What we accomplished in 2021 and where we’re going next in the new year…
As January comes to an end and the team prepares to take us to new heights, we’ve elected to look back on our accomplishments over 2021.
The year saw us grow significantly, both as a team and also as a business. We saw success with new business endeavors, developing partnerships, and continuous learning internally and externally.
Here’s some of our highlights at iungo Solutions this year…
The Team is Growing
At the beginning of 2021, our small team consisted of five people. But, over the course of the year, we have grown so much. Now, we have a team of 15 creative and talented individuals across multiple areas.
That’s one MASSIVE jump.
Starting with only one less-structured department, we’ve developed core internal strands in Tech, Marketing, Human Resources, Training and Sales. It’s been a challenge, but we’re seeing huge benefit
and we’re still growing. As we move into 2022, we’re on the lookout for more talented people to join us and help expand all our team.
So, if you’re looking for a change of pace in 2022, then reach out!
More Training, More Learning
This year, we saw our training solutions continue to expand. Our successful Enterprising Engineers course with University of Wales Trinity St. David grew into many more training courses to help both engineers and those outside of engineering look at the wider picture.
The course has since expanded and been tailored to students’ levels – from level 2 to level 7. And we’re looking forward to delivering more within 2022.
We also hosted our first 3-day Intrapreneurship Skills Bootcamp at the brand new Bridgend College STEAM Academy. Participants came from a variety of backgrounds and specialties, including engineering, software development, marketing, estates and mental health advocacy..
It was great fun for everyone involved and we’re excited to deliver even more Intrapreneurship courses in the new year!
But the training doesn’t stop there!
As part of Microsoft’s Digital Skills Week, our own Co-Founder and CEO, Jessica Leigh Jones, joined in a panel with Microsoft for their Skills and Talent Webinar . Alongside fellow panelists, she discussed all things apprenticeships and training. She joined Microsoft’s push to help individuals develop the necessary digital skills to succeed. We hope it was informative for everyone that attended the talks and workshops that week. And if you missed it, it’s available on demand!
It was all week long of learning and developing ourselves. Which is what we like!
We Sprinted… Now We Glide
As members of the team we strive to keep learning as like our ethos says ‘Everyone is an Apprentice’
This year, our team has learnt so much. Members of the team have been placed on appropriate apprenticeships and are continuing to refine and develop their skills further.
Because we invest in continuous learning and development, we also provide time for the team to do so. Every three weeks members of the team are encouraged to focus on training – we call this our “glide” week.
Training is provided beyond their apprenticeships, too! The team has completed a number of different courses relating to their roles – from Marketing Psychology, Recruitment to different Java Script Masterclasses.
There is always room to grow. After a refreshing and very cold break, we’re ready to commit to further learning and development this year.
We’re going to learn more and continue to glide.
Acknowledged for our Commitments
This year was full of surprises and fantastic achievements! Among the personal achievements, iungo Solutions was also recognised for our policies toward learning & development, recruitment and innovation!
At the start of 2021, we were named among the Tech Nation Rising Stars 3.0 Wales. The UK Business Awards saw more recognition, with iungo achieving the Silver Award in Diversity and Inclusion.
We were also named the Best New Business at the Cardiff Life Awards in September 2021. A fantastic achievement for us!
The end of 2021 saw more success. We received the CIPD Wales Award for the Best Learning & Development / Organisational Development Imitative and were named the 2021 Culture Pioneer for Learning by HRZone.
We wanted to thank everyone that’s helped and supported us throughout this journey. To those who are still helping, thank you.
All of this wouldn’t be possible without all of your help and support.
A New Voice in the Mix
iungo Solutions acquired Fairly Unorthodox – Jessica Leigh Jones’ speaking service – this year. ‘Fairly Unorthodox’ means to challenge the status quo in the interests of fairness, equity, and inclusivity.
In doing so, we launched a new podcast: iungo presents… Fairly Unorthodox.
The podcast aims to discuss important topics surrounding career development, entrepreneurship, leadership and more!
To that end, we are steadily achieving our goals.
Our very first podcast features our co-founders, Jessica Leigh Jones and Tom de Vall discussing transferable skills. Followed by an amazing entrepreneurial story with Bethan Wright. Our final podcast of the year featured our own Bradley Tanner and Callie Murray. They talked all about identifying one’s transferable skills.
Follow us on Youtube and Spotify for future exciting podcast.
Our Fairly Unorthodox brand is due to expand even more within 2022, with new speakers being introduced to cover a range of topics. We look forward to more opportunities to discuss the things important to us.
Solutions, Solutions, Solutions
Our solutions business has expanded at a faster rate than even we could have anticipated.
We partnered up with Bot-Hive, an online robotics marketplace, to develop a modular suite of technology and people-based solutions for manufacturers in (or coming to) Wales.
We’ve helped companies with their organisational design from a range of different sectors.
Including industries from Engineering, Manufacturing to Human Resources.
We’ve also continued the development of our recruiting solutions for external companies. It’s an exciting time to be helping businesses expand within the UK and we look forward to working within new industries this year.
That’s an exciting new venture for us. Keep posted on our many new adventures and projects on LinkedIn.
Launching in 3… 2… 1!
This year we gave OPUS by iungo a makeover. The platform has got a new web-based interface and our team has worked wonders to ensure it looks good, feels good and does the job it needs to do.
But what is that job? .
The Careers Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) Platform that helps students to navigate careers and create personalised step-by-step career routes. With this platform students will be able to learn and see the new and exciting careers that were not taught about in schools.
The platform officially launched this year for pilot access!
A big thank you to Cardiff and Vale College and Bridgend College for signing up to the pilot and helping us tailor the platform to students’ and careers advisor’s needs.
For more information on OPUS, click here!
What’s next?
The fun doesn’t stop there! After looking back on 2021 and what a fantastic year it was for us, we’re ready to make 2022 even better!
Here’s some of what you can hope to see from iungo in the new year…
Our training solutions are growing. This month, we ran our first Level 7 Intrapreneurship course with the National Academy for Educational Leadership (NAEL) and it was a huge success. Next month, our Level 3 Entrepreneurship courses with Bridgend College get off the ground, and our Level 4 bootcamps will undoubtedly follow. And there’s plenty more where that came from. We’re now running courses from Level 2, through to Level 7 – so there’s something for everyone. If you’re interested in attending one of our courses, contact us at hello@iungo.solutions.
On top of that, our speaking service, Fairly Unorthodox, will be adding new speakers to its repertoire – which is an exciting step for the business. You’ll hear more about that in the coming month. We’ve also got more fantastic podcasts on the way – so keep your eyes peeled!
Partnerships are continuing to grow and strengthen this year, as we dive further into the world of Industry 4.0 with Bot-Hive. We’ve got some exciting projects on the way that are sure to make a splash!
And, of course, our team will continue to grow – and maybe you can join us.
