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FAQs

If you have a question about the Centre or our training then have a look through our FAQs. Here you'll find answers to our most common queries and questions. If you can't find what you are looking for then call us on  020 7490 3030 and speak to a member of our team. 

  • Where is your training held?

    Our open training courses, suitable for individuals, are all held at our central London training suite on Old Street.

    We’re a five minute walk from Old Street Station, for both London Underground (Northern Line) and National Rail services (Thameslink Hertford and Welwyn lines). Located on multiple bus routes, and with Liverpool Street and Farringdon Stations just a 15 minute walk away, getting here couldn’t be easier! Get directions from Old Street station to the Centre.

    Training suite address:

    Third Floor
    140 Old Street
    London
    EC1V 9BJ

  • How do I get to the training centre?

    When exiting the station turn left out of the ticket hall and exit via Subway 3. Take the right exit, up the ramp, heading towards Barbican. Continue down Old Street, passing the Co-operative food shop on your right, until you get to 140 Old Street.

    Once you reach our building, please use our intercom to call up to reception.

    View location on map.

    Plan your journey to the Centre using Transport for London's journey planner.

  • How long are your training courses?

    All of our standard courses are either one or two-day courses, with our management ladder courses running for two-and-a-half days.

    Our tailored courses can be any length – from 90 minute Bite-size sessions to week-long leadership programmes. For more information about our tailored course and to get a quote contact us. 

  • What is the running time for my course?

    All of our courses held at our London training suite start at 10am. Our training suite is open from 9:15am. We advise delegates to arrive by 9.45am so they can sign-in at reception and order their lunch. The course will finish between 4 - 4.30pm. Our training suite is open until 5pm and you are welcome to use our facilities after the course has finished until this time.

    If you are organising group training at your venue then the standard course start time is 10am, however, this is flexible and can be changed depending on your requirements. If you require your course to start and/or end at a different time then please inform our Training Coordinators when you place your booking. The standard course finish time is between 4 – 4.30pm, however, this is flexible and can be changed depending on your requirements. If you require your course to start and/or end at a different time then please inform our Training Coordinators when you place your booking. 

  • Is lunch provided on your courses?

    Lunch and refreshments are provided on all of our open courses at the Centre’s training suite in London.

    We provide:

    - a light, healthy breakfast
    - freshly-made lunches (which you order when you arrive)
    - fresh fruit
    - healthy (and not so healthy!) snacks
    - biscuits
    - vegetarian sweets
    - an afternoon ice cream
    - selection of teas
    - Fairtrade coffee
    - hot chocolate
    - soya milk
    - gluten and dairy free options
    - kosher and halal lunch options are available (please order in advance)

    If you have any special dietary requirements, let us know before the course and we’ll make sure we accommodate your needs.

  • Can you cater for special dietary requirements?

    Yes. We can cater for all of the below requirements and more. Please contact us at info@the-centre.co.uk in advance of your course if you do have any special dietary requirements.

    Vegetarian/vegan - we offer a wide selection of vegetarian foods on our lunch menu. We also have a dedicated vegan menu. Delegates can choose their lunch option when they arrive in the morning. All of our sweets are also suitable for vegetarians.

    Gluten/dairy/other intolerance - we can ask our lunch suppliers to ensure that your food does not contain any element of whichever type of foods you cannot eat. We also have a dedicated gluten-free menu available.

    Halal - the lunch items supplied by our caterer are Halal.

    Kosher - we have a special Kosher food supplier we use for delegates following a Kosher diet. Alternatively you are welcome to bring your own lunch and we will refund you the cost you have paid for this.

  • How much do your training courses cost?

    The Centre has a three-tier pricing structure, offering discounted rates to charities and not-for-profit organisations.

    Our price brackets:

    Small charity price applies to registered charities with an annual turnover of less than £3m
    Not-for-profit price applies to all other charities and all other not-for-profit organisations (including public sector and housing)
    Standard price applies to all other organisations

    Course prices vary depending on the course subject and length. See individual or group training prices to find out more.

    Individual training prices:

    Training courses for individuals start from £245 +vat. You can find prices for each course on our course outline pages or in our training brochure.

    Our course prices include all standard course materials and a 12 month call back service.

    Please note: all fees and prices are subject to VAT.

    Group training prices:

    Prices for standard one-day workshops start at £1,100 + VAT and prices for tailored one-day sessions start at £1,300 + VAT. These fees vary depending on the type of organisation, location and preparation time.

    If you would like a quote for a Bite-size Workshop or tailored course please contact our Training Coordinators on 0207 490 3030.

    Our course prices include all standard course materials and a 12 month call back service.

    Please note: all fees and prices are subject to VAT.

  • What is the difference between individual and group training prices?

    Individual training prices are charged per person whereas group training prices are a fixed fee for up to 12 delegates (sometimes 10 depending on the course).

    With group training, the more delegates you have attending the course, the cheaper the cost per person is. 

  • Do you have any other training dates available?

    All scheduled dates for our individual training courses, held at our central London training suite, are listed on our website. As soon as future dates become available they will be added to our website. View our current events calendar to see all the training we currently have available.

    If you would like to be notified when another date becomes available, simply send us an email request and we’ll be in touch when a new date is added. 

  • Are your courses accredited?

    Some of the Centre’s training courses are accredited by the CPD Certification Service and endorsed by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).

    We offer three management courses which are endorsed and certificated by the ILM and Management and 19 courses accredited by the CPD. View list of accredited courses.

  • How do I record my CPD points?

    With all CPD accredited courses it’s the delegate who keeps a record of their points and courses attended. The delegate can then inform their Line Manager, L&D department or log these points on their company’s internal training system (if they have one). They can also add this to their CV or LinkedIn profile.

    To prove that the delegate has been on the course for the stated number of hours, we provide individuals with a certificate to attach to their CPD log as evidence of development once training is complete.

    For more information about the CPD and how to record your points please visit https://cpduk.co.uk/explained

  • Do I get a certificate for completing my training?

    Every delegate who attends and completes one of our training courses will receive a certificate. This certificate details the course title, course date and the topics covered.

    Please note: delegates who attend our Bite-size Workshop will not receive a training certificate unless arranged in advance with our Training Coordinators. 

  • How can I pay for a course?

    Payment for training can be made by BACS, credit/debit card over the phone, or you can send us a cheque. BACS details can be found here, or to pay by card you can call us on 020 7490 3030. Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Centre’ and sent to Centre for Strategy and Communication, 140 Old Street, London EC1V 9BJ. Once you have placed your booking with us and received your booking confirmation via email, we will send you an invoice, along with our payment details. The invoice will be sent by email to the booker, unless you stated otherwise on your booking form.

    The Centre's terms and conditions request payment prior to the training date.

    For individual training held at our central London training suite, delegates may pay by cheque (made payable to ‘The Centre’) or cash on the day of the course. For group training, payment must be received prior to the training date. 

    If circumstances do not allow you to arrange payment before the training or on the training day, delegates must bring with them a letter signed by a senior/finance manager stating the arrangements for payment.

    Please note: we cannot accept American Express card payments. We do not have card facilities for payment at our training suite, card payments must be made by phone. 

  • I am an international delegate. How do I book onto a training course?

    If you are an international client who would like to travel the UK to attend one of our open courses held at our training suite in Central London, you can view a full list of upcoming events here. Bookings can be placed online and you will be invoiced for your training once your booking has been placed. For those clients travelling to the UK to attend a training course please note:

    • your booking will not be finalised until payment is received, which must be at least 7 days in advance of the training date
    • we are unable to issue documents for visa purposes, and ask that you secure permission to travel to the UK prior to booking

    If you are interested in the Centre travelling to your offices to carry out in-house training internationally then contact our Training Coordinators for a quote on 0207 490 3030 or grouptraining@the-centre.co.uk. 

  • What is your cancellation and transfer policy?

    For individual bookings:

    All cancellations and transfers should be made in writing via email to training@the-centre.co.uk, rather than a phone call.

    Transferring to a different date or course

    - If you transfer more than one week but less than three weeks before the start date, a transfer charge of £50 plus VAT will be payable for each booking transfer.
    - If you transfer less than one week before the course start date, the full course fee will be due.

    You may only transfer once per booking. Please note that we are unable to transfer your booking until we have received the transfer fee. We also require the course fee before the original course date. If you cancel after transferring, the appropriate fee is due.

    Cancelling your course

    - For cancellations four weeks or more before your training date, we will refund the full fee.
    - For cancellations more than seven days, but less than four weeks before your training date, we will refund half the fee.
    - For cancellations less than seven days before your training date, the full fee will be due.

    We charge a cancellation fee because our training courses are often full, meaning interested persons have to be asked to book at a later date. With late cancellations these empty places cannot then be filled. See our terms and conditions for full details.

    For group bookings:

    All cancellations should be made in writing, by the person who has booked the course, to training@the-centre.co.uk. 

    Postponing a course

    - If you give us more than two weeks’ notice, we will try to negotiate an alternative date within three months of the original one, with a postponement fee of £100 + VAT. If we cannot find a new date, we will charge half the course fee.
    - If you give us less than two weeks’ notice, we will charge you half the course fee.
    - If you give us less than one week’s notice, we will charge you the full fee, unless agreed otherwise with the trainer.

    We allow only one postponement per course.

    Cancelling a course

    - If you give us more than one month’s notice, we will not charge you, and we will refund any fees you have already paid. The only exceptions are non-refundable expenses, including preparation for bespoke training which will have already been completed.
    - If you give us less than one month’s notice, we will charge you half the course fee.
    - If you give us less than one week’s notice, we will charge you the full fee, unless agreed otherwise with the trainer.

    Please note that non-payment and/or non-attendance do not constitute a cancellation.

  • What happens if a course is cancelled by the Centre?

    We reserve the right to cancel any course at any time; we are not liable for this but will seek to provide you with the next, most suitable date. If this is not possible then we will issue a credit note or a full refund. Happily this is something that rarely occurs.

  • What is the dress code for the training?

    We do not have a dress code for our open training sessions held in London but most delegates wear smart/casual clothing that they are comfortable in.

  • What do I need to bring to the course?

    Please bring along a copy of your pre-course questionnaire (or email this is advance to info@the-centre.co.uk) and any other pre-course work or materials requested in your delegate information pack.

    You will be provided with a note-pad, pen, certificate of attendance and a copy of the course materials for every course you attend at the Centre. Lunch and refreshments are also provided on open courses. 

  • I haven’t received my booking confirmation / details for the course / invoice, what do I do?

    Booking confirmations are sent via email within two working days of you placing the booking.

    Details of the course, including lunch menus and course timings, will be send directly to delegates via email two weeks before the course.

    Invoices will be sent to the booker via email within four working days of you placing the booking.

    If you have not received any of the above materials please contact us on 020 7490 3030 or training@the-centre.co.uk. 

  • How many people can I book onto a training course?

    Up to three delegates from one organisation can be booked onto the same open training course. We cap this at three delegates to ensure that everyone attending the course gets the chance to learn from other delegates from other companies and in different industries.

    If you have four or more delegates who would like to attend the same training course then we’d recommend our group training sessions. This is usually the most cost-effective and convenient option, with the course being delivered at your venue and at a time to suit your delegates. Contact us for more information. 

  • Do you have any discounts on courses?

    We offer a range of discounts on our courses including 20% off selected last-minute bookings. You can also save up to 30% on all of our courses when you buy training vouchers. View all current special offers.

    We can also offer discounts for multiple bookings and learning partnerships. Contact our team for a quote. 

  • How do I know if this is the right training course for me?

    Full details of the content covered on our training courses can be found on our course outlines.

    If you are not sure which course is the right one for you then get in touch on 0207 490 3030 or info@the-centre.co.uk. One of our team members or expert trainers will be able to offer advice on the most suitable training course depending on your learning needs and experience. 

  • What if I have a question after the training?

    We want all of our delegates to get the most out of our workshops but we do understand that sometimes a new challenge will arise months after the course.

    That’s why we created the call back service - it’s free and it gives you the chance to get some advice or further information from your trainer. Not everyone uses the service but it’s useful to know it’s there if you need the support.

    All you have to do is call the Centre on 0207 490 3030 or email info@the-centre.co.uk and let us know:

    - which course you attended
    - who your trainer was
    - a brief summary of your call-back request

    We can then get in touch with your trainer who will then talk through your issue over the phone or via email.

  • Can you recommend any local hotels or restaurants?

    If you are looking for somewhere to stay when visiting the Centre, the three closest hotels are Travelodge City Road, Thistle Barbican or Express by Holiday Inn Old Street.

    There are plenty of restaurants around Old Street. Our personal favourites are Jane Roe’s for pizzas, salads and burgers, Pham Sushi for fresh Japanese food and Fish Central for great value and superb quality. If you’re looking for something a little different just ask reception for more ideas.

  • Do you have space to pray?

    We are more than happy to provide you with a quiet place to pray if you wish to do this during your time at the Centre. Please contact us on 020 7490 3030 before the course and will be able to arrange this for you.

    You may have other religious requirements - do let us know if there is anything we can do to accommodate your needs.

  • Do you have WiFi?

    Yes, we provide free WiFi. Our facilities also include:

    - air conditioning
    - hearing loops
    - disabled access and disabled toilet
    - comfortable reception/breakout area
    - five minutes from Old Street station
    - magazines and daily newspapers
    - reference books
    - phone chargers
    - plug sockets
    - self-contained, unisex toilets

  • Does your training suite have disabled access?

    The Centre’s training suite is equipped for delegates with a range of access requirements. The building does not have steps, there is a lift, and we have a wheelchair ramp in order to enter the Centre's premises. We have an accessible toilet and our training room doorways have been widened to allow wheelchair access.

    If you need assistance from the tube or you would like to someone to meet you at the building front door, just give us a call on 020 7490 3030 and we will be happy to arrange this for you.

    We can also arrange parking for disabled delegates, however we require at least a week's notice in order to arrange this. Please call us on 020 7490 3030 to request a parking space.

  • Can I bring my guide dog to the Centre’s training suite?

    Guide dogs are welcome and we will do everything we can to help in this respect. We even have a dog bowl so they don't get thirsty!

    If you are planning to bring your guide dog, please inform reception on 020 7490 3030 in advance of your training. 

  • Can the course materials be supplied in a larger font?

    Yes. For people with visual impairments we are happy to send the course materials through to you in advance and we can supply these in larger font sizes, just let us know the size required. You are welcome to bring your own laptop to record your notes electronically if this makes things easier for you.

    If you would like to receive materials in advance, have them printed in a larger font or are planning to bring your guide dog to the Centre, please inform reception on 020 7490 3030 in advance of your training so this can be arranged.

  • Are there hearing loops at the Centre’s training suite?

    Yes - we have hearing loops fitted in the training rooms and you are welcome to bring interpreters with you on the training - we do not charge for the interpreters to attend.

    If you would like an interpreter to attend your course please let us know in advance and we’ll get them booked on (no charge). 

  • I have dyslexia – can I review the course materials before the course?

    We are happy to send through the course materials in advance if you wish to familiarise yourself with the content. We can also print your materials on pink paper if that helps.

    If you would like us to send these materials to you in advance or print your materials on pink paper then please let us know in advance of the course. 

  • Can the course be delivered outside the UK?

    Yes. The Centre has a growing number of international clients: there are those who choose to travel to the UK to attend the Centre's training courses held in London, and others who commission the Centre to travel to their offices around the world to carry out group training. We are always delighted to welcome visitors from overseas and are equally happy to travel to you, wherever you are based.

    If you would like a quote for training to be delivered at your international offices please call our team on 020 7490 3030 or email grouptraining@the-centre.co.uk. 

    For those clients travelling to the UK to attend a training course please note:

    - your booking will not be finalised until payment is received, which must be at least seven days in advance of the training date

    - we are unable to issue documents for visa purposes, and ask that you secure permission to travel to the UK prior to booking

  • How do I apply to your Charity of the Year scheme?

    If you are a registered charity with a turnover of under £3million then you can apply to be our Charity of the Year.

    If selected as our Charity of the Year you can expect to receive up to 24 days of free training throughout the course of the year (worth up to £7,000), to be delivered through our open courses at the Centre's venue in London, as well as website/online media links hosted by the Centre.

    To receive details of our selection criteria along with an application form please contact us by email or call 020 7490 3030.

    Find out more about our Charity of the year 2019 Richard House Children's Hospice

  • Is there somewhere safe to leave my bike?

    Yes. Bikes can be left in our office whilst you are on your course. Please bring your bike to reception with you, on the third floor (there is lift access), and we will store it in our office which is secure.

    Alternatively, there is bike parking along Old Street. 

  • Why is the group size set at 12?

    We cap our standard courses* at 12 delegates to ensure all of our delegates get the most from the course. This small group size enables all of the delegates to get involved in the course – whether that’s asking questions or sharing any particular issues they are having – whilst allowing them to learn from other delegates in the group.

    *14 for Taking and writing effective minutes and 8 for our presentation skills courses. 

  • I’m not very confident, will I be asked to do role play?

    Most of our training courses do not contain role play where you have to act out a scene in front of a group. However, there may be activities on the course that require you to work with a partner or group and talk through a problem or situation.

    Delegates would not be asked to do anything they felt uncomfortable doing and at any point you can tell your trainer if you’d rather not take part in an activity.

    If you want to find out if role play will be used on your course please email us at info@the-centre.co.uk.

  • I see the course mentions filming, do I have to do that?

    Filming on courses is used to help identify your strengths and areas for improvement. It is used as a tool to help you develop yourself and grow your confidence. However, if you would prefer not to be filmed that is not a problem. Please just inform your trainer at the start of the training course.

  • Are your trainers qualified?

    All of our trainers have at least five years ‘hands-on’ experience in their industry so delegates can be confident that trainers will have tried and tested tools to help improve their performance

    All of our trainers are specialists in their area and can draw upon their own experiences to enhance and enrich the training, making it relevant and interesting.