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Course Dates for 2010 - book at 2009 Prices!
August 2009

Our course dates for next year have now been agreed and can be seen here.  We will be reviewing our prices for 2010 in the next few months.  These will be published on this website later in the autumn - they will take effect immediately for any bookings for 2010 course places.  Before and until the new prices are published you can book any 2010 course at the 2009 price!  So, if you want to book a course in early 2010 - perhaps to get your Level A and/or B qualification finished before the new BPS certification arrangements come in (see below) - you will have the advantage of buying at 2009 prices.  Book now, to avoid disappointment!

 

 

Important Information for Past SR&A Level A and B Delegates
July 2009

The British Psychological Society has indicated that it will be reshaping both the content and the organisation of its Level A and B certification arrangements in the course of 2010.  One of the implications of this is that delegates who already have Level A and/or Level B from previous courses will be able to transfer over to the new system for recognising their competency.  However, this will be automatic for delegates who are members of the Register of Competence in Psychological Testing - up to now a voluntary register.  For those who haven't joined RCPT, or who have allowed their membership to lapse, a process of application and 'grandparenting' will be necessary.  In the new system, delegates' competency profiles will be held upon the new register which will be a public database through which individuals can prove their competency to others.  The implication is clear: if you want to transfer to the new system, make sure you join (or rejoin!) RCPT before the new arrangements come into place.  See our recent Newsletter for more details of the new system and how to join it.   

 

Newsletter Archive Available

July 2009

We are pleased to announce that our web visitors can now gain immediate access to our past Newsletters (including the most recent July issue) by clicking on the Newsletter Archive link at the foot of our home page.  The Newsletters contain a variety of articles meant for a general readership, together with specific resources that our customers and others might find helpful - for example, norm tables and type distribution statistics for Quintax, sample reports, research studies, learning log resources etc.  If you see anything that interests you, please give us a call on +44 (0)161 877 3277 or email us for more information.

 

SR&A Level A Training Re-verified by BPS
June 2009

SR&A Level A Assessors Derek Wilkie and Stuart Robertson have recently been re-verified by the British Psychological Society so that they can sign-off affirmation of competence forms (to enable delegates to collect BPS Level A certification) for a further five years.  As a result the materials we use to assess delegates' competence for Level A have been refreshed with some minor changes.  These will be used in and from our public Level A course on the 15th September.  Delegates still to submit outstanding work will be assessed against the materials they received at the start of their training.  

 

Quintax Leadership Report Launched
March 2009

Quintax users will be pleased to learn that from Monday 30th March an additional report dealing with Leadership Styles will be available on the Quintax Online Website.  Running at 10 pages, the report explains the differences between Transformational, Transactional and Passive leadership and provides scores on these styles with a graphical description for the respondent.  These are broken down and defined further to yield additional scores with interpretations reflecting the degree to which the respondent is likely to manifest different components of the three main styles.  A concluding section provides an opportunity for reflection by the respondent, together with a series of tips on enhancing one's transformational and transactional styles when faced with the requirement to lead.  Click here for a copy of a sample report for a fictional respondent.

SR&A launch Career Motivation Indicator Website
January 2009

SR&A are delighted to announce the launch of a website to host our new measure - the Career Motivation Indicator.  Details of the new instrument are also available here on this website.  Registration and pricing information is given here.  CMi is intended to help people to clarify and think about their own career goals and choices.  Individuals can visit the new website so as to complete CMi and receive a detailed report.  Alternatively, if you are professional engaged in career development work you can set up an account to use it with your own clients.  We believe strongly that CMi will make a very valuable contribution to career planning for individuals and advisers.  Why not call us to discuss matters on +44 (0)161 877 3277 - we can give you further information about CMi (for example click here for a copy of our new CMi leaflet) and we can tell you what the options are for using the new tool.

SR&A to hold 2008 public training prices for 2009
January 2009

SR&A are once again pleased to spread New Year cheer by holding our public course prices for 2009 at their 2008 levels. This is the second year of price stability at SR&A, and together with our £400 discount on the booking of Level A and B places together provides fantastic value for money!  Click here for details of new course dates at our Manchester office.  Don't forget that we also have some very competitive pricing for in-company courses - click here for details!

 

Career Motivation Indicator Website to be unveiled in new year!
December 2008

Plans are in place for the unveiling of our CMi website early in the new year!  CMi measures 10 key career motives that help to determine the types of career choices that will satisfy us and provide us with meaning and fulfilment at work.  They include things like Work-Life Balance, Security, Power and Influence, Challenge, etc.  The questionnaire also enables scores to be generated on 4 underlying global career themes, such as Achievement Orientation vs Balance, and Self-Starting Opportunity vs Career Security.  The questionnaire can be used by any professional who engages with clients seeking career counselling or advice related to job or career fit, and it is also open to individuals seeking to gain career choice insights independently.  If you are engaged in career or life coaching, or even trying to consider career issues for yourself, the Career Motivation Indicator will help by providing answers and stimulating fresh thinking about career management and direction. Contact SR&A on 0161 877 3277 for more details.

SR&A to Present at 2009 DOP Conference Jan 14-16
December 2008

SR&A staff will be presenting a paper at the forthcoming British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychology Conference at Blackpool this year.  The paper 'Of Quintax Types and Traits' will be presented as part of Professor Dave Bartram's symposium on the contrast between trait and type descriptions of personality on the first day of the conference.  We will also be exhibiting, so both Rob Davies and Vicky Edwards will be attending along with Stuart Robertson and Derek Wilkie.  If you are going to the conference and would like to come and meet us  please feel free to drop by at our stand or during the symposium - we'd be glad to see you!

Innovative Development Centre Design by Rob Davies
December 2008

As is typical for our consulting team, we have recently been involved in a series of client assignments involving thedesign of assessment and development centres, together with the production of a wide range of exercises to suit client needs.  One of these exercises has involved Rob Davies in the design of an innovative new design format for development centre work, in which candidates are provided with opportunities to make substantial learning gains e.g. by being able to repeat exercise types (on which they've shown weak performance) with different specific content in order to enhance development of specific management skills.  We hope to extend this model with other clients in the future.  Call Rob Davies on 0161 877 3277 if you are interested in the possibility of using this approach with your management team.

Happy 10th Birthday to Quintax!
March 2008

We are pleased to announce that Quintax, the innovative SR&A trait and type personality questionnaire, has reached its 10th birthday with the advent of 2008.  First sold in paper form in 1998, we added an On-line site in 2003 - one of the earliest on the web!  Throughout this period we have remained committed to continuing research and development so as to ensure that Quintax provides a modern application rich method for assessing personality at work.  Based upon the 'Big 5' model, with rich holistic feedback materials available, Quintax is used today about equally in selection and development situations.  And in leaving behind older Jungian approaches to type, Quintax is able to provide a broader and fresher picture of the individual respondent which is fully evidence based.  With an ever-growing user base of practitioners, and a vigorous approach to the development of further applications of the product, Quintax looks set for many more years of successful use.  So it's 'Happy Birthday, Quintax' and 'Many happy returns' from us all at SR&A!

 

Initial data collection finishes on fire service selection project
March 2008

Earlier in the year we began work for a local Fire and Rescue Service on the preparation of a new screening tool to be used in selection.  The instrument, which focusses on the measurement of values and key personality attributes is currently in its pilot stages.  When completed it will be used on-line to help sift many thousands of applicants for positions with the fire service.  One of our consulting team has been supervising work on the project, which has involved close liaison with the authority throughout the early piloting.  Now with a major tranche of data ready for analysis we will be making final decisions around question selection for the tool which should be available for use and evaluation at the end of April.  This project gives a good illustration of our work in the area of bespoke measure development - call us on 0161 877 3277 if you are interested in this type of service, and watch this space for further news of how the project develops!

Rob Davies joins SR&A Ltd
January 2008

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Rob Davies as Principal Consultant at SR&A Ltd with effect from January 2nd. Rob is a distinguished Chartered Occupational Psychologist with substantial experience in business psychology gained in senior appointments at Henley Management College and Interactive Skills Ltd. In 2000 Rob led a management buy-out of Interactive Skills and as MD subsequently led the successful re-branding and market re-positioning of the company as Water for Fish Ltd. Following the sale of the company, Rob has decided to return to a primary interest in front-line consulting and business development by joining SR&A as a member of our core team. In this he will be primarily concerned with our portfolio of assessment and development centre work. One of his initial goals will be to help us deal with a newly acquired contract with the MOD, for the delivery of assessment centres for the selection of Senior Civil Servants.

 

Vicky Edwards joins SR&A Ltd as Assistant Psychologist
January 2008

We are also pleased to announce that Vicky Edwards has joined us an Assistant Psychologist with effect from January 2nd.  Vicky has recently completed her MSc training as a mature student at Liverpool John Moores University.  She will be engaged on a variety of projects for the company including newly acquired work with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.

 

SR&A to Exhibit at DOP Conference Jan 9-11
January 2008

SR&A will be exhibiting at the British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychology Conference at Stratford-upon-Avon this year between January 9th and 11th.  Both Rob Davies and Vicky Edwards will be attending along with Stuart Robertson and Derek Wilkie, so if you are going to the conference and would like to come and meet us  please feel free to drop by at our stand - we'd be glad to see you!

 

Public Course Prices held for 2008

December 2007

SR&A are pleased to spread the New Year cheer by holding our public course prices for 2008 at their 2007 levels, thus also reducing our contribution to annual price inflation!  Click here for details of new course dates at our Manchester office.  Don't forget that we also have some very competitive pricing for in-company courses - click here for details!

Job opportunity for Business Psychologist at SR&A Limited
October 2007

We are looking for a Senior Business Psychologist to join our core team  so as to make a contribution to a series of major assessment centre projects we are engaged in delivering.  Other work, involving business development and some psychometric training will also be involved.  A Chartered Psychologist (or near to Chartering) is required with a minimum of 5 years post MSc experience.  If interested, please email Stuart Robertson at this email address with details of CV, salary and salary expectations.  Click here for advert copy.

Payment via Credit Card or PayPal
June 2007

With effect from June 1st we have introduced a PayPal facility for payment of invoices by Credit Card (or PayPal account) for test materials (Quintax, Discovery and Portrait) and for individual training places.  We will of course be retaining other payment options by cheque, BACS etc.  Please call us for details on 0161 877 3277 if you are interested in the Credit Card or PayPal payment options.

Career Motivation Indicator - Version 2 Available!
May 2007

We are now piloting version 2 of our new Career Motivation Indicator with clients and others interested in participating in the development of this new measure.  CMI taps into the drivers that motivate us in our choices of jobs and general career goals.  We are offering all those interested in completing CMI a FREE Career Motivation Report.  If you would like to take part, or trial the measure with others then click here to email us with your details.  We will send you a copy of the questionnaire in Word format for you to complete and return.  We have had some excellent and very useful feedback which has helped inform the design of this version, so do feel free to let us know what you think of the measure and report if you decide to participate.

SR&A Mailing List Launched

April 2007

Along with a Newsletter we are also launching a related mailing list.  Enter your email address into the 'Join Our Mailing List!' panel on our home page and you will be automatically subscribed to our Newsletter.  Should you wish to, you will be able to unsubscribe permanently at any point, although we hope we'll have enough interesting things coming up to hold your attention - see below for more detail!

SR&A Launch Newsletter
April 2007

SR&A are launching an email Newsletter with effect from April 2007.  We are intending to have around 5 or 6 main items per Newsletter, and to issue it once every month or two depending on news and time availability.  Apart from items of news, downloads, and useful links, each Newsletter will contain some attractive offers for existing and potential customers.  We will not be bombarding our mailing list, but there will of course be a chance to unsubscribe easily and permanently from the list if you don't want to receive the Newsletter.  We hope you will find some benefits in taking the Newsletter and look forward to any feedback recipients can give via email or via telephone contact to Stuart Robertson 0161 877 3277.

BPS Independent Review of Quintax now published on THIS SITE!
February 2007

The British Psychological Society has now agreed a license arrangement to permit SR&A Limited to publish the BPS Independent Review of Quintax on THIS SITE! Check out the review from here or download it from our Documents and Forms Library.

All prices frozen to February end!
January 2007

SR&A are pleased to announce the freezing of our prices until the end of February 2007.  This is to mark the launch of our new and revised website on January 4th.  Launched initially in the early days of the Internet, it remains one of the most longstanding psychometric websites on the net.  So, if you want to get this year's services and products at last year's prices, ORDER NOW!

New research demonstrates lack of incremental validity for EI measurement.

October 2006

New research to be published by Rachel Herbert and Stephen Woods at the University of Nottingham has thrown light on the relative value of making predictions about a candidate's job performance from measures of personality and measures of emotional intelligence. In their study they used over 100 law firm administrators, supervisors, and specialist consultants and asked them to complete Quintax and a measure of 'Emotional Intelligence'. They found that Quintax predicted job performance ratings for the sample to a statistically significant degree, and when they looked to see if their overall measure of EI could add anything to this, they found that it could not. Their evidence suggests that for predictive purposes EI may simply be 'personality repackaged', or old wine in new bottles. If you have access to a good 'Big 5' personality measure like Quintax your prediction of candidates' job performance is unlikely to be improved by EI measurement. Further information about the study can be obtained from Dr Woods - email at

stephen.woods@nottingham.ac.uk .

FREE Quintax Workshop at 2007 DOP Conference
September 2006

SR&A will be presenting a one day FREE Quintax workshop at the DOP Conference in January 2007. This is aimed at people who have Level A or equivalent as a minimum, who want to gain some understanding of the Quintax model and approach, and some training that counts towards BPS Level B. It can also be attended by people already qualified at Level B who would like to convert to Quintax or gain a Level B+ certificate from the BPS. In the case of Level B qualified delegates, the day will be treated as a basis for becoming a Quintax Authorised User.

If you would like to discuss the workshop aims in terms of your needs, what it leads to in terms of Quintax User status, or how it contributes towards BPS certification, please call either Stuart Robertson or Derek Wilkie on 0161 877 3277.

See the link to the BPS below or click to go straight to the
Conference web page
.

SR&A at the 2007 DOP Conference
September 2006

SR&A will be exhibiting once again at the DOP Conference in 2007. The conference will be held in Bristol in January - details from the BPS at www.bps.org.uk - see us there!

SR&A Poster Presentation at the January 2006 DOP Conference
December 2005

SR&A have a poster presentation at the forthcoming BPS DOP Conference in Glasgow. 'Images of Competency: Self Report, Assessment Centre, 360 degree, and Personality Perspectives' (Wilkie, Robertson, & Allan 2005) describes some assessment centre work done with a group of civil servants relating together different types of evidence on competency. It also presents some exciting evidence on the criterion-related validity of Quintax, our own personality measure used in the study. Copies of the paper will be available on our stand (see below) and later as a download on this site.

 

SR&A at the 2006 DOP Exhibition
December 2005

SR&A will have a stand at the BPS Division of Occupational Psychology Conference in Glasgow in January 2006. If you are at the conference, why not pop in and see us. We'll be happy to discuss any aspect of our service and product range and ways in which these can support your work!

 

 

Quintax Personality Questionnaire gains British Psychological Society 'Quality Mark'
November 2005

We are proud to announce that Quintax, the innovative personality questionnaire from SR&A, has been registered as a psychological test with the BPS following a stringent review and audit against the technical criteria established by the European Standing Committee on Tests and Testing of the European Federation of Psychologists Associations (click here to see a Summary Evaluation of the test). As a consequence we have been issued with a Certificate of Registration (of Quintax) as a Psychological Test and we can now attach the BPS Psychological Testing Centre logo to paper and electronic versions of the test.

 

Click here for a full copy of the certificate text (granted on 3/11/2005).

 

New for 2006: BPS Level B Certificate holders gain immediate access to Quintax Personality Questionnaire
November 2005

With the increasing success of the BPS Intermediate Level B Certificate, and the experience we have had of the competence of its holders, we have decided to enable all non-SR&A trained Level B holders to become Authorised Quintax Users by means of purchasing a Registration Pack. The pack contains a Quintax Reference Set, a voucher for 150 Quintax On-line Units, and a FREE optional training day to convert to Quintax. It is optional because some Level B holders will be happy to read the Quintax manual and materials and develop their own understanding of the measure independently, while others may prefer to 'diarise' that process by coming to hear what we as authors have to say about the measure. {Click here} {link to T5b} for details.
Those who have Level B in another measure but would also like to qualify at Intermediate B+ using Quintax, will be required to attend the conversion day and complete the relevant BPS assessments for certification purposes. Level B+ is useful as an indication of broader competence than Level B, and as a stepping stone to the highest level of qualification in this range, namely Full Level B.

New for 2006: Revised arrangements for 'measure specific training' for access to Quintax Personality Questionnaire
November 2005

We now offer a new 2 day measure specific training course to qualify delegates in the use of the Quintax Personality Questionnaire.
Click here for details!

Click here for details of course dates and prices for these 2 new routes to Quintax qualification!

 

 


New Level A and B Course Designs for 2006: 7 days to Level A
and B!

November 2005

For 2006 we have redesigned our public courses based upon the approach we have successfully piloted in in-company training. From the new year we will be offering a 4 day course for Level A and a 3 day course for Level B. Both courses include distance learning elements to ensure that delegates complete the requirements for British Psychological Society certification at both Level B and B.

New Quintax Record Forms now available

Self-completion Quintax Record Forms can now be purchased at the same price as Profile Charts - see our Quintax page and price list for details! These allow the user to present the respondent's Quintax scores in a simple form, together with the resulting Quintax Type. They are excellent for use in workshop activities where the Profile Chart may carry more detail than is needed for workshop use. Combined with a Type Descriptor Leaflet, a Record Form can be given as take-away written feedback to the respondent. This combination represents a report option on the Quintax On-Line site.

Over 1500 delegates now qualified via SR&A training

SR&A continues as a leading provider of test training with over 1500 delegates now qualified. During our years of operation, we have run hundreds of Level A and B courses (both public and in-company) and steered large numbers of delegates successfully through training and the acquisition of BPS qualifications.

Quintax On-Line goes from strength to strength

The Quintax On-line option is proving increasingly popular with our clients, both for remote and face-to-face administration. In the latter case, the system removes the requirement for scoring from the administrator which both simplifies and speeds up the job of assessment dramatically.

New integrated Level A and B programme for In-company Clients

In the area of Level A and B training, we have now introduced an integrated course offer for in-company training. This allows delegates to complete Level A and B in a 7 day format, with the content of the two programmes integrated in a stimulating way. For example, the course enables delegates to become directly involved with personality assessment and feedback from the earliest part of the programme.

Quintax for Team Building

As part of our continuing development of support materials for Quintax, we are currently working on a guide to the use of Quintax with teams. The guide will contain plenty of useful information and exercises to help participants get the most out of a team building session based around Quintax.

New Review of Quintax

The BPS has now published an excellent review of Quintax in its updated Level B Review of Tests (Lindley et al, 2001). Reviewers were flattering about the design, construction and applications of the instrument, now just 3 years old. They also gave a strongly positive reaction to our Portrait Software module for the generation of Quintax reports. Users of this module (or any of the others in the Portrait series) gain free access to our other software for use with questionnaires such as 16PF5, HJ17, OPQ32, etc. - provided they are registered/qualified users of the other questionnaires. 'Phone our office for details, and/or a copy of the review.

Learning Style through Quintax

The Quintax product range has been enhanced recently by the addition of a Learning Styles Manual containing Learning Style Leaflets for all the Quintax Types. Each leaflet covers the implications of Type for all parts of the Learning Cycle: viz. the Act, Reflect, Conclude, and Plan steps. These have been warmly welcomed by our users interested in development applications.

Qualify at Level B+ and Full B via SR&A training

As with Intermediate B, SR&A have now been verified for the assessment of delegates wishing to take the Intermediate B+ Certificate using Quintax or 16PF5 as their 2nd instrument. The result is that our delegates can now complete Full B without need to attend other providers' courses.

Quintax Presented at 16PF Users' Group

Quintax received a warm welcome from members of the 16PF Users' Group at its 20th June Meeting in Mayfair. Stuart Robertson and Derek Wilkie presented the measure along with its applications and correlations with 16PF to an enthusiastic reception. This was a follow-up to an article written by Stuart and Derek for the User Group Newsletter (copy available from our office) about using the two measures together: 'Quintax and 16PF - Complementary Measures'.

New Look for Discovery Series

SR&A's Discovery Series of Assessment and Development Centre Exercises has recently had the benefit of a review and facelift. Our psychologists have been through all the exercises to ensure consistency of style and approach, and to give each exercise its own distinctive logo - see the Discovery page on this site in our Products Section.

Increasing Popularity of SR&A's 360 Approach

Increasing numbers of clients are following up the SR&A option for 360 reporting. We offer a completely tailored approach to the construction of questionnaires and the supporting work (if required) in setting up desired behaviour lists and competency frameworks. As all our reports are constructed on a bureau basis with respondents sending or emailing their questionnaires directly to us, we can guarantee confidentiality of treatment which is impossible for many other suppliers of packaged off-the-shelf solutions. Call our office for a sample report and/or questionnaire.

New Options for Quintax Feedback and Workshop Uses

We are currently piloting new devices for providing Quintax feedback either one-to-one or in workshops. These include a 'Quintax Feedback Guidelines' tool to provide prompts and areas to explore in one-to-one feedback, and a 'Quintax Record Form' for use in providing workshop members a form of feedback which does not require the user to employ or complete profile charts. The record form gives direct access to Type Designation from raw scores. Users should call the office if they are interested in trying these out.

 

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