.jpg)
TAG invests in continuous learning with its TAG Academy, a series of trainings given by its consultants and external experts to keep the TAG team up to date on industry developments. As of this year, consultant Stijn Koopmans is responsible for managing the TAG Academy training programme and organisation. Discover his approach in developing the programme and keeping it fresh and relevant.
Our TAG Academy includes different types of trainings. First, there are specific trainings on new tools or techniques that might be relevant to all our consultants regardless of their experience. These are given during our teambuilding TAG Days or Lunch & Learns, where external experts introduce new tools and platforms over lunch.
To kickstart their career at TAG, there is the Bootcamp for new consultants, a week-long training that introduces them to consultancy and prepares them for their first project. Afterwards, they take part in trainings of the Young Graduate program during their first and second year at TAG. Finally, the Reboot and newly developed Threeboot for second-year and third-year consultants will further hone their skills in sessions given by our partner Flanders Business School. After those three years, we want to give our consultants the freedom to develop their talents and interests by offering them a training budget to spend on external courses or even a mini-MBA at Flanders Business School.
Together with the Training Academy team, we continuously review and improve our training courses based on the feedback we receive and on what our consultants express they need. For the Bootcamp and Reboot, we review our training portfolio each summer. What skill gaps are there? Are there any new trainings being developed? We take these into account when drawing up our schedule. Finally, we organise dry runs of new trainings for an audience of experienced consultants so they can be finetuned by the time our Bootcamp and Reboot start. This is how we review and optimise every training at TAG.
To decide on the content of our general trainings, we select one focus point each year. Last year, our trainings were centred around developing an agile methodology: we organised a TAG DAY around agile leadership and followed a training for the certification as ‘product owner’. Next year, among other things, we’ll zoom in on AI and learn tools that are safe to use when dealing with delicate data and how to improve cybersecurity. For that, we contact external parties with experience in those fields and plan an introductory meeting where we share our expectations and see if there’s a match.
Because TAG invests so heavily in training, each starting consultant can be deployed quickly and offer added value to our clients from the get-go. Furthermore, the additional trainings we organise throughout the years allow us to stay on top of the latest developments in the field and stay true to our pragmatic mindset by critically evaluating the most fitting tool to solve your specific challenge.
How? By making each training as hands-on as possible, filled with examples from the field and interactive exercises. Both consultants working at clients, as well as those working on internal BOOST projects at TAG, are constantly trained on trends, techniques and tools, such as our own platform Nimbus. Every consultant, from junior to senior level, consistently delivers quality relevant to the industry because training forms an essential part of our work process at TAG.
Stijn Koopmans started working as a Business Analyst at TAG in August 2022 after graduating with an Engineering Science degree. Since the beginning of this year, he has been responsible for organizing and fine-tuning all training programmes within the TAG Academy.
Looking to start a career in consultancy? Or do you want to further your consultancy skills in a dynamic environment with plenty of opportunities for growth?
Take a look at our vacancies >>
