Technical competence rarely fails people in their first roles — the interpersonal demands of the workplace do. This programme develops those capabilities directly, in your own role.
Improving Interpersonal Skills is designed for new graduates and non-managerial staff who are developing the people skills needed when taking up a first job, changing roles, or making a career change. Rather than teaching these skills in the abstract, you apply them to a real piece of work you are accountable for — so that learning is grounded in the situations where interpersonal capability actually matters.
New graduates entering the workforce and taking up their first professional role.
Non-managerial staff developing the interpersonal capability their work increasingly demands.
People changing roles internally and needing to build new working relationships quickly.
Professionals making a career change into a new field, function or organisation.
The areas you develop through your work-based project.
AI guidance as you work through your work-readiness project and reflection.
Directed readings through WRIA’s online platform.
Pre-recorded videos and activities for learning and reflection.
Be in a role where you can undertake a real work-readiness project.
Have adequate English language proficiency.
A plan for your work-readiness project.
Monthly reflective reports on your progress in the work-readiness project.
A final reflective report bringing together your reflections and improvement in interpersonal skills.
Certificate of Completion — for those who complete the deliverables to the required standard.
Certificate of Participation — for those who take part but do not meet the standard.
A final reflective report on your development of interpersonal skills, grounded in the evidence of your work-readiness project.
Demonstrable improvement in day-to-day interpersonal effectiveness, observed in your actual role.
A reflective practice you will carry forward — the habit of learning from work as it happens.
Download the detailed outline of structure, the work-based project and measurement.
Improving Interpersonal Skills runs entirely online over about three months, built around real work in the participant’s own role. Talk to us about running it for your people — or undertaking it yourself.