Once again, reality television show, ‘The Apprentice’ is on our screens. For anyone who has spent the last few years living on another planet, the show’s premise is that entrepreneur Alan Sugar, the brains behind electronics firm, Amstrad, puts a number of hopefuls through various business tasks in competition with each other and eliminates the contenders one by one. The final person is given a job as Sugar’s apprentice and a six figure salary.

Obviously this is first and foremost an entertainment show. It is not difficult to imagine the producers sitting in a bar in Soho congratulating themselves on their finely mixed selection of contestants. First they make sure they have covered various ethnic groups. Then they need to make sure all sexual orientations are represented.

Perhaps most importantly they need to pick one or two contestants who have a high opinion of themselves together with a complete lack of common sense and business know-how who will not only fail but amuse the audience at the same time.

Can any serious business lessons be learned from The Apprentice? The most frequent that comes to mind is that people should not overlook soft skills training. Many of the contestants fail because they can’t work with their colleagues or communicate properly with them.

Much is written and said about risk assessment and how vital it is that this subject should form a basic part of all management training courses. It is worth going back to basics and considering what is actually meant by risk.

In this context, risk is any factor that can make the difference between the success or failure of any particular project. The key is how to assess a given risk and vitally, how to manage that risk.

To put it another way, risk is any event or situation which could occur in the future and would have a negative impact on a project. It could even make the completion of a project impossible.

By defining the various areas from which risk may arise, it is possible to have a far greater understanding of the project and to eliminate or at least manage said risks.

Some of the most common areas of risk include:

Not having a clear idea of what is required from a project
Insufficient technical knowledge
Problems with the supply chain
Processes which have not been properly defined
Communication problems
Not understanding legal implications which may arise
Unrealistic time scales

It is vital, therefore, to have a detailed business plan and timeline in place before commencing with the project.

If you are a fan of Hollywood films and American cop shows, you could be forgiven for thinking that the only training that new members of the New York Police Department receive is a pep talk from their Sergeant and some anecdotes from the old timers. It doesn’t help matters that those more seasoned officers all seem to have various personal issues and, more often than not, a predilection for alcoholic beverages.

However, things are far more sophisticated than that in real life. The Criminal Investigation Course is an exemplary example of case management training and investigation techniques.

Sessions include teaching detectives about how DNA can be used to track down a suspect. There are also updates on the latest technology and how it can be used in surveillance operations. In addition, other departments share the resources they have available to them. For example, the city correction department recently demonstrated how they can supply information on gang members and how to make shortcuts when arranging prisoner interviews.

Almost two thousand of the NYPD’s investigators have been in the job less than two years, so ensuring they get the best possible training is more essential than ever. The more experienced officers are also being put through the course to ensure they have kept their knowledge up to date.

A recent Dispatches programme on Channel 4 told how there is rampant ageism in the business world. The evidence displayed showed there is often an obsession with youth culture and Age Concern say unemployment is rising faster for over 50s than for any other part of the work force.

Certainly anyone working in HR would acknowledge that however it is dressed up; there is a preference for younger workers.

This seems ironic as research clearly shows that older workers are at an advantage in complex businesses. There is a clear correlation between age and successful job performance. The companies who make full use of older workers ensure a far better retention of their organisational knowledge, higher productivity and, perhaps most importantly, greater loyalty.

However, companies should not assume that the older workers will be grateful to still have a job. These individuals are still looking for the opportunity for personal development and enjoy learning new knowledge and skills.

Like anyone else, older workers like to be valued and one way of encouraging feelings of self-worth whilst also obtaining benefits for the business as a whole is to encourage them to mentor their younger colleagues.

The experience and commitment of older workers should not be ignored.

If you want a successful business, you need to not only value your employees, but show them you value them. Two of the things you can offer employees which will benefit not only them, but also your company are career development and training. These things are really no brainers. They are what our American cousins would refer to as win-win.

Time and time again research has shown these are the most important factors which influence an employee’s commitment and engagement. The fact is everybody realises the ultimate responsibility for managing their careers and personal development is their own. In very blunt terms, if employees do not expand their abilities and knowledge base, they will be found wanting either by their current employer or by the job market as a whole.

Career development is also essential for organisations. One of the most pressing areas for all businesses is succession planning. In many companies, the leaders will be looking at retirement in 5 to 10 years time. These businesses need to ensure they have identified employees to take over when the time comes. These people will need to be properly trained for their future roles. This will also help with their retention.

Virtually every business has a website, but many companies have not moved to the next stage and ensured they use the full power of the internet to effectively market their business.

Cloud marketing is an increasingly popular idea. Essentially it means that all marketing material such as product information, special promotions and publicity materials can all be stored online and made available to salesmen and other sales channels anywhere in the world. You can also include sales training materials. This can be a very cost effective way of printing publicity materials, as only what is required can be printed off, and you are not left with boxes of unused materials when there are changes to the offering.

This should also be taken as an opportunity to ensure all marketing materials are the best available. Make sure you use everything you have. For example, even if certain things don’t fit into the current materials make sure they are included on the website; you can never have too many quotes from happy customers.

Email campaigns are a very cost effective way of staying in touch with leads and existing customers. A well produced newsletter rather than a generic pitch always works best. This gives you the opportunity to personalise the business by including some personal details about your staff.