WYCA Action Learning FAQ
This is an FAQ for the West Yorkshire Years of Culture action learning programme.
Find out more about the programme below:
- What is action learning
- What’s the story with this programme? What will happen, and when?
- What will I get from being part of the programme?
- Who can take part? And is it free?
- What about confidentiality? I’m worried about being in a set with someone I work with…
- Applying is easy
- Interested, but want to know more? Watch our introduction to action learning video
- What happens then?
- What happens at the end of the programme?
- What do I need to do now?
Or read our announcement about the programme.
1. What is action learning?
Imagine having a team (or ‘set’) of brilliant, inspiring coaches – working with you to help you grapple with the big questions you have or the big decisions you need to make – and you’re in the right ball park.
Sounds great, right? That’s what you’ll get if you join one of these new virtual action learning ‘sets’ – that, and the chance to develop your own coaching and facilitation skills.
Action learning involves working on real problems, focusing on learning and actually implementing solutions. When you join a set, it’s incredible how quickly bonds of trust and relationships develop. We’ve run sets for hundreds of individuals up and down the country – from creative producers to local authority officers, evaluation specialists to finance managers, and planners to marketers.
Over and over again, we’ve seen the action learning process unlock really powerful reflection, decision making and action – true ‘lightbulb moments’ – and seen set members massively increase their confidence and resilience. And it works brilliantly online, using Zoom to forge new connections and nurture impactful networks.
Action learning is a form of group coaching, so it’s not about giving answers, but about helping people to find them themselves, through careful listening, asking open questions and providing thoughtful feedback. Reg Revans – the man who invented the concept of action learning – has a great description of it that might resonate with you:
Action learning is based on the idea that people have an unlimited capacity to learn from experience but a limited capacity to learn from being taught.
— Reg Revans
2. What’s the story with this programme? What will happen, and when?
We’ll be running 4 action learning sets, each of which will have 6-8 members and meet online for 1.5 hours each month, between May 2025 – February 2026.
To fit around different people’s schedule, we’ll run these sessions at different times of the day.
Here are the dates and times that each set will meet:
*SET 1 (all 10-11.30am)* 13 May: 17 June; 15 July; 23 September; 14 October; 18 November; 16 December; 20 January; 17 February
*SET 2 (all 1-2.30pm)* 14 May; 18 June; 16 July; 24 September; 15 October; 19 November; 17 December; 21 January; 18 February
*SET 3 (all 12-1.30pm)* 12 May; 16 June; 21 July; 22 September; 13 October; 17 November; 15 December; 19 January; 16 February
*SET 4 (all 10-11.30am)* 15 May; 19 June; 24 July; 25 September; 16 October; 20 November; 18 December; 22 January; 19 February
Each set will be facilitated by an experienced action learning facilitator, who will guide each set and help you develop your action learning skills and confidence.
Julia Payne, who has 15+ years of experience of running action learning programmes across the country, will facilitate Sets 1 and 2.
James Gough, who will facilitate Sets 3 and 4, has 20+ years of experience with Action Learning, both as a participant and facilitator, including establishing an innovative Action Learning pilot programme for international fashion marketing students at Winchester School of Art.
In addition, we will run 3 sessions that have more of a training focus, that members of all 4 sets will attend:
- Introduction to action learning: 8 May, 10-11am (precedes your 1st set meeting)
- Handling difficult action learning scenarios: 5 and 6 November, 10-11.30am (you only need to attend one)
- Establishing and managing your own sets: 14 January, 10-11.30am
3. What will I get from being part of the programme?
Loads. But if you want the long answer…
Over the course of the programme, you’ll get inside how action learning works, present about your own challenges, opportunities and dilemmas, help your fellow set members unlock their own new insights, and learn how to become an action learning facilitator yourself.
Mostly after action learning, I feel an enormous sense of joy and gratitude… and massive relief, that you’ve unburdened something you didn’t even know you were carrying, that you’ve supported somebody through their own problem…I take so much from each session, because so much of what the group bring is food for thought. I’ve learnt so much doing it.
— Participant in a previous action learning programme
Through being part of a set you’ll gain…
- New insights around your Year of Culture delivery and legacy
- A new peer network – a go to bunch of peers you can trust to help you fathom stuff out
- New skills that will help you develop your team and/or career
- The knowledge, experience and confidence to set up your own action learning set
4. Who can take part? And is it free?
This programme is for ANYONE who’s been involved (or is still involved!) in delivering any of these Years of Culture in West Yorkshire. You might have been part of a council team charged with overseeing a Year of Culture programme, you may have worked hands on as part of the team charged with delivering it – as a producer, in marketing, evaluation or some other capacity – or you might have been involved as a freelancer.
Like lots of networks, action learning sets thrive on diversity, and we’re keen to welcome to the sets people who’ve played all sorts of roles in their Year of Culture. If you have any questions about whether this action learning opportunity might be for you, just get in touch at rob@rmresearch.uk.
Thanks to funding from WYCA, it’s free to be part of the programme, but to be in with a chance of joining a set, you must be able to commit to attending all of its sessions as well as the training events.
5. What about confidentiality? I’m worried about being in a set with someone I work with…
During the initial stages of our recruitment process, we give everyone provisionally allocated to a specific set the chance to tell us privately if they feel they have a conflict of interest with anyone else who has also provisionally been given a place in the set. If that is the case, we’ll work with you to find you an alternative set where you feel more comfortable.
By the way, it’s fine to be in a set with someone you know; a conflict of interest really only arrives if you feel that being in a set with a specific person would make you feel uncomfortable and/or unable to share things freely.
6. Applying is easy
If you’d like to be considered for a place in one of the sets, all you need to do is hit the button below to fill out our short expression of interest form by midnight on 20 April. It’ll take you 5-10 minutes at most.
Want to sign up for the full programme? Apply now
7. Interested, but want to know more? Watch our introduction to action learning video
You can watch the video below or on YouTube.
8. What happens then?
After applications close on 20 April, we’ll get back to you by close of play on Wednesday 23 April, to let you know if you’ve been allocated a space in one of the sets, and if so which one.
Your first group training session will be on 8 May 10am, ahead of the first meeting of your individual action learning set in w/c 12 May.
9. What happens at the end of the programme?
The way we’ve structured the programme means that along the way you will receive training that will equip all set members with the knowledge and skills to continue running their set themselves at the end of the programme, and/or to set up a set to support other peers if they want to.
We use this approach all the time, and have sets that we initially set up more than 5 years ago that are still going strong as ‘self-facilitating’ sets.
10. What do I need to do now?
Definitely want in?
Like the sound of this? Apply now