PCA PRESS RELEASE
Derbyshire and Leicestershire players put IT skills to the test.
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A group of current and former Derbyshire and Leicestershire players recently honed their professional skills as they attended an IT course organised by the Professional Cricketers’ Association.
Billy Godleman, Tony Palladino and Dustin Melton, all of Derbyshire, were joined by coach Mal Loye and the club’s Cricket and Commercial Operations Manager Dan Wheeldon, whilst Leicestershire were represented by playing staff in the form of youngster Ben Mike and former batsman Neil Dexter.
The group of seven headed to Roundhouse Thinking at Derby College to attend an ‘Introduction to Office Skills’, a focussed one-day workshop covering the basics of Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and Powerpoint.
The PCA had taken note of concerns raised by some players who have completed work placements that much of their anxiety is caused by not being able to make use of standard packages which are often used in an office environment.
This course was therefore organised by the Association to give members both the knowledge and confidence to use these packages up to the level required by most professional organisations.
Tony Palladino, who has 464 first-class wickets to his name over a 16-year career, said:
“I’ve had a fantastic day of learning. We packed in so much for a one-day course but the accompanying workbook we were given will help so much for future reference.
“My key takeaways were the PowerPoint and Excel sections which have given me a great base of knowledge to work from. Rachel, the instructor, was also really helpful and got all her points across in a simple and easily digestible way.”
At the other end of his career, Ben Mike, who last year signed his first professional contract with Leicestershire at the age of 19, said:
“I absolutely loved it. This is just what I needed to help get me started in becoming more organised. I would recommend it to any player who isn’t the best with computers and wants to organise their day to day life and affairs.”
The course was the latest to be organised by the PCA for its members as part of the Association’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme (PDWP). The PDWP aims to improve players’ performance by minimising potential distractions during their playing career, as well as to better prepare players for life after cricket.
Much of the work the PCA does in supporting its members through career transition was exhibited during the Association’s recent Futures Week, which included its two-day Futures Conference at St George’s Park, Burton upon Trent.
Find out more about the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme.
