Moving forward together

The Pathway Group hosted its largest staff event, bringing together more than 120 team members in Birmingham. Although the company has grown in certain parts of the country with national and even global ambitions, its head office remains in Tyseley, where it has been for 19 of its 22 years.

Since 2019, Pathway Group has grown, expanding its staff numbers across most regions of the country: Greater London area, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, East Midlands, Cambridge, and Peterborough, alongside its base in the West Midlands. The one-day conference saw ‘Team Pathway’ get involved in a range of lively and impactful development conversations to learn about all business areas and how they can provide the best experience for their customers, namely learners, employers and funding bodies.

Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity

Safaraz Ali, Founder & CEO, stated: “We live in a VUCA world; it’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. The funding landscape and changes in expectations from regulatory authorities demonstrate that. We never know what is around the corner, but we must take it all in our stride. Then, we can turn VUCA on its head and make it mean vision, understanding, clarity, and agility. I have a favourite quote which is my go-to for many matters: “A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking because her trust is not on the branch but on its wings.”

Safaraz added that we could learn a lot from this quote. First, whatever is happening around us, we need to have the confidence to take control and believe in ourselves. Yes, uncertainty is scary, but we should not let it stop us.

We are not a team because we work together; we are a team because we make each other more robust and better

Business thrives on certainty, so we need to be able to cope when things are uncertain. To overcome a VUCA world, we need to believe in our strengths and talent and the strengths and talents of our team members and peers. Then, go forth with an open mind. We should always be exploring new ideas, innovating, and assessing the positives that can come from significant changes often out of our control. Remember that change creates the opportunity to pave the way for new approaches.

Safaraz emphasised that we are not a team because we work together; we are a team because we make each other more robust and better, which is a crucial foundation and principle of Pathway Group team members.

In its, all staff meeting and annual team meeting aptly titled: Morning Forward Together, other Senior Leaders present; Martin Chandler, Head of Impact and Ahsan Husain, Head of Funding and Business Services, also echoed the message that the main threat we face in continued growth is complacency, they added that it is complacency which destroys momentum, and we need to challenge it all levels and the best way to do this is with clear and visible governance at the centre. The message agreed upon was that we all need the right level of challenge and support with accountability, ownership and responsibility at the core.

Recognising the achievements & contributions of #TeamPathway

As well as key messages, the all-staff meeting was a time for recognising the achievement and contributions of key team members in a combined nomination and selection process for the Team Pathway Awards.

The winning staff members were predominately about the impact and encouraged other staff members to follow suit. A huge congratulations to all the shortlisted finalists and the winners; it was agreed that they had done above and beyond, and they were appreciated for their dedication and support to the cause and purpose of Pathway Group of Changing Lives through Skills and Work.

Making a Difference Award	Recognising the outstanding achievements of our staff and celebrating how they are making a difference can include the social well-being of others and broader society, sharing best practices encouraging others to improve.	Connor Butler
Certified Smile Maker Award	Recognising the contribution that our staff has on others, taking time to help others, providing a service with a smile, making a real difference.	Moshin Moosa
Going the Extra Mile Award	This award celebrates the contribution of our staff, which has shown extraordinary commitment to our shared aims and has gone beyond the call of duty for people who use our services and/or our staff.	Janzeb Ali
Excellence in Leadership Award	Recognising staff that have demonstrated ‘doing the right thing, by improving the working lives of others, supporting change, or reducing environmental impact.	Wendy Daire
Commitment to Changing Lives Through Skills and Work Award	Recognising those that strive to fulfil our mission, day in, day out.	Emma Jolley
People’s Choice Award	Recognising the team’s favourite colleagues.	Moshin Moosa, Chris Jobson & Janzeb Ali
Shining Star Award	Celebrating those who have made an outstanding contribution in business.	Chris Jobson