MODERN CAREERS
prime consideration. You will soon
realise that there are a wealth of
courses under umbrella subjects
but often with slightly different
content and objectives, so it’s
essential you choose the course
most pertinent to your job or your
aspirations.
Another good reason to discuss
additional learning with your
employer is that it will help you
tailor your learning to the roles you
are suited and aspire to. Plus nearly
all employers support employees
learning because:
• having a skilled workforce can
help boost productivity
• there are training schemes which
can be designed or tailored to suit
the needs of employers and their
employees
• your employer may receive help
with the costs
• your employer may pay for or
subsidise your learning costs
Some employers run ‘mentoring’
schemes to help you get on at work.
Find out from a senior member of
staff whether your employer runs
any training or mentoring schemes.
If they don’t, ask if they would
consider setting one up.
Classroom-based or Internet
based learning?
Once the most relevant course or
qualification has been identified,
your next move involves finding
the learning provider that offers
the most compatibility with your
existing commitments and learning
preferences. It may be that you are
unable to commit to the timetabled
lessons each week or perhaps you
are not best suited to classroombased learning. If that’s the case
then studying remotely from home
and receiving guidance and support
via the internet or even by phone or
a combination of support could be
the answer.
Does the training provider
have a good track record?
Horror stories of bogus courses
and qualifications have been all
too apparent in recent years, with
many disreputable firms looking to
cash in on the growing demand for
continual learning. It is important,
before signing up to any course or
mentorship to check that course is
either provided by a provider with
a good track record and delivered
by someone with the knowledge
and experience needed to help your
succeed with your learning.
Many education providers claim
to be approved by a range of
institutions or government but
sometimes this is untrue. In some
cases, even having accreditation
can be meaningless if the provider
isn’t able to deliver the training
required or at a level you or your
employer want. If you’ve opted
for Internet based learning then
you should look for appropriate
recommendations or accreditations
that you can confirm and talk to
past students or those giving
testimonials about what they found
so useful in the course.
Is the course recommended
by other students?
Really great courses, mentors and
learning providers have almost
unlimited testimonials to draw on.
Often the best way to get a feel for
a course and the benefits it is likely
to have is from these testimonials.
And don’t be afraid to contact
them to see what they have to say.
The course provider will usually
be happy to assist with this, and
current or former students, having
been in your position, will usually be
happy to discuss the pros and cons
of the course.
Lifetime of Learning
We live in an era of a lifetime of
learning. Long gone are the days
when we could finish studying,
enter a career put our learning
days behind us. With technology,
business methods and techniques
changing more rapidly than ever,
it’s never been more important to
continually undertake additional
learning just to stay up to date
in your career or your industry.
And if you fall behind it’s almost
impossible to catch up.
For more than 20 years Naomi
has been creating events for
organisations that have helped them
stand out from the crowd. Naomi has
also had leadership roles in large
scale events such as the Australian
Formula 1 Grand Prix, Melbourne Cup
& Royal Melbourne Show. In 2015
Naomi started Focus on Food which
is using technology to redefine the
way we think about events, creating
new opportunites for venues,
chefs and other hospitality & event
professionals.
March 2016
ModernBusiness
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