Unit 4.3.3 Opportunities for Training

Training is an important part of professional development, to ensure you are at the top of your industry and learning all the new technology and practices that come into your workplace almost every month.

There are many ways to train yourself and I shall let you in on a couple of ways of training yourself professionally I have encountered and others that I have not (but would like to).

ONLINE TUTORIALS: With the rise of websites such as Vimeo and YouTube, has given rise to the helpful knowledge of professionals and creative talents kind enough to share their knowhow through the web! Need to learn how to edit on Final Cut Pro? type it in on a site such as YouTube and watch the millions of tutorials that come up in your results.

Online Tutorials don't just have to be videos you can have written ones, like a guide on www.Ehow.com to teach yourself quickly if its just general information you need.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5028824_flip-videos-imovie.html

TRAINING COURSES: Back when I worked in construction I was to become part of the health and safety crew on site, for me to be qualified I had to be part of a health and safety and fire marshall course.
This was a course of six, one hour sessions which then at the end qualify you for whatever certificate you need (in this case Fire marshall and health and safety with harness). These are usually presentations run by a certified professional he will give examples show you movies and generally give advice and teach you on the subject.

The types of courses you can go on vary. For e.g. in the media industry courses on health and safety and fire are prevalent for on site safety on set.

NIGHT COURSES: There are night courses, which usually take place after typical work in the afternoons. Allowing people to work during the day and learn new skills in the evening. These are handy for people who have left school and cannot financially afford to go back into full time education or suffer the salary drop of doing an apprenticeship. These are often taken by people who wish to train for a change of career while still working and paying the rent! Very handy indeed.

EDUCATIONAL COURSES: This is what I am doing now, well an apprenticeship but I still go to college on fridays, education through a college or university is one of the best ways to develop your skills and gain the certificates and industry recognised degrees that will help kickstart your career. These take several months, or in cases of universities, years. These are the usual route for any potential student trying to make their skill set relevant for their future career, or at least give them the start for then taking the other courses or ways of furthering your skills!