Donna Hanson – CEO and Founder of Prime Solutions Training & Consulting Pty Ltd
Donna’s Story
A former personal assistant to the managing director of a national plumbing supply company, Donna was asked to join a computer hardware company as their training manager. With no formal training qualifications, just real workplace experience, Donna could relate to the challenges students attending training were experiencing in the real world!
To formalize her knowledge, Donna completed a short course to become an accredited workplace trainer. With no sales experience, in order to build a client base, Donna simply “smiled and dialed,” direct mailed potential clients and followed up with phone calls to discuss training options. Her greatest achievements during this time were negotiating a joint venture with an industry association to provide customized training for industry members at their premises and a two year 4-days a week contract to deliver Microsoft Office training to a large local government.
After two years, the hardware company was liquidated due to a “bust” in the computer hardware space. Combined with her marriage breaking down and having a two year old son, Donna decided it was time to step out on her own and she established Prime Solutions Training & Consulting.
Initially Donna provided training to clients from the computer hardware business days and began to work as a contract computer trainer for national computer training providers. During this time she worked with many national and international clients including working with global consultancy Accenture as they rebranded from Andersen Consulting.
Whilst working with clients and during her time as a contract trainer, Donna observed that clients were offered training based on generic skill levels; Introduction, Intermediate or Advanced and with generalized topics that in many instances provided no framework to connect what students learnt in sessions to their workplace. Although she loved helping people learn new skills, she saw a need to make learning more workplace relevant both for the benefit of her students and to achieve a better return on investment in training for clients.
Donna started speaking at conferences and events about productivity with technology and Microsoft Office “how to” tips. This new approach that focused on real world examples and simple ideas and insights resonated with audiences. It generated new opportunities to work with organizations and their teams to target needs and develop training solutions to address those needs and connect tools and skills with the real world.
It wasn’t long before Donna was driven to take the next step to further formalize her adult education and training knowledge by completing her Bachelor of Training & Development.
Today Donna works with organizations and teams to deliver learning experiences that are productivity focused and directly related to the workplace.
She specializes in webinars, online training, online courses, group coaching programs, consulting and a few one on one coaching clients.
Donna is married with two adult boys. She loves to read, spend time with her family (including caring for an elderly father) and to travel.
Find out more about Donna visit www.donnahanson.com.au or to find out more about her online courses go to www.donnahanson.com.au/courses
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