A new training course launched by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) aims to make women’s voices heard in the fleet industry.

Launched today, on International Women’s Day, the new course is called “Accelerate – Women’s Voice in Fleet” and will give delegates the tools to speak confidently and clearly in public, whether in a meeting, one to one, at a conference or taking part in a webinar.

AFP Board Member Lorna McAtear said: “We have many talented and otherwise confident women within the AFP and the fleet sector in general who, we have found, are not keen on public speaking. This came to light last year when we were planning our 2022 conference and invited several women to speak but found that many were reluctant to do so.

“Women’s voices are under-represented at fleet events in general and we want to help encourage women to share their knowledge, experience and ideas publicly because we believe strongly that the industry would all benefit from hearing and learning from them.

“We’d like to help change this situation and the course aims to provide women in fleet with the tools to step forward and be confident about expressing their views whether in a team meeting, board meeting or more publicly.  If possible, we’d like some of the people who take part to become participants in panels for our AFP Conference, which is taking place in May.”

The course lasts two days and is being held on 19-20th April at The British Motor Museum, Gaydon. Modules cover subjects including confidence, courage, clarity and content.

Lorna said: “We appreciate that stepping outside of your comfort zone requires bravery and the course is designed to create a supportive environment. We want all women fleet professionals to be able to make their voice and views heard, sharing with them a toolkit that makes public speaking a skill that can be learnt, honed and repeated.”

Course details can be found at https://www.theafp.co.uk/product/accelerate-womens-voices-in-fleet-19th-20th-april-2023/.