About This Course
The modern administrative professional operates at the heart of every organisation — coordinating schedules, managing information flows, supporting leadership, and ensuring that operations run without interruption. As the demands on organisations grow more complex, the expectations placed on secretaries and administrators have evolved dramatically. Today's office professional must combine technical proficiency with strong interpersonal skills, strategic thinking, and a service-excellence mindset.
TrainingComplex's Core Skills for Administrators and Secretaries Training is a focused, hands-on programme built around the real responsibilities that administrative professionals face every day. Whether you are managing a busy executive's calendar, preparing board-level correspondence, coordinating travel logistics, or handling confidential records, this course provides the tools and techniques to perform each function with confidence and precision.
Over five intensive days, participants explore ten carefully sequenced modules covering professional communication, office organisation, records and information management, meeting coordination, time management, customer service, minute-taking, business writing, digital office tools, and personal effectiveness. Each module blends practical exercises with real-world scenarios drawn from diverse organisational settings, ensuring that learning is immediately transferable to the workplace.
This programme is equally valuable for newly appointed secretaries seeking a strong professional foundation and for experienced administrators looking to refresh and formalise their skills. Graduates leave equipped to contribute at a higher level, earn the trust of senior leadership, and position themselves for career advancement within their organisations.
Who Should Attend
- Executive Secretaries and Personal Assistants supporting senior management
- Administrative Assistants and Office Administrators in public and private sector organisations
- Receptionists and Front-Office Professionals seeking to broaden their administrative competencies
- Office Managers stepping into expanded coordination and supervisory responsibilities
- Government Clerks and Registry Officers responsible for records and correspondence management
- NGO and donor-funded project administrative staff
- New entrants to administrative roles who require a structured professional foundation
Learning Objectives
- Communicate professionally in writing and verbally across a range of workplace contexts
- Organise and manage office systems, filing structures, and information flows efficiently
- Provide high-quality executive support including diary, travel, and meeting coordination
- Apply effective time-management and prioritisation techniques in a multi-task environment
- Produce accurate, well-structured business correspondence, reports, and minutes
- Handle confidential information and sensitive documents with discretion and integrity
- Deliver exceptional internal and external customer service at every interaction
- Leverage digital office tools and productivity applications to enhance administrative output
- Demonstrate professional etiquette and a polished personal presence in all workplace settings
- Apply personal effectiveness strategies to manage stress, workload, and career development
Course Modules
Module 1: The Modern Administrative Professional
- The evolving role of secretaries and administrators in contemporary organisations
- Core competencies and professional standards expected of today's office professional
- Understanding organisational structures and where administration fits
- Professional image, workplace etiquette, and the importance of first impressions
- Adapting to change: embracing new technologies and shifting organisational priorities
- Ethical responsibilities and professional accountability in the administrative role
Module 2: Professional Communication Skills
- Verbal communication: clarity, tone, and active listening in workplace interactions
- Telephone and video-call etiquette for internal and external stakeholders
- Non-verbal communication and its impact on professional credibility
- Handling difficult conversations and sensitive situations with diplomacy
- Written versus spoken communication: choosing the right channel for the message
- Giving and receiving feedback constructively within a professional setting
Module 3: Business Writing Essentials
- Principles of clear, concise, and correct business writing
- Drafting professional emails, memos, and internal circulars
- Structuring formal letters and official correspondence
- Proofreading and editing techniques to ensure error-free documents
- Tone and register: adapting writing style to audience, purpose, and organisational context
- Using templates and style guides to maintain consistency and corporate brand standards
Module 4: Records and Information Management
- Filing systems: paper-based and electronic classification and retrieval methods
- Document lifecycle management — creation, storage, retention, and disposal
- Confidentiality, data protection, and handling sensitive information
- Introduction to registry management and tracking document movements
- Compliance with relevant records management legislation, policies, and audit requirements
- Indexing and cross-referencing techniques to improve retrieval accuracy and efficiency
Module 5: Time Management and Prioritisation
- Identifying and eliminating time-wasters in the administrative environment
- Prioritisation frameworks: urgency-versus-importance matrix in practice
- Planning daily, weekly, and monthly workloads around organisational demands
- Managing interruptions, deadlines, and competing priorities without compromising quality
- Delegation principles: knowing when and how to hand tasks over appropriately
- Using productivity tools and scheduling techniques to build structured, sustainable work routines
Module 6: Executive and Diary Management
- Diary and calendar management: scheduling, conflicts, and reminders
- Travel coordination: itineraries, bookings, visas, and expense documentation
- Briefing executives: preparing background notes, agendas, and supporting materials
- Understanding the executive's priorities and acting with appropriate authority on their behalf
- Managing confidential information and exercising discretion in a senior support role
- Anticipating executive needs: proactive planning to prevent scheduling and logistical gaps
Module 7: Meeting Coordination and Minute-Taking
- Planning and organising effective meetings: venue, logistics, and agenda preparation
- Roles and responsibilities during meetings — chairperson, secretary, and participants
- Note-taking strategies and structuring accurate, actionable minutes
- Circulating minutes, tracking action points, and following up on decisions
- Managing virtual and hybrid meetings: platform etiquette, technical setup, and participation
- Escalating unresolved action points and maintaining a running decisions register
Module 8: Customer Service Excellence for Administrators
- Understanding internal and external customers and their service expectations
- Handling walk-in visitors, telephone callers, and email enquiries professionally
- Managing complaints and difficult interactions with composure and solutions focus
- Building lasting professional relationships through consistent service quality
- Setting and communicating realistic service standards and response timeframes
- Gathering and using feedback to continuously improve administrative service delivery
Module 9: Digital Office Tools and Productivity Applications
- Advanced use of Microsoft Word for formatting, templates, and mail merge
- Microsoft Outlook and Google Workspace for email, calendar, and task management
- Creating professional presentations using PowerPoint
- Introduction to digital filing, cloud storage, and document-sharing best practices
- Using spreadsheet tools such as Microsoft Excel for data organisation, tracking, and basic reporting
- Leveraging collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Slack for effective team communication and project coordination
Module 10: Personal Effectiveness and Career Development
- Self-awareness: identifying personal strengths and areas for growth as an administrator
- Stress management and resilience strategies for high-pressure office environments
- Setting professional development goals and building a career advancement plan
- Networking, continuous learning, and professional association memberships for administrators
- Time and energy management: sustaining high performance while maintaining work-life balance
- Building a professional portfolio and personal brand to support long-term career progression
Requirements & Prerequisites
Participants should have at least six months of experience in an administrative, secretarial, or office support role. A working knowledge of basic computer applications such as word processing and email is recommended. No formal academic qualifications beyond secondary school are required for enrolment.
Training Methodology
- Role-play exercises simulating executive support scenarios such as scheduling conflicts and difficult caller management
- Hands-on business writing workshops where participants draft, peer-review, and redraft real correspondence and reports
- Minute-taking practice sessions using recorded mock meetings followed by structured feedback
- Case studies drawn from public sector, NGO, and corporate administrative environments
- Group discussion and problem-solving activities focused on prioritisation and time-pressure scenarios
- Demonstration and guided practice with digital office productivity tools including calendar management and document formatting
- Personal effectiveness reflection exercises helping participants identify their working-style strengths and development areas
- Peer-learning pairs for editing and proofreading activities to reinforce attention to detail
- Short presentations by participants on assigned administrative topics to build professional confidence
- End-of-day review check-ins consolidating key takeaways and linking concepts to participants' own workplaces
Organisational Benefits
- Improved quality and consistency of internal and external business correspondence
- Reduced administrative errors and delays through stronger organisational systems
- Enhanced executive productivity as administrators handle coordination tasks more independently
- Better records management leading to improved compliance and audit readiness
- More professional representation of the organisation at reception and in client-facing interactions
- Increased staff confidence and morale among the administrative workforce
- Strengthened institutional memory through proper filing and documentation practices
- Higher retention of administrative talent through investment in professional development
Where Is Core Skills for Administrators and Secretaries Training Offered?
This course runs in-person across: Mombasa, Lagos, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Nakuru, Kigali, Accra, Riyadh, Naivasha, Dubai, Cape Town, Kampala, Kisumu, Arusha, Pretoria, Abuja, Zanzibar, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.
Upcoming Schedules
| Location | Format | Dates | Price |
|---|
| Mombasa, Kenya |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Lagos, Nigeria |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,500 |
| Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |
In-Person |
12 Oct 2026 – 16 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,300 |
| Johannesburg, South Africa |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,500 |
| Nakuru, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Kigali, Rwanda |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 1,900 |
| Accra, Ghana |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 4,500 |
| Naivasha, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 4,100 |
| Cape Town, South Africa |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Kampala, Uganda |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 1,900 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
24 Oct 2026 – 15 Nov 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Kisumu, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Arusha, Tanzania |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,100 |
+237 more dates — view live schedule →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need formal qualifications to attend this course?
No formal tertiary qualifications are required. The programme is open to anyone with secondary school education and at least some experience or interest in an administrative or secretarial role.
Will I receive a certificate at the end of the course?
Yes. All participants who attend and complete the full five-day programme will receive a TrainingComplex Certificate of Completion in Core Skills for Administrators and Secretaries.
Is this course suitable for experienced administrators, or is it only for beginners?
The course is designed for both. Newly appointed administrators will gain a strong professional foundation, while experienced secretaries and PAs will consolidate, refresh, and formalise the skills they have developed on the job.
What materials will be provided during the training?
Participants receive a comprehensive training workbook, templates for business correspondence and minutes, reference checklists, and access to digital resources shared during the programme.
Can organisations sponsor multiple staff members to attend together?
Absolutely. Organisations are encouraged to enrol teams together, and TrainingComplex also offers customised in-house delivery of this programme for groups of eight or more staff at a location of the organisation's choice.
