed, humorous manner which made it relevant and understandable. Well pitched. Well done!”

PhD Student, University of Stirling 29th August 2018

"The company is professional and my dealings with [Fistral] in the summer with regard to the re-design of the programme were very positive from my perspective. I liked [their] flexibility and commitment to working with us on a new approach."

Postgraduate Researcher Development Programme Manager, Queen’s University Belfast 29th August 2018

"Very well delivered. Great structure and content. Would recommend to colleagues”

Staff member, NHS Health Scotland 29th August 2018

"I'll use Risk evaluation techniques in my research."

Risk participant, University of Aberdeen 29th August 2018

"A very enjoyable and valuable course."

Research staff, University of Bath 29th August 2018

"This should be made compulsory to all PhD students/Research staff."

Research staff, University of Aberdeen 29th August 2018

"Really interesting and applicable to industry. Would consider making the course compulsory for all knowledge exchange project personnel."

CAPM participant, University of Strathclyde 25th August 2018

"Excellent course – one of the most useful I have been on. I would recommend it for any PhD student”

PhD Student, Queens University Belfast 29th August 2018

"I feel that the university has invested in me! In that hiring a professional company as well as having such an experienced and excellent presenter. Money well spent!!"

Research staff, University of Aberdeen 29th August 2018

"We recently worked with Fistral to create a new Consultancy Skills course for our organisation. They offered a friendly, professional service and bring a wealth of knowledge to their course creations."

Staff Development Manager, NHS National Services Scotland, Information Services Division 29th August 2018

"Tools that can be applied to real work and interactions, actual examples for situations that you wouldn't think about normally, kept attention throughout."

EngD student, University of Manchester 29th August 2018

"Brilliant, fascinating, concise. Well lectured. Learned a lot!"

Staff member, Loughborough University 29th August 2018

"Very good course based on lecturer's experience."

Research staff, University of Bath 29th August 2018

"I feel this course is really useful to the researcher and others who are beginners in their career."

Staff member, AFRC 29th August 2018

Fistral Approach to Training - Project Management for the Real World

Fistral Approach to Training

We believe in teaching practical, learnable techniques that can be applied to each individual’s context and used immediately regardless of scale, sector or discipline. Whether online or onsite, Fistral courses and workshops focus on hands-on individual and group-based activities, as well as theory, to enable participants to get the most out of the sessions.

Face-to-face onsite sessions are at the heart of what we do, and these are complemented by online learning in the form of the: ‘Fistral Espresso‘ online learning’ range – bite-sized ‘shots’ of learning; and the longer, more traditional online training webinars in our ‘Fistral Americano‘ range.

Fistral Training & Consultancy Project Management

Hands-on, Practical, Applicable

We believe in teaching practical, learnable techniques that can be applied to each individual’s context and used immediately regardless of scale, sector or discipline. Fistral courses and workshops focus on hands-on individual and group-based activities, as well as theory, to enable participants to get the most out of the sessions.

By focusing on a number of tried and trusted techniques, we strip away a lot of the ‘white noise’ which surrounds projects, communication and leadership, to get to the heart of the make or break issues. And, most importantly, we don’t just talk about these – we are implementing them in every project we’re involved with so we know they work. This is what we bring to our training: tried, tested and trusted real life.

Participants and employers appreciate the level of relevance and contextualisation that Fistral brings to all-staff and researcher training. Often this is achieved with minimal re-development as trainers use their extensive expertise and experiences to contextualise to the needs of the group on the day.

Course delegates testify increased effectiveness and efficiency immediately in their current role. In addition to the improved morale and self-confidence gained from professional training, they comment on the value of the trainers’ real-life expertise and experiences, as well as the sharing of best practice, tools, tips and techniques that we know make a difference in industry and academia.

Employers appreciate the added-value that external practitioners bring when demonstrating applicability within, as well as across, sectors, and recognise that our work-based, relevant and interprofessional approach delivers tangible improvements in the workplace.

Fistral Training & Consultancy Practical LeadershipRelevant, Best Practice

Using their expertise as practitioners, trainers share professional insights and good practice tools and techniques of what ‘works’ in real life. Their experience in industry, HEIs and working with

Fistral is unique in that most of our trainers hold doctorates. All of our trainers are active practitioners, and have have worked in education/HEI settings as well as with third sector and industry organisations.

This means that they have the credibility and confidence that the training and learning practices are tied-to industry needs and professional best practice, as well as an in-depth understanding of what it means to be a researcher working within a knowledge-intensive environment.

As active practitioners in their field, trainers are professionally certified which ensures that the tools and learning are pertinent, current, applicable, practical and focused on techniques and skills that are used in real life by experienced practitioners: they genuinely “practise what they preach”.

The Fistral team use this experience to provide professional insights, recommendations, guidance, practical tips and real-life scenarios. This is one key reason why our courses consistently receive ratings of ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’.

High Quality & Customer Service

We are committed to strong Quality Assurance (QA) and ongoing monitoring of our services and training provision to ensure that it continues to meet the high standards that Fistral and our customers expect.

Anything less than Very Good (4 out of 5) is discussed with partners and in-house to ensure quality training and positive ongoing participant experiences.

We make this commitment because we want to provide the best service we can to our customers and because we place high value on the feedback provided by customers and course participants as this helps us continually improve our services and the personal and professional development of our employees and the company as a whole.

In addition, the following Fistral statements and Policies are available on request:

  1. Maintaining Quality & Monitoring Courses & Services
  2. GDPR & Data Handling
  3. Equality & Diversity
  4. Sustainability
  5. Health & Safety

Fistral Training & Consultancy Courses

Product Suite

The Fistral Product Suite is separated into four areas: Project Management; Leading & Influencing; Communication & Collaboration; and Personal Effectiveness.

Fistral Training & Consultancy Product Suite

Click to enlarge

Project Management, Leading & Influencing, Communication & Collaboration, and Personal Effectiveness courses are successfully delivered off-the-shelf, but can be easily customised, combined or tailored to match organisational and participant needs with minimal development input.

The Fistral team have extensive experience designing and developing staff and researcher programmes with customers to provide Project, Portfolio, Leadership and Management pathways for specific groups and all-staff. Pathways can easily be aligned to ILM, CMI, PMI levels as well as other professional bodies.

Project Management sessions are aligned to the Project Management Institute (PMI), and some of our softer-skills courses are underpinned by Everything DiSC®, A Wiley Brand.

Professional Certification

All of our Project Management training is aligned to the Project Management Institute and can lead to a globally recognised professional Certification in Project Management – Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® or Project Management Professional (PMP)®. Read about Fistral’s CAPM/PMP Training Programme here.

In addition to developing PMI and CMI pathways, Fistral training is often used by organisations as part of their internal or external accreditation pathways and programmes. Fistral courses can be tailored bespoke for the organisation or used off-the-shelf.

Fistral courses have been used in: accredited University-awarded Certificates for staff or researchers, Institute of Leadership and Managment (ILM) and Chartered Management Institute (CMI) programmes, as part of European Credit Transfer Scheme (ECTS), or linked to University-recognised credit-bearing pathways. Informally, training courses have also been used by many individuals when evidencing professional portfolios, for example towards CMI, ILM, PDP and Chartered status.

Researcher Focused

Fistral courses provide transferable skills that are directly applicable for researchers at any level. Tools and techniques can be applied to work immediately on return to desk or lab. The usefulness and relevance of the training is evidenced in the excellent feedback we receive from HEIs, Doctoral Colleges, ETNs, DTCs, ITNs, CDTs and staff working in international research organisations.

Our CAPM and PMP Project Management certification pathways are particularly popular with PhDs and all researchers as they provide a route to globally recognised, industry-aligned, professional certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

In addition, other courses particularly popular with CDTs, Doctoral Colleges, ETNs, ITNs, ECRs and MCAs that are specifically contextualised for research include:

  • Leadership and Teambuilding Techniques;
  • Advanced Research Team Leadership;
  • Keeping on Top of Your Research or PhD: Time Management Strategies;
  • Professional Communication Skills;
  • Releasing Your Research Leadership Potential;
  • Practical Leadership: Getting the Best out of Your Team;
  • Influencing without Authority: Using Personal Power to Persuade & Convince Others;
  • Research Project Management & Planning for Uncertainty; and
  • Managing Complex Research Projects

We also provide some courses aimed solely at PhD students. For example for first-years – Kick-start Your PhD, Control Your PhD and Keeping on Top of Your PhD – and for final year PhDs – Finishing your PhD on Time. Contact Us for more information.

Space Focused

Our practical transferable skills courses for the Space Sector focus on best practice as well as the tools and techniques that we know work in this environment. Using over 10 years of experience with a wide range staff at all levels across a range of organisations at sites all over Europe, and supporting a variety of missions, the applicability and relevance of our consultancy and training can be seen in ongoing excellent feedback.

Our PMI-aligned Project Management courses are particularly popular in this sector, as is Agile PM, Leadership, Teamworking and Professional Communication. Fistral courses are contextualised for space, aerospace, energy and engineering, as well as delivered bespoke and tailored to the ESA environment.

Courses currently chosen by Space Sector and contextualised for partners cover topics such as:

  • Project Management
  • Risk Management
  • Agile Project Management
  • Leadership – for New Team Leaders and also more Advanced Leadership techniques
  • Professional Communication
  • Managing Difficult Behaviour and Challenging Situations
  • Time Management
  • Decision Making
  • Assertiveness

Courses can also be tailored to directly align and reference an organisation’s methodology or approach. Linked to the relevance and usefulness of the training we are often asked to deliver bespoke workshops for staff involved in projects and missions. Contact Us for more information.

“Engaging and practical” – 4.93 from Loughborough University Staff

“Engaging and practical” – 4.93 from Loughborough University Staff

Staff from Loughborough University welcomed us onsite for our Project Management in the Real World training session. The group gave...

“Useful to learn how to organise a project to completion” – CAPM programme rates 4.86 at University of Bath

“Useful to learn how to organise a project to completion” – CAPM programme rates 4.86 at University of Bath

A mix of research staff and PhDs from the University of Bath logged on to Fistral’s CAPM Preparation training session....

“Giving and receiving difficult feedback” training – rated Very Good by LSE Space Staff

“Giving and receiving difficult feedback” training – rated Very Good by LSE Space Staff

LSE Space staff joined Fistral onsite for our training, Giving and Receiving Difficult Feedback: A Practice-Based Workshop. LSE is an...

“Very engaging & interactive“ – stress management at University of Warwick

“Very engaging & interactive“ – stress management at University of Warwick

The second of two groups of researchers from Warwick Medical School joined us onsite at the University of Warwick for...

“Another great course!” – University of Warwick staff feedback

“Another great course!” – University of Warwick staff feedback

The first of two groups of research staff joined us onsite at The University of Warwick for Fistral’s Handling Academic...

“It will absolutely help me in my work going forward” – University College Cork staff rate PM 4.82

“It will absolutely help me in my work going forward” – University College Cork staff rate PM 4.82

The first of two groups of staff at University College Cork joined us onsite recently for Fistral’s Successfully Planning &...

“Engaging, useful, and practical” – University College Cork staff

“Engaging, useful, and practical” – University College Cork staff

The second of two groups of staff at University College Cork joined us onsite for Fistral’s Successfully Planning & Managing...

“Useful and transferable skills” – University of Strathclyde feedback

“Useful and transferable skills” – University of Strathclyde feedback

PhD students University of Strathclyde joined us onsite in Glasgow for Fistral’s CAPM Preparation training session. The group gave it...

“Good mix of theory and application” – Leadership for University of Strathclyde PhDs

“Good mix of theory and application” – Leadership for University of Strathclyde PhDs

PhD students University of Strathclyde logged on to Fistral’s Leadership and Teambuilding Techniques webinar training session. The group gave it...

“Recommended for all new Managers” – PM Principles for the Space sector

“Recommended for all new Managers” – PM Principles for the Space sector

Space staff welcomed Fistral onsite at ESTEC for our training course, Project Management Principles – Level 1. The group gave...

5 out of 5 score for PM training – University of Strathclyde

5 out of 5 score for PM training – University of Strathclyde

Fistral welcomed PhD students at the University of Strathclyde onsite in Glasgow for our Advanced Project Management course. The group...

“Useful for Planning PhD” – University of Strathclyde PhD Student

“Useful for Planning PhD” – University of Strathclyde PhD Student

Onsite in Glasgow at the University of Strathclyde, Fistral welcomed a cohort of PhD students on our Project Risk Management...

“Very practical and applicable” – Advanced PM rates 4.93 from University of Bath

“Very practical and applicable” – Advanced PM rates 4.93 from University of Bath

A mix of research staff and PhDs from the University of Bath logged on to Fistral’s Advanced Project Management webinar...

“Effective and realistic” – University of Winchester staff

“Effective and realistic” – University of Winchester staff

Staff from the University of Winchester logged on to Fistral’s Influencing Skills for Leaders of Research Teams webinar course and...

“Very useful, easy to use tools” – University of Winchester staff

“Very useful, easy to use tools” – University of Winchester staff

Research staff from the University of Winchester logged on to Fistral’s Handling Academic Rejection webinar. The group gave the training...

“Invaluable techniques when planning a project” – Loughborough University staff

“Invaluable techniques when planning a project” – Loughborough University staff

We joined staff onsite at Loughborough University to deliver our Project Management in the Real World training course and they...

“Practical things I can use straight away” – University of Winchester staff feedback

“Practical things I can use straight away” – University of Winchester staff feedback

Research staff from the University of Winchester logged on to Fistral's webinar entitled Getting Unstuck: Procrastination Busting Techniques. The group...

“I can apply this in a number of different scenarios” – University of Bath feedback

“I can apply this in a number of different scenarios” – University of Bath feedback

PhDs from the University of Bath logged on to our Introduction to Risk Management webinar session. The group gave the...

“Really applicable to a PhD project” – University of Strathclyde PhD student

“Really applicable to a PhD project” – University of Strathclyde PhD student

We were joined onsite in Glasgow by PhD students at the University of Strathclyde for Fistral’s Project Management in the...

“Practical and applicable tools” – University of Winchester Research Staff

“Practical and applicable tools” – University of Winchester Research Staff

We were joined onsite by research staff at the University of Winchester for Fistral’s Releasing Your Leadership & Teambuilding Potential...

“Should be mandatory across agency” – Space staff feedback for Risk Management

“Should be mandatory across agency” – Space staff feedback for Risk Management

Space staff welcomed Fistral onsite at ESTEC for our training course, Introduction to Project Risk Management and rated it 4.6...

“Very applicable and lots of examples” – research staff at University of Winchester

“Very applicable and lots of examples” – research staff at University of Winchester

We were joined onsite by research staff at the University of Winchester for Fistral’s Project Management Techniques for New &...

“Interesting and relevant” – University of Strathclyde PGR

“Interesting and relevant” – University of Strathclyde PGR

PGR’s from the University of Strathclyde logged on to Fistral’s Advanced Project Management webinar session. The group gave the training...

Agile Mindset is “Hands-on as well as eye-opening” – Space staff feedback

Agile Mindset is “Hands-on as well as eye-opening” – Space staff feedback

ESA staff joined Fistral onsite in ESOC for our training course; Introducing an Agile Mindset What’s In It For Me?...

“Manage projects for the better” – ASPIRE Programme attendee from Sheffield Hallam University

“Manage projects for the better” – ASPIRE Programme attendee from Sheffield Hallam University

A group of PhD students from the ASPIRE Programme, Sheffield Hallam University logged on to Fistral’s Project Management: 5 Key...

5 out of 5 rating for CAPM Training from CDT

5 out of 5 rating for CAPM Training from CDT

PhD students at the University of Manchester iCAT Centre for Doctoral Training logged on to Fistral’s CAPM Preparation training course....

“Helps break down planning of PhD” – University of Bath

“Helps break down planning of PhD” – University of Bath

We were joined online by PhD students at The University of Bath for Fistral’s Introduction to Project Management training course....

“Everyone working on a project should complete this course” – Loughborough University Staff

“Everyone working on a project should complete this course” – Loughborough University Staff

We welcomed staff onsite at Loughborough University to Fistral’s Project Management in the Real World training course, and they gave...

“Very useful for our work” – 4.8 for Schedule Control at ESTEC

“Very useful for our work” – 4.8 for Schedule Control at ESTEC

ESTEC staff welcomed Fistral back onsite for our training course, Schedule Control. The attendees rated the training 4.8 out of...

“Lots of interesting techniques learned” – Manchester CDT

“Lots of interesting techniques learned” – Manchester CDT

PhD students at the University of Manchester iCAT Centre for Doctoral Training joined us onsite for Fistral’s Project Management in...

“Gives a new point of view” – LSE Space staff feedback

“Gives a new point of view” – LSE Space staff feedback

LSE Space staff joined Fistral onsite for our Team Leader Training. The attendees rated the training 4.5 out of 5...

“Head and shoulders above other providers” – University of Strathclyde PGR

“Head and shoulders above other providers” – University of Strathclyde PGR

We welcomed PGR’s onsite at the University of Strathclyde to our Risk Management in the Real World training course and...

 5 out of 5 for CAPM training – University of Strathclyde PGRs

 5 out of 5 for CAPM training – University of Strathclyde PGRs

We joined PGR’s from the University of Strathclyde onsite in Glasgow to deliver Fistral's CAPM Preparation training. This training is...

“Course is valuable for anyone performing development or PM within the Space industry”

“Course is valuable for anyone performing development or PM within the Space industry”

ESA staff welcomed Fistral onsite to ESTEC for our training course; Project Management Principles - Level 2. The group gave...

“Useful for PhD planning” – University of Strathclyde PGR feedback

“Useful for PhD planning” – University of Strathclyde PGR feedback

A cohort of PGR’s from the University of Strathclyde logged on to our Introduction to Project Planning training course and...

Time Management provided “Useful tips” for LSE Space staff

Time Management provided “Useful tips” for LSE Space staff

Staff from LSE Space logged on to Fistral’s training webinar entitled Time Management: Prioritisation and rated the session Very Good....

4.93 rating for Maximising your PhD Performance training

4.93 rating for Maximising your PhD Performance training

PhD students from the ASPIRE programme joined us onsite at Sheffield Hallam University for Fristral’s Maximising Your PhD Performance Using...

“Project management made simple” – University of the West of England attendee

“Project management made simple” – University of the West of England attendee

Fistral travelled to Bristol to the University of the West of England to deliver our Project Management for Researchers training....

“A good foundation for learning Project Management” – Space staff

“A good foundation for learning Project Management” – Space staff

Fistral were welcomed to ESTEC to deliver our training course; Project Management Principles - Level 1. The group gave the...

“A must-attend course” – Strathclyde University PGR

“A must-attend course” – Strathclyde University PGR

PGR’s at  Strathclyde University logged on to Fistral’s training webinar entitled Creating a Good Supervisory Relationship. The attendees rated the...

”Fundamental to be deployed to every area” – Agile Mindset for Space

”Fundamental to be deployed to every area” – Agile Mindset for Space

Fistral were onsite at ESTEC to deliver our training course for staff; Introducing an Agile Mindset What’s In It For...

“Practical and helpful” – University of Bristol Staff

“Practical and helpful” – University of Bristol Staff

We welcomed staff onsite at the University of Bristol for a session entitled Project Management Tools for Managing Your Research...

Project Management In The Real World – Rated 5 out of 5 at Strathclyde University

Project Management In The Real World – Rated 5 out of 5 at Strathclyde University

Onsite at Strathclyde University, we ran our Project Management In The Real World training for a group of Postgraduate Researchers....

“Provides new perspectives” – PGR University of Strathclyde

“Provides new perspectives” – PGR University of Strathclyde

Postgraduate Researchers from the University of Strathclyde logged on to our Techniques for Confident Professional Communication webinar training. The attendees...

“Plenty of practical tools” – Project Management in the Real World

“Plenty of practical tools” – Project Management in the Real World

Onsite at Loughborough University, we ran our Project Management In The Real World training for a group of Postgraduate Researchers....

“Useful practical tools” – Bristol University Staff

“Useful practical tools” – Bristol University Staff

We welcomed staff from the University of Bristol to Fistral’s Introduction to Project Management webinar training. The attendees rated the...

“Useful prep for CAPM Exam” – Intro to PM webinar

“Useful prep for CAPM Exam” – Intro to PM webinar

PhD Students from the University of Exeter joined us online for Fistral’s Introduction to Project Management training webinar. The group...

“Very insightful” – Leadership and Teambuilding Techniques Training rated 5 out of 5

“Very insightful” – Leadership and Teambuilding Techniques Training rated 5 out of 5

Postgraduate Researchers from the University of Strathclyde joined us onsite for Fistral’s Leadership and Teambuilding Techniques training course. The group...

“Worthwhile and engaging” – Intro to Project Management

“Worthwhile and engaging” – Intro to Project Management

We welcomed a mix of research staff and PhDs from the University of Bath to Fistral’s Introduction to Project Management...

Advanced Project Management – “Useful for professional development”

Advanced Project Management – “Useful for professional development”

Onsite once more at the University of Strathclyde, we hosted PhD students at Fistral’s Advanced Project Management training session. The...