Academic programmes can be brilliant at providing students with the latest thinking in their area of study, but this alone often fails to prepare them for a highly competitive job market, or the reality of the workplace.

The Rally Methodology focuses on building genuine confidence through greater self-awareness and understanding of workplace realities, and by bringing a project mindset to bear on the challenges ahead.

The teaching methodology is highly interactive and consists of a series of discussions, exercises and fast-feedback loops. The approach is designed to show students how much they already know and then simply build on and frame this existing understanding.

Skills-based courses can be designed from scratch to fit the specific needs of a given academic institution or department, or tailored based on existing modules.

For example, the Creativity in Enterprise module at Brighton Business School is designed to develop a creative or growth mindset in students studying a range of business programmes (such as Strategy, Marketing or HR). In addition to this it was identified that students needed to build confidence in presentation skills and in working in teams, so these elements are built into the practical schedule for each session.

Within a module on Direct Experience Marketing, designed for Terbell Event Courses, a day of learning about the discipline is followed by a day where students ‘work’ for an agency, developing ideas and a pitch for a client brand. Creative teams are managed by students whom the cohort feel need more confidence in this area and these team-leaders are directly coached and managed by the workshop facilitator. Further pressure is added through additional tasks that need to be solved during the day, whilst real clients generally attend the pitch presentations to create a more realistic scenario and give highly relevant feedback.

Courses can also be used in an organisational setting, for example to build cohesion in a new team or help bring focus to a particular challenge.