Skip to main content

Online Learning

Learning that Makes a Difference

For over 45 years, Neil Thompson has been helping professionals tackle the challenges they face and fulfil their potential. His online learning resources bring together decades of experience as a practitioner, manager, educator and adviser with an approach that has consistently been praised for explaining complex ideas clearly without oversimplifying them.

Drawing on the 3Ps framework that underpins all his work – People, Problems, Potential – these resources address the real-world challenges facing professionals in social work, social care and the human services more broadly as well as managers and leaders across all sectors.

The Avenue Subscription Service

The Avenue Subscription Service offers access to over 60 online courses covering a wide spectrum of professional development needs. Each course includes a downloadable workbook containing exercises and space for notes, providing both a learning tool and a record suitable for professional registration or CPD purposes.

Courses span topics including stress management, effective leadership, quality supervision, conflict management, reflective practice, equality and diversity, time and workload management, employee wellness, safeguarding and many others. The collection includes video courses, audio courses and text-based learning, with several courses offering advanced follow-up modules for deeper development.

The subscription service provides unlimited access for organisations (up to 300 staff members, more by arrangement) or individual professionals, making comprehensive professional development accessible and affordable. Individual courses are also available for purchase separately.

Corporate

Access to all 60 courses for up to 300 staff for just £3,000 + VAT.

Individual

Personal subscriptions are available at £99 _ VAT which works out at less than £2 per course!

Structured learning systems

For those seeking more intensive professional development, the Academy offers sophisticated structured learning pathways designed as flexible systematic programmes of study.

Leading for Success

Developing Excellence in Teamwork

Effective teams achieve more than any individual could alone, yet developing and leading high-performing teams requires specific knowledge and skills. This learning system addresses team building, communication strategies, managing conflict, performance management and building cultures of trust.

The programme comprises over nine hours of video content alongside practical exercises, case studies and supplementary resources. Participants work through a structured pathway covering goal setting, building rapport, facilitating productive discussions, motivating team members and managing performance. Completion of the programme provides the option to pursue a Chartered Management Institute qualification at Level 5.

Learn MoreEnrol Now

System3V

Creating Value by Converting Vicious Circles into Virtuous Ones

Today’s workplaces present complex challenges that often manifest as vicious circles: stress leading to absence, disengagement affecting performance, turnover creating instability. System3V represents an innovative approach to leadership that goes beyond problem solving to converting these vicious circles into virtuous ones.

This 20-step learning system recognises that workplace problems, when addressed systematically, can become the foundation for positive transformation. The programme includes over ten hours of video materials, practical tools for implementing the concepts and extensive supplementary resources. Each section addresses a specific workplace challenge, demonstrating both how to resolve the difficulty and how to convert it into a source of organisational strength.

Developed specifically for managers, leaders and HR professionals, System3V offers a sophisticated framework for achieving optimal performance, productivity and engagement. Completion provides the option to pursue a Chartered Management Institute qualification at Level 7.

Learn MoreEnrol Now

The Social Work Finishing School

Designed specifically for those entering or re-engaging with social work practice, the Social Work Finishing School offers structured support through five comprehensive modules. This programme addresses the practical realities of professional practice through videos presented by Neil, accompanied by worksheets to facilitate reflection and learning.

The curriculum covers coping in a bureaucracy, professional identity and practice, using support effectively, maintaining continuous learning and strategies for surviving and thriving in a demanding profession. Participants can ask Neil five questions about their specific learning needs, providing personalised guidance alongside the structured content.

This programme serves final-year students preparing for practice, newly qualified workers navigating their first years and experienced practitioners seeking a refresher to re-energise their approach.

Learn MoreEnrol Now

How the learning resources work

Neil’s online courses and learning systems reflect his scholar-practitioner approach, blending theoretical understanding with practical application. His ability to make sophisticated concepts accessible has earned recognition across the professional education sector, with participants consistently noting the clarity and relevance of the content.

Each resource is designed to promote empowerment through understanding. Whether addressing immediate workplace challenges or supporting long-term professional development, the programmes provide frameworks for thinking alongside practical strategies for action. The structured learning pathways in the advanced systems offer systematic routes through complex material while the subscription service provides flexible access to focused learning on specific topics.

Who these resources serve

These learning resources have been developed primarily for professionals and students in social work, social care and the human services more broadly as well as  management, leadership and HR across all sectors. They address the challenges these practitioners face daily while supporting the development of the knowledge, skills and values that characterise effective professional practice.

The materials are equally valuable for individual professionals seeking to develop their practice and for organisations committed to supporting staff development and creating cultures where professionals can flourish.

Questions?

Invest in your future!