Background
Mary Leishman is Principal of Mary
Leishman Training Consultancy, an Institute of Leadership and
Management Accredited Centre.
She began her career in retail personnel
management. She specialised in training and developed her
career between local government and the retail sector. She
first moved into independent consultancy with a major contract
to manage the Industrial Training Association's Youth Training
Programme in the West of Scotland.
Following a family career break, Mary
returned to work in local government training as a Senior
Training and Development Officer, initially with Strathclyde
Regional Council then moving to Inverclyde Council at local
government reorganisation. Mary then restarted her consultancy
business, gaining Investors in People advisory contracts with
Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. Mary also
continues to provide training services to a range of private and
voluntary sector clients. In addition, she has carried out
research projects and evaluations of public sector intervention
programmes.
Mary has considerable experience of
working with voluntary sector organisations, including Inclusion
Glasgow, One Plus, Partners for Inclusion, East Renfrewshire
Women’s Aid, Inverclyde Council on Disability, Inverclyde
Community Care Forum, Renfrewshire Carers Centre and
Renfrewshire Volunteer Centre.
She has experience as a visiting lecturer
at the University of Strathclyde Centre for Continuing Education
and at a number of FE colleges.
Relevant
Experience
Investors in People Adviser
Mary trained as an Investors in People
Adviser in 1998, since when she has successfully assisted over
25 companies and professional practices, as well as 25 voluntary
organisations in Ayrshire and in Renfrewshire to achieve the
Standard. She is currently advising a range of client
organisations, many of which are in the voluntary sector, which
have committed to and are at various stages of working towards
the Standard. A further six voluntary organisations are booked
to be assessed prior to the end of March 2005.
In 2001-02, Mary worked with SCVO on a
collaborative pilot project to promote the Big Picture and IiP
in Inverclyde with 10 voluntary organisations. All the
organisations achieved the IiP Standard.
She has also carried out a number of
projects, on behalf of Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire and SE
Renfrewshire, to market IIP to the voluntary, care, legal and
engineering sectors, assisting the LECs to achieve commitment
targets.
Mary ran (with 4-consulting) an
Achievers Group for IiP recognised companies in Renfrewshire.
Organisational and People Development
Mary identifies training needs and
manages and delivers management development and training
programmes and short courses for a wide range of public and
private sector organisations. Clients include Mitsui Babcock
Energy Limited, legal firms, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce,
Inclusion Glasgow, One Plus, West of Scotland Loan Fund, Glasgow
Opportunities, Holiday Inn Garden Court (Glasgow), Coats Viyella
plc, Scottish Further Education Unit and Scottish Training
Foundation.
Mary has extensive experience in respect
of Women into Management and Women Returners programmes.
Mary has provided social care vocational
guidance training for clients of One Plus (the organisation for
lone parents in the West of Scotland) in Ayrshire, involving
extensive contact with local childcare organisations.
Research Projects
For Lochaber Enterprise, evaluation of
the Lochaber Leadership Initiative, a project aimed at
increasing the take up of management education and training by
local SME businesses as Associate with 4-consulting).
Evaluation of the EQUAL Theme D
Development Partnership (as Associate with Hall Aitken).
Evaluation of West Dunbartonshire EQUAL
Project (as Associate with Hall Aitken).
Evaluation of Action Research Project on
the four Pilot Social Economy Zones (as Associate with Hall
Aitken).
Conducted an Impact Study of an after
school care project in Easterhouse, Glasgow.
Conducted a Childcare Provider Survey for
a local authority.
Other Activities
·
Director, Quarriers, one of the largest voluntary
organisations in Scotland to have achieved the IiP Standard,
with 1,600 members of staff.
·
Director, Renfrewshire Carers Centre
·
Management Committee Member, Bow Farm Home Support
