Whilst there are some good training providers out there, we feel our training offers a unique and superior experience because:-

1. Our trainers are real-life, active mediators, whose main 'day job' is working as professional mediators dealing with all levels of workplace disputes. As they are an integral part of the Pragmatism team who deliver over 97% resolution, their coaching is real and from a world class level.

2. Unlike many training providers, our training is purely specialist workplace / employment mediation. We don't this with civil or commercial mediation. You receive the best possible training for workplace issues from workplace mediation specialists, giving you the best opportunity for success.

3. We value the quality of our training over commercial gain. Too many training providers have compromised quality by delivering online training, which makes significantly more profit. We will never sacrifice the quality of our training, as these skills can not be learned to the best standards over a screen. 

4. Our training deals with real life and not just theories. Our 'role plays' (see this blog if they worry you) are real-life cases that our Director Pete has personally mediated. This means not only do you gain the experience of mediating real cases, you also gain the full story of how the actual cases worked out.

5. The learning is fun. We're building a friendly and supportive community who we support beyond training. There have been so many friendships, collaborations and even businesses which have formed through this community, and it is something we will expand as we drive our REVOLUTION to RESOLUTION®.

Our 5-day programme is accredited by the Civil Mediation Council (CMC) who are the main accreditation board for mediation in the UK other than family mediation (there is also a Family Mediation Council). You can see more information about the CMC by clicking here.

The ACAS 5-day programme is not accredited for external mediation, it is only accredited for internal mediation. This means anybody wanting to mediate in external organisations is not suitably accredited. We would recommend that anybody wanting to mediate across organisations should ensure they are CMC accredited.

The other main difference between our training and ACAS is that our training provides the skills and tools to deal with higher level disputes such as serious discrimination claims, something which in our experience ACAS tend to shy away from.

The 3-day programme is the first three days of the 5-day programme, and when attending this training at our venue you will be attending the three days with delegates who will be going on to attend the final two days. This means you receive the exact same high level of training, and after the three days you will have all the skills and knowledge required to mediate internally within your organisation.

Those who attend the full 5-days, or 'top up' at a later date (see the next question) will spend a further two days full of practical mediations and coaching. These two days take the experience of delegates to another level, and the 2.5 hours of coaching each person receives significantly increases confidence and capability as external mediators.

The final two days of the accredited programme are also assessed, and anybody who passes the assessment can register as an Associate Mediator with the CMC. Passing this assessment endorses the mediator as having reached the level of competence required to be an excellent mediator who can mediate across organisations.

Yes, absolutely! One of the reasons we designed the training the way we have is so that delegates have flexibility around whether they want to become accredited and, if so, how they achieve this.

If you decide to do the 5-day accredited programme, you can either attend the full week or split it by attending the 3-day training and then 'topping up' the final two days at a later date. We recommend doing this within no more than 18 months.

Often the reason why people choose to split the two days is around childcare or not being able to be away from work for the whole week.

Many delegates choose to split the accredited five days in this way, and usually the final two days will be a mixture of people who have chosen the two options. The cost is the same, and we don't see any difference in results!

If you're unsure which option would be best for you, feel free to get in touch.

Yes - internally within your organisation. The 3-day internal mediator programme provides you with the knowledge, skills and practise that you need to get involved in internal disputes such as grievances. We love hearing the regular stories from our 3-day delegates who tell us how they have successfully mediated situations and avoided formal grievances, and how they have coached and advised employees as part of their day jobs because you do think differently as a mediator.

If you attend all three days of the training and you fully participate you will receive a certificate of attendance to show that you are a trained mediator. This is not, however, and indication of competence or qualification as a mediator because you will not have been assessed. You should not therefore offer mediation services externally having only attended the 3-day programme.

Should you wish to be an external mediator you should attend the additional two day 'top-up' where you will not only get two full days of practise and coaching, but you will also be assessed and to pass you must have reached an acceptable level of competence. 

Yes we do - for those who have booked a later place but would ideally like to attend earlier. When you book an available place, please just put in the comments any earlier dates which you'd like to be on the waiting list for.

Whilst there are no guarantees of moving to an earlier course, it's very common that at least one delegate will request to move to a later date due to various reasons such as work commitments or illness. When this happens, we contact people on the list to see if they're still available and whether they want to move - there's no commitment to move, it's your choice.

Because we can get requests to move at short notice, we always recommend that delegates keep the earlier dates free in their diary right up to the date of the training if possible, as you never know how close to the training the opportunity may arise!