Designing & Developing an Assessment Centre

The programmes within this Business Development pillar are not “off-the-shelf” courses. They are designed as a menu of development options that can be combined, adapted and shaped to reflect how your organisation actually creates value, wins work and sustains client relationships. What appears to be a requirement for “sales training” often points to something deeper – commercial confidence, consultative thinking, internal collaboration or the ability to articulate value with credibility.

These outlines are therefore best read as catalysts for discussion – prompts to help you reflect on how opportunity is identified, pursued and converted and what kind of development will genuinely shift commercial behaviour. In practice, the most effective solutions often draw on complementary elements from across our other pillars – Communication, Personal Development, Management and Leadership and Senior-Level Leadership and Talent Development. Every intervention we deliver is built in partnership with you, around your culture, your people and the outcomes you need to achieve.

By the end of this programme participants will be able to:

• Explain when and why assessment centres add value
• Align centre design to role requirements and organisational priorities
• Create valid and role-relevant assessment exercises
• Apply structured observation and scoring methods
• Reduce bias and support fair decision-making
• Use outcomes to inform selection and development

1. Introduction to Assessment Centres

• Purpose and benefits of structured assessment
• When assessment centres add most value

2. Designing the Assessment Framework

• Translating role requirements into assessment criteria
• Aligning design with organisational priorities

3. Creating Effective Assessment Exercises

• Simulations, interviews and behavioural activities
• Ensuring validity and reliability

4. Observation and Scoring

• Structured approaches to evidence gathering
• Applying consistent evaluation methods

5. Fairness and Bias Reduction

• Recognising common sources of bias
• Supporting inclusive and objective outcomes

6. Using Assessment Outcomes

• Interpreting data with confidence
• Informing selection and development decisions

There are no specific prerequisites for this course.

Attendees may also be subsequently interested in

• Effective Decision Making

HR and Learning & Development professionals, talent specialists and managers who want to:

• Improve the quality and consistency of selection decisions
• Design fair and role-relevant assessment processes
• Strengthen confidence in promotion and progression decisions
• Reduce bias and subjectivity in talent evaluation
• Build credible evidence to support hiring and development

Applicable across all sectors where accurate and fair talent decisions are critical.