Specialist German Language Services (SGLS) was the original incarnation of the company now known as Optima Training (UK) Limited. When Jo Small established the company in February 2000, the intention was to provide exciting, responsive and tailored language tuition in her favourite language.
Her approach was so well received that she quickly found herself in demand. The range of languages covered extended beyond German, as did the services delivered. It was no longer just a language tuition company, and Jo was working in other education fields, such as on the Skills for Life programme or working with offenders in secure environments. The focus had also moved away from individual tuition to the provision of language training for business, so finding a name to convey the company’s evolution was not easy.
One thread ran through everything that SGLS stood for – a focus on specific objectives and delivering the highest level of value. Everything was carefully tailored to deliver the best possible outcomes for both the learners and the organisation; the optimum balance to deliver the highest value.
Optima is the plural of optimum. It seemed like the ideal name for a company that works hard to deliver the best training outcomes every time. It also offered something that would hopefully resonate with education providers but be just obscure enough not to alienate commercial clients. So in 2003 Optima Training (UK) Limited was born.
When I joined in 2005 it became a family business – if you haven’t worked it out yet, Jo is also my wife. The hardest thing for me was having the same boss both at home and in the workplace. So when she “suggested” that I start a blog, there was nowhere to hide.
And that is how I find myself here now – wondering what to call my new blog, which will show something of me and reflect the company (I am told). Optima Prime. It combines the company name with something of me – a love of Sci Fi and films that offer escapism. But something else; it speaks of a dark passenger, a hidden desire that one day… I will be the boss of me.
Thanks to VR-Eli for the Mech body. See the original image here.
