Develop Teaching Strategies for Home Schooling or the Classroom!

Develop Teaching Strategies for Home Schooling or the Classroom!

Because every learner is different, successful teaching strategies requires an understanding of both content and people. Teachers need to recognise how people learn, how to encourage and motivate, and how to adapt to a variety of classroom scenarios. 

Successful teaching also involves the ability to develop teaching-learning relationships via clear communication. If this process results in a student being able to communicate their needs successfully, then their ability to learn will be improved. And that’s a big tick!  

This course – Developing Your Teaching Skills – is ideal for those keen to increase their personal development and teaching strategies in the education space, including principals, teachers and teacher’s aids.

Learning Outcomes

Online teaching resources provide a wealth of knowledge, including developing your skills with a teaching course online. This includes:

  • Learning about interpersonal communication in education
  • Exploring the basic principles of communication
  • Studying both verbal and non-verbal communication
  • Understanding the factors affecting communication
  • Gaining an understanding of reactive patterns
  • Examining self-awareness and communication
  • Gaining insights into intentions
  • Learning about the optimum teacher/student ratios
  • Exploring the factors affecting communication in a classroom
  • Studying student diversity
  • Gaining an understanding of student expectations
  • Examining teachers’ needs and expectations
  • Gaining insights into society and culture in teaching 
  • Learning about communication and education approaches
  • Exploring teacher-centred and student-centred learning
  • Studying the verbal skills needed for classroom teaching
  • Gaining insights into questioning skills
  • Learning about the elements of lecturing how to lecture 
  • Developing your listening skills
  • Studying the stages of listening
  • Gaining an understanding of the key listening elements in a classroom
  • Understanding the obstacles to listening
  • Examining anxiety, bias, selective attention, negativity and lack of interest in terms of listening
  • Gaining insights into listening skills including active and empathetic listening
  • Learning about how children respond to received communications
  • Understanding motivation
  • Examining what motivation is 
  • Exploring the variables of motivation
  • Studying the theories of motivation, including Maslow’s theory
  • Examining primary and unlearned motivators
  • Learning about secondary or learned motivators
  • Gaining insights into motivation and anxiety or distress
  • Studying the motivational factors for success
  • Examining internal and external incentives
  • Learning about the relational nature of incentives
  • Studying how to enhance intrinsic motivators
  • Examining social reinforcers as incentives
  • Gaining insights into the influence of groups on individual motivation
  • Exploring the notion of social loafing
  • Learning how to apply motivation to education 
  • Exploring motivation, goals and expectations
  • Studying vicious and virtuous cycles
  • Gaining an understanding of practical applications for motivation
  • Discovering how to assess a person’s current situation
  • Gaining insights into dealing with emotions
  • Learning how to identify existing barriers to learning
  • Exploring how to establish goals and priorities
  • Studying how to locate and apply useful resources
  • Gaining an understanding of stress management
  • Examining the flight or fight response
  • Gaining insights into long term learning problems 
  • Learning about what happens when a person is stressed
  • Exploring a stress management program
  • Studying conflict management 
  • Understanding what conflict is 
  • Gaining insights into conflict handling techniques
  • Learning how to deal with anger in others
  • Exploring how to modify anger 
  • Examining how role-play can help with conflict management
  • Gaining insights into mediation and negotiation
  • Understanding what negotiation is
  • Gaining insights into establishment and community groups
  • Learning how to undertake a joint problem-solving approach
  • Exploring effective negotiating behaviour
  • Studying a mediator’s responsibilities
  • Examining facilitation and the attributes of a good facilitator
  • Gaining insights into the balance of power and power imbalance
  • Learning about group work and discussion
  • Exploring conflict training exercises

Key Characteristics of Effective Teachers 

According to a study done by the University of Melbourne in 2018, 11 teacher characteristics are directly associated with teacher, student and school outcomes. These can be used to formulate valuable teaching strategies, and they include: 

#1 – Cognitive Capability

Cognition in this study isn’t focused on ‘intelligence’, but on broader attributes associated with the teacher and their personality. These include:

  • Credibility. Teachers with credibility tend to adopt a clear, responsive and assertive communication style that involves interacting with students and other teachers in ways that support student learning. They also come across as social, composed and caring to students and colleagues. 

 

  • Creativity, insight and imagination. Teachers defined as creative work with existing knowledge in unique and innovative ways, and introduce new processes that result in improved student learning. They also tend to have a strong emotional investment in their students and encourage ‘possibility thinking’ and inclusivity in their classrooms. 
  • Judgement and decision-making ability. Teachers who possess this characteristic make decisions and develop strategies based on balanced and evidence-based methods, and regularly reflect on their own teaching practices and techniques.

#2 – Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), and Competence

There are five SEL competencies that comprise this characteristic, and these include:

  • Self-awareness
  • Self-management
  • Social awareness
  • Relationship skills 
  • Responsible decision-making

 

Teachers with high social and emotional competence make responsible decisions, recognise and understand other people’s emotions, engage in behaviours that benefit others, and are skilled at managing their own behaviour and their relationships with others.

#3 – Self-efficacy

Self-efficacy can be defined as “the belief in one’s capabilities to organise and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations”. It sounds complicated, but it refers to a teacher’s belief in their ability to impact student learning and other outcomes. Teachers with this characteristic believe: 

  • Their relationships and engagement with students are meaningful and important.
  • Their relationships and engagement with students is part of their professional responsibility.
  • Goal setting and professional development and learning is valuable.
  • Involving students in goal setting and class decision making is important. 

#4 – Communication

Teaching primarily revolves around instructional communication, which is ‘the role of communication in the teaching of all subjects at all levels’. Communication can be verbal, co-verbal, or non-verbal communication, and all are important for teachers. It involves: 

  • Rhetorical communication techniques – which include clarity, communicating relevance and using humour
  • Relational communication techniques – which include listening, immediacy and manipulating presentation styles

Non-verbal communication is also an important aspect of communication, and this includes:

  • Proxemics – proximity to students and a teacher’s use of space
  • Co-verbal behaviours – eye contact, physical gestures, body language and facial expressions
  • Paralanguage – voice volume, pitch and rhythm
  • Appearance – good grooming and overall physical presentation

#5 – Motivation

Motivation can be defined as ‘the energy or drive that moves people to do something by nature’. In the context of teaching, it can be defined as the reasons an individual chooses to teach, and the reasons a teacher sustains or continues to teach. 

Motivated teachers: 

  • Are influenced by several factors, including students themselves.
  • Are enthusiastic about their students.
  • Have a positive view of their abilities and their work.
  • Are keen to develop competence and knowledge in their teaching skills. 
  • Effectively navigate setbacks and challenges. 

#6 – Cultural Competence

Cultural competence and culturally responsive teaching strategies are an important characteristic of effective teachers. It is characterised by teaching practices as well as a teacher’s values, attitudes and their knowledge relating to culture. 

Teachers with this characteristic:

  • Recognise a student’s intellectual capabilities, prior accomplishments and their personal and cultural strengths
  • Embrace diversity, the ‘culture of power’ and the enablement of cultural identity development
  • Build effective relationships and deliver relevant and authentic learning 

#7 – Personality 

‘Personality’ is a combination of qualities or characteristics that make up an individual’s character. Experts believe a teacher’s personality is an underlying core factor influencing their performance. 

Teachers with this characteristic exhibit: 

  • Agreeableness – they actively listen and engage in conversations.
  • Extraversion – they enjoy being around people more than being alone.
  • Conscientiousness – they complete quality tasks with efficiency. 

 

Personality traits include being talkative, caring, affectionate, sociable, good-natured, trusting, unselfish, kind, composed and emotionally expressive …. with a sense of humour! 

#8 – Self-Reflection and Reflection

Teacher self-reflection is defined as the ability to identify one’s strengths and weaknesses, adapt to change and correct mistakes accordingly. 

Teachers’ reflective practice: 

  • Encourages self-assessment.
  • Enables them to react to personal concerns and learning experiences.
  • Helps them elaborate on learning theories and philosophies with other colleagues.
  • Allows them to contemplate problems, personal insights, training and future goals.

#9 –Collegiality

Collegiality, as a characteristic, is defined by the ability of a teacher to encourage, display optimism about and build collaborative relationships. It also involves teachers: 

  • Being given opportunities for continued development
  • Being able to grow, both personally and professionally 
  • Viewing themselves as lifelong learners
  • Working with other teachers to develop curriculums

#10 – Attitudes, Beliefs, and Expectations

The definition of this characteristic is relatively straightforward and focuses on positive teacher beliefs and expectations. Both of these are interrelated and are influenced by attitudes. Teacher beliefs and expectations comprise: 

  • The belief in the power and importance of accomplished teaching. 
  • The exploration and achievement of all students’ potential.
  • An ambitious vision for all students’ long-term success. 
  • The communication of expectations to students via daily goals. 

#11 – Values, Moral and Ethics

Values, morals and ethics reflect various elements that make up a teacher’s personality and character. Basically, they revolve around: 

  • The variety of beliefs and virtues that teachers may hold about issues such as religion or environmental issues
  • Beliefs and virtues that extend to a teacher’s ethics and morality
  • Virtues which ‘contribute to the flourishing, or well-being of individuals and society’, including their students!

 

Whether you’re homeschooling or keen to update your teaching skills for more effective student experience, Developing Your Teaching Skills For Success will equip you with a range of valuable teaching strategies.

Is Poetry Your Passion Project? Discover the Certificate of Poetry.

If you love poetry, an online poetry course will help you with your passion project! Whether you want to write poetry or understand poetry, this course teaches you the technical aspects of the art.

Throughout this online poetry course, you’ll grow in confidence, not only to critique poetry but also to write professional poetry. So, if you have always dreamed of entering poetry competitions or submitting work for publication, this is your chance to shine.  

Whatever your motivation for exploring poetry, this course will inspire your creativity and shape your technique to write different styles of poetry. 

You’ll also explore the works of famous poets, discover the nature and scope of poetry, and how to use poetic devices in your writing. You will learn about writing resources, industry sources and the crucial steps involved in getting your work published. 

 

Who Benefits from This Course? 

  • Anyone interested in writing poetry or poetry analysis.
  • Writers seeking to improve their prose or develop a lyrical voice and/or tone.
  • Children’s writers – to understand rhyming schemes and how to implement rigid or flexible structures in children’s writing.
  • Writers wanting to develop or enhance their creative process.
  • People looking to engage in reflection, meditation, and healing through writing.

 

Learning Outcomes 

  • Discover how to write all types of poetry – serious, witty, funny, and so on.
  • Develop your ability to write and understand different styles of poetry.
  • Explore how you can use poetry – at home, at work, for relaxation.
  • Understand sound, including the study of rhythm and stress.
  • Recognise different types and structures of poetry.
  • Appreciate how to listen to self and engage in creative ideation and reflection.
  • Draw inspiration from everyday events using techniques such as defamiliarisation.
  • Develop your individual voice
  • Self-discovery. 

 

8 Types of Poetic Form 

Writing poetry is an art, and from sonnets to haikus and villanelles, there are many different types of poetry to master. 

 

  1. Narrative Poetry 

A narrative poem tells a story through verse. This form of poetry often includes a narrator, characters, plot and setting – much like a novel or short story. Narrative poems often use rhyme, meter, repetition, and an enchanting and dramatic story to capture attention.

 

A famous example of a narrative poem is Annabel Lee, by Edgar Allen Poe.

 

 ‘Annabel Lee’ by Edgar Allan Poe  

 It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

 

I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea,

But we loved with a love that was more than love—

I and my Annabel Lee—

With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven

Coveted her and me.

 

  1. Haiku 

The Haiku is a Japanese poem consisting of three short lines – the first and third line has five syllables, and the second line has seven syllables. Traditionally, a haiku doesn’t use rhyme, but the subject is always a juxtaposition of nature and human nature. 

 

‘Lighting One Candle’ by Yosa Buson 

 

The light of a candle

Is transferred to another candle – 

Spring twilight 

 

  1. Sonnet

Writing poetry is one of life’s love languages, and arguably one of the most romantic styles of poetry is the sonnet. Sonnets are Shakespeare’s most famous works, think Sonnet 18 (Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day). The sonnet consists of fourteen lines using any number of formal rhyming styles. Conventionally, sonnets have ten syllables per line and use iambic pentameter. 

 

Sonnet #18 by William Shakespeare 

 

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

 Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

 Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

 And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:

 Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

 And often is his gold complexion dimmed,

 And every fair from fair sometime declines,

 By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed:

 But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

 Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’ st,

 Nor shall death brag thou wander’ st in his shade,

 When in eternal lines to time thou grow’ st,

 So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

 So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

 

  1. Ode 

An ode is a literary technique that is lyrical and typically celebrates a person, place, idea or object. Odes are generally rhyming with an irregular meter and are broken into three to five stanzas (paragraphs of poetry).

 

‘Ode to Silence’ by Edna St Vincent Millay

Aye, but she?

Your other sister and my other soul

Grave Silence, lovelier

Than the three loveliest maidens, what of her?

Clio, not you,

Not you, Calliope,

Nor all your wanton line,

 Not Beauty’s perfect self shall comfort me

For Silence once departed,

For her the cool-tongued, her the tranquil-hearted,

Whom evermore I follow wistfully,

Wandering Heaven and Earth and Hell and the four seasons through;

Thalia, not you,

Not you, Melpomene,

 Not your incomparable feet, O thin Terpsichore, I seek in this great hall,

But one more pale, more pensive, most beloved of you all.

 

 

  1. Limerick 

A limerick is a comic, rhyming poem consisting of five anapestic lines. The first, second and fifth lines have seven to ten syllables, while the third and fourth lines have five to seven syllables. 

 

Othello by Williams Shakespeare 

 

 And let me the canakin clink, clink;

And let me the canakin clink

A soldier’s a man;

A life’s but a span;

Why, then, let a soldier drink.

 

  1. Ballad

A ballad is a poem that tells a story, usually in four-line stanzas. The ballad is extremely diverse, and poems in this form may have many different rhyme schemes and meters.

 

Bridal Ballad by Edgar Allan Poe

 

 The ring is on my hand, 

And the wreath is on my brow; 

Satin and jewels grand 

Are all at my command, 

And I am happy now.

  

And my lord he loves me well; 

But, when first he breathed his vow, 

I felt my bosom swell- 

For the words rang as a knell, 

And the voice seemed his who fell 

In the battle down the dell, 

And who is happy now.

  

But he spoke to re-assure me, 

And he kissed my pallid brow, 

While a reverie came o’er me, 

And to the church-yard bore me, 

And I sighed to him before me, 

Thinking him dead D’Elormie, 

 “Oh, I am happy now!” 

 

  1. Soliloquy

A soliloquy is a monologue and a literary device, often written in poetic verse, and is used to reveal the innermost thoughts of a character. It refers to the act of talking to oneself and denotes the solo utterance of actors in a drama.

 

Hamlet’s Suicidal Soliloquy

“To be, or not to be, that is the question:

 Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

 The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

 Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,

 And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep

 No more; and by a sleep, to say we end

 the heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks

 that Flesh is heir to? ‘Tis a consummation

 devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep,

 To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, there’s the rub, […]”

 

  1. Villanelle 

A villanelle is a poem of nineteen lines that follows a strict form consisting of five three-line line stanzas, followed by one four-line stanza. Writing poetry in a villanelle form is notoriously tricky due to their strict structure and double refrain.

 

If I Could Tell You by W H Auden

Time will say nothing but I told you so,

Time only knows the price we have to pay;

If I could tell you I would let you know.

 

If we should weep when clowns put on their show,

If we should stumble when musicians play,

Time will say nothing but I told you so.

 

There are no fortunes to be told, although,

Because I love you more than I can say,

If I could tell you I would let you know.

 

The winds must come from somewhere when they blow,

There must be reasons why the leaves decay;

Time will say nothing but I told you so.

 

 Perhaps the roses really want to grow,

The vision seriously intends to stay;

If I could tell you I would let you know.

 

Suppose all the lions get up and go,

And all the brooks and soldiers run away;

Will Time say nothing but I told you so?

If I could tell you I would let you know.

 

Are you interested in learning more about writing poetry? Discover our online poetry course, The Certificate of Poetry. 

 

Certificate of Crisis Counselling – New Course!

Offering counselling in a crisis is a unique and valuable skill. Most crises are part of people’s everyday life experiences. However, some crises require expert intervention. These include mental illness, relationship issues, various kinds of loss and events like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chronic exposure to stress or trauma can lead to mental illness. So counsellors must have the skills and knowledge to help clients cope. This enables them to offer assistance around resources, assistance, support and stabilisation. 

If you are working in or planning to work in counselling, psychotherapy, psychology or a health profession or caring role, counselling courses online – like our new Certificate of Crisis Counselling – can broaden your counselling repertoire.

Learning Outcomes

  • Understanding the methods of crisis intervention 
  • Learn about situational and existential crises
  • Study crises responses and intervention 
  • Gain an understanding of who provides crisis intervention?
  • Examine how to respond to a crisis and the problems that might be encountered
  • Gain insights into useful definitions for crisis intervention
  • Learn about critical incident stress management (CISM)
  • Explore stress, psychological and critical incident stress debriefings (CISD)
  • Study law enforcement personnel and CISD
  • Understand the criticisms of psychological debriefing and CISD
  • Examine the ethical, professional and legal issues involved with crisis counselling
  • Gain insights into professional responsibilities and Duty of Care 
  • Learn about conflicts of interest and sexual exploitation
  • Explore group counselling
  • Understand diminished capacity
  • Examine cultural issues and respect
  • Gain insights into client records and confidentiality
  • Learn about dual relationships
  • Explore professional consultation and professional and specialist skills
  • Study how to support people who are grieving
  • Gain an understanding of suicide 
  • Learn how to deal with anger 
  • Gain insights into referral and termination 
  • Study dependency
  • Gain insights into ending the counselling process
  • Explore the dangers of crises and effective intervention 
  • Examine transference and counter-transference
  • Study suicide, the types of suicide and suicide intervention
  • Examine suicide and autonomy and professional ethics and suicide
  • Gain insights into risks to the professional
  • Undertake a case study of the South Asian tsunami
  • Learn how to debrief the de-briefer
  • Explore developmental crises including situational crises
  • Study Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development model
  • Learn about teenage crises, the causes and interventions and grief as a unique adolescent experience
  • Examine how children cope with disaster and crisis
  • Study the differences in grief 
  • Gain insights into grief and children and preparing a child for the death
  • Explore the area of sudden deaths and what happens after a death 
  • Learn about childhood responses to grief and how to support a grieving child
  • Study children with severe problems with loss and grief 
  • Understand what is OK and what is not OK
  • Gain insights into the common symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Examine the types of PTSD and the components of treatment
  • Learn about avoidance and PTSD 
  • Explore common responses to sexual assault 
  • Study sexual assault trauma syndrome
  • Gain an understanding of assault grief
  • Learn about male survivors of sexual assault
  • Study stalking, pursuit behaviour and false stalking syndrome
  • Gain insights into sexual abuse counselling
  • Study terrorist attacks, violent attacks and how violence can affect the victim
  • Learn about crisis and drug addiction
  • Explore the traumatic effects that lead to drug abuse
  • Understand why people use drugs and the symptoms
  • Gain insights into men, depression and substance abuse
  • Study disasters and substance abuse or dependence
  • Learn about PTSD and alcohol abuse
  • Explore effect treatment patterns
  • Examine family crises including child abuse, stranger abusers and the triggers 
  • Study transitions including grandparenthood 
  • Gain an understanding of PTSD and the family
  • Explore whether counselling and therapy culture-bound
  • Examine culture shock and dealing with cultural change
  • Study the traumatic stress reactions
  • Learn about crisis intervention
  • Understand behaviours and the recovery process 

Tips For Managing Mental Health During COVID-19 

The outbreak of the coronavirus, COVID-19, has impacted people in a variety of ways on a global scale. And it is understandable that during times like these, people are feeling a range of emotions – afraid, anxious, overwhelmed, depressed and even bored.

This is also heightened excessive media coverage and the continually changing alerts regarding the spread of the virus. Practising social distancing, self-isolation and/or quarantining can also be stressful and impact our mental health. Here are some tips on how to look after yourself and others during these difficult times, and where to find support if you need it.

What You Can Do For You

In terms of mental health, it’s essential to stay positive – as much as the situation is unpleasant, it will pass. Following a ‘calm yet cautious’ approach is also helpful – this includes observing good hygiene habits and following medical advice and directives issued by the Government. 

You should also try and be mindful not to contribute to widespread panic that hinders efforts that can positively affect the outbreak. This includes limiting ‘panic buying’ and managing your exposure to media coverage by relying on reputable and accurate sources of information. We have added a list of these at the end of this blog.

COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate – it can affect anyone regardless of their gender, age or ethnicity. So it’s crucial we realise we can also cope if we connect and support others with kindness and compassion. Sticking to a routine and keeping busy by reading, watching movies and even learning a new skill can be beneficial as well.

If COVID-19 has forced you to work from home, you’re probably dealing with additional challenges. Read about how to manage your mental health when working remotely here. 

What You Can Do For Others 

Staying connected with friends and family, whether it’s by email, phone or video can also offset negative mental health impacts in others. If you think someone is struggling in social isolation – like a neighbour, for example – reach out to them. Never underestimate the power the hope you can offer has to another person. It can be as easy as sending an email, leaving a note under their door or calling them to check on their welfare.

You can also stay connected by getting creative with your interactions, particularly if you are self-isolating. Setting daily digital challenges (like sharing a creative pursuit, a mindful practice or a healthy habit) with a friend or group that shares similar interests can increase motivation. 

Or you can join your local community’s social media group, which will keep you up to date with what’s happening in your neighbourhood. It might also be a chance to easily offer support to those that are finding it hard to cope. These types of strategies help both parties, so it’s a win-win! 

What You Can Do For Your Children

Children are particularly vulnerable during challenging times like these, and it understandable given they are seeing and hearing a lot about COVID-19 that they may not understand. If possible, try to minimise their exposure to the media and give them extra reassurance and attention. This includes taking the time to talk and encouraging them to share their feelings. 

You can start by finding out what they know and whether they have any questions. Then use a calm, reassuring tone to point out the facts. For younger children, it’s best to keep it brief and straightforward. For older ones, offer more detail. If children are frightened or worried, ask them how they’re feeling, and share your feelings and the strategies you are using to cope. You can read more about talking to your children about COVID-19 here.

What You Can Do For Older People

People aged 70 years or older or 65 years or older with chronic medical conditions are one of the most vulnerable groups in terms of catching COVID-19. That’s why social distancing and self-isolation is recommended. The Government has placed limits on visits to the elderly, including those in aged care facilities. However, these measures can leave older people feeling lonely and isolated, and it can have negative impacts on their mental health.

One simple way you can assist is by checking in with them regularly. Offering to help with a trip to the supermarket or chemist on their behalf can also help those who can’t go out on their own. If this is not possible, the Government’s My Aged Care website has put in place arrangements to help older people access food and essential household items. This includes an agreement with some supermarkets for priority ordering and delivering. Other general tips can be found on the Aged Care Guide website.

Helping older people become established online, and accessing video call services like Skype or FaceTime can also be valuable. Be Connected has some great resources designed to help them develop their online and digital skills.

If you are regularly in contact with someone living with dementia, it’s also important to maintain communication as much as possible. Resources like Dementia Australia’s website can help carers, family and friends assist during this challenging time. 

Reputable Sources Of Information

Australian Department of Health

World Health Organisation 

Smart Traveller

Where To Go For Support 

Lifeline:

Phone: 13 11 14 (24 hours/7 days)

Text: 0477 13 11 14 (6pm-midnight AEDT, 7 nights)

Webchat (7 pm-midnight, 7 nights)

Kids Helpline:

Phone: 1800 55 1800

Website 

Beyond Blue: 

Phone: 1300 22 4636

Website 

Head to Health: 

Website

SBS:

Assistance for non-English speaking Australians 

 

The effects of COVID-19 will be far-reaching and long-term. Up-skilling with counselling courses online like our Certificate of Crisis Counselling will allow you to offer front-line support for those most in need when it’s needed.

Certificate of Medicinal Herbs – New Course! 

Herbal medicine courses will show you how this ancient form of healing is still relevant today. Medicinal herbs treat a multitude of ailments, from stomach-aches to insomnia and nervous conditions. 

The Certificate of Medicinal Herbs is an online program that will teach you about the different types of herbs and their medicinal properties, as well as how to grow, harvest and produce medicinal herbs. 

You will discover which soils are suited to grow herbs, as well as the water and fertiliser requirements. You will also learn to propagate herbs from seeds or cuttings, and control pests and diseases in your medicinal garden. 

On completion of herbal medicine courses, you should have a foundation knowledge of how to identify, grow, harvest, and use medicinal herbs. So, make sure you choose herbal medicine courses wisely. 

Take a look at what you’ll learn in the Certificate of Medicinal Herbs. 

Learning Outcomes 

  • Identify and grow over 100 different medicinal herbs.
  • Learn how herbal medicines are used and prepared.
  • Understand problems associated with home use of certain herbs.
  • Learn how to harvest herbs.
  • Discover the types of herbal medicines and the chemical components of herbs.
  • Learn about herbal preparations.
  • Understand safety and caution with using herbs, including what herbs are safer to use.
  • Distinguish between medicinal herbs in cultivation, including twenty-five different genera and fifty different varieties.
  • Discuss the history of medicinal herb usage.
  • Compare the chemical components of different medicinal herbs in terms of their general affect on the human body.
  • Prepare simple and safe herbal remedies in a domestic situation.
  • Explain the potential dangers involved in dealing with plants.
  • Prepare a schedule of cultural practices for a medicinal herb crop.
  • Develop a production plan for a medicinal herb crop.
  • Develop guidelines for the culture of a specified variety of medicinal herb.
  • Explain natural pest and disease control methods.
  • Prepare a sample of soil suitable for growing a specified herb variety.
  • Demonstrate propagation techniques for five different medicinal herbs.
  • Produce container plants of two different medicinal herbs, propagating and growing on the plants to a marketable stage and condition.
  • Record the development of two medicinal herbs in a log.
  • Develop a list of criteria for selecting the most commercially viable variety of a nominated medicinal herb species available.
  • List thirty different varieties of a medicinal herb species which are readily available for purchase as “reliable” seed or tube stock.
  • Compare different varieties of six nominated medicinal herb species to determine a commercially viable variety to grow in your locality.
  • List tasks to be undertaken in the production of a selected medicinal herb variety, including *soil preparation *planting *growing practices, *harvest and post-harvest.
  • Write a production schedule for a medicinal herb variety which designates tasks to be undertaken systematically at each stage of crop development.
  • Explain the facilities which would be required to produce a specified commercial medicinal herb crop, including *equipment *materials *land.
  • Estimate the cost of producing a specified medicinal herb crop, itemising the cost components into at least five categories.
  • …., and more.

9 of Nature’s Powerful Medicinal Herbs and Their Uses 

There are many beneficial herbs in nature’s garden. In herbal medicine courses, you will discover hundreds of medicinal herbs, but these nine are popular in holistically supporting health and wellbeing. 

1. St. John’s Wort 

St. John’s Wort, a perennial herb with yellow star-shaped flowers, has been used to treat nervous conditions for centuries. Today, this popular herb is still a holistic remedy for mild depression.

The Black Dog Institute Fact Sheet reports that ‘There have been many clinical studies comparing the effectiveness of St John’s wort with placebos and antidepressant medication. Most have found the herbal remedy to be superior to placebo and equivalent to standard antidepressants for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. However, it is unlikely to be effective in the treatment of melancholic (biological) depression.’

Fascinating Fact: St. John’s wort can interfere with the effects of many prescription medicines.

St. John’s Wort Could Be Useful For:

  • Mild depression 
  • Symptoms of menopause 
  • Wound healing 

 

2. Valerian 

Valerian, a herb native to Europe and Asia, is commonly used to treat symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, and stress. The popular herb seems to act as a sedative on the nervous system. The medicinal properties of this herb come from its root.

Fascinating Fact: In manufacturing, the extracts and oil made from valerian are flavouring in foods and beverages.

Valerian Could Be Useful For:

  • Insomnia 
  • Restlessness
  • Anxiety 
  • Stress 

 

3. Garlic 

Garlic, which is part of the onion family, is popular for both its distinctive flavour and health benefits. The health benefits of garlic are believed to derive from the sulphur compounds that it contains. 

Fascinating Fact: Garlic bulbs are highly nutritious, containing potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, beta-carotene, Vitamin C and more! 

 Garlic Could Be Useful For: 

  • Boosting the immune system 
  • Reducing blood pressure 
  • Improving cholesterol levels 

 

4. Mint 

Mint is a popular herbal remedy, commonly used to ease upset stomachs, calm the digestive tract, reduce stress, and promote restful sleep. It is also popular as an addition to many a culinary dish and refreshments.

Fascinating Fact: Spearmint is beneficial to honeybees by cleaning out mites that infect their hives. 

Mint Could Be Useful For:

  • Healthy digestion
  • Stress 
  • Anxiety 
  • Restful sleep 

 

5. Sage 

Sage is part of the mint family and is well-known as a culinary and medicinal herb that’s packed with nutrients. It is an incredibly versatile herb that packs a powerful punch in soups, stews and in baking. Sage can be used fresh, dried, or ground for medicinal purposes. 

Fascinating Fact: According to studies, sage compounds may help fight signs of ageing, such as wrinkles. 

Sage Could Be Useful For: 

  • Oral health 
  • Menopausal symptoms (hot flushes) 
  • Skin ageing 
  • Lowering cholesterol 
  • Memory
  • Brain health 
  • Blood sugar levels

 

6. Thyme 

Thyme is a Mediterranean herb with dietary, medicinal, and ornamental value. The flowers, leaves, and oil of thyme are used as a medicinal herb. 

Fascinating Fact: Thyme oil is often in mouthwashes as a germ-killer!

Thyme Could Be Useful For: 

  • Bronchitis
  • Stomach-ache 
  • Diarrhea
  • Sore Throat 
  • Colic
  • Arthritis 
  • Skin disorders 
  • Bad breath 
  • Appetite stimulant 

 

7. Chamomile

Chamomile is a medicinal herb that has proven beneficial as a relaxant, carminative and anti-inflammatory. And it is an ancient therapeutic herb that treats ailments such as inflammation and insomnia. 

Fascinating Fact: The word chamomile is derived from Greek – chamos, meaning ‘ground’ and melos, meaning ‘apple.’ The name refers to the fact that the herb grows close to the ground and the flowers have a fresh apple scent. 

Could Be Useful For:

  • Hay fever 
  • Inflammation
  • Muscle spasms 
  • Menstrual disorders 
  • Insomnia 
  • Rheumatic pain 
  • Gastrointestinal disorders  

 

8. Gingko 

Ginko is a large tree with fan-shaped leaves, Gingko is native to Japan, Korea, and China. Gingko is one of the oldest living trees, dating back 270 million years. As a medicinal herb, it is one of the world’s most popular supplements for its benefits to memory and cardiovascular function. 

Fascinating Fact: The Gingko tree can grow more than 40 metres tall and can live for over 1,000 years! 

Could Be Useful For: 

  • Cognitive function 
  • Anxiety
  • Cardiovascular function
  • Glaucoma 
  • Sexual function 

 

9. Echinacea 

There are nine species of echinacea, which are native to North America. Echinacea is a popular medicinal herb for the common cold and other infections. This versatile plant may stimulate the immune system to fight infection more effectively. 

Fascinating Fact: Taking echinacea after you catch a cold shortens the duration of the illness.

Echinacea Could Be Useful For:

  • Cold and flu symptoms 
  • Blood sugar
  • Anxiety 
  • Blood pressure 
  • Inflammation 

 

Herbal medicine courses are fascinating. So, if you’re interested in learning more about this ancient form of healing take a look at the Certificate of Medicinal Herbs! 

Certificate of Marketing Psychology – New Course!

To understand consumer behaviour, you’ll need to get inside your customer’s head! Marketing success depends on gaining attention and influencing action. And the bottom line is that businesses fail when they don’t sell their products. Leveraging information about how customers think about what they buy is insightful … but only when used correctly!

Marketing psychology can help anyone in sales, marketing, PR or those who run their own business understand more about consumer behaviour. It can also give insights into how to gather data and market goods and services in different types of selling environments. And given the uncertainty of these current times, it’s valuable knowledge to have now and into the future.

That’s why we are excited to be launching our new course, the Certificate of Marketing Psychology. A marketing psychology course can help you advance your marketing skills and knowledge, and prepare you for the time when businesses can finally get back on track after COVID-19.

Learning Outcomes

  • Learn about the reasons for and the scope and nature of marketing
  • Explore the different types of customers – loyal, discount, needs-based, wandering and impulse 
  • Gain insights into different types of shoppers – economic, personal and apathetic
  • Understand reward options – rational, sensory, social and ego-satisfying
  • Study beliefs, attitudes, affects and behavioural intention
  • Explore the area of market segmentation in terms of age, sex, geographic and demographic factors 
  • Gain insights into market segmentation in terms of socio-economic and geo-demographic factors
  • Learn about psychological segmentation and segmentation by usage and benefit
  • Explore global segmentation and the entry into foreign markets 
  • Study how to create a total product concept and diffuse new products
  • Discover how internal influences affect perception and personality
  • Learn more about the senses – vision, hearing and smell
  • Gain insights into multi-sensual marketing
  • Explore the thresholds of awareness
  • Study attention and sensory adaption 
  • Learn about perceptual cues and perceptual distortion 
  • Uncover the theories of Gestalt psychology and the Phi phenomenon
  • Gain insights into subliminal and selection perception
  • Study product image and self-image 
  • Learn about personality theory and its application to marketing
  • Explore the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) theory 
  • Uncover the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) theory 
  • Study self-theory, Trait theory and the Rorschach Ink Blot Test theory 
  • Learn about Freudian and non-Freudian theories 
  • Gain insights into brand personality, relationship segmentation and self-image marketing
  • Understand internal influences like motivation and awareness
  • Study the influences of learning and behavioural and cognitive approaches
  • Learn about classic and operant conditioning
  • Explore memory and marketing
  • Gain insights into modelling, motivation, motivations and inertia 
  • Uncover Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
  • Study involvement, including the properties, antecedents and outcomes
  • Learn about specific needs and how to create them
  • Explore semiotics and unconscious motivation
  • Gain an understanding of society 
  • Learn about households, family changes, influences and life cycles
  • Study family consumer decisions
  • Learn about institutional effects and socialisation including consumer socialisation
  • Explore roles and how and when they change
  • Gain insights into conflict resolution 
  • Study social and developmental influences and influences on children
  • Explore marketing and advertising in terms of psychology
  • Learn about small and formal and informal groups
  • Study membership and reference groups 
  • Understand reference groups and consumer behaviour
  • Gain insights into the variability of products
  • Understand the differences in consumer susceptibility
  • Explore the influence of social class 
  • Learn about class categories, changing class and how to measure class
  • Gain insights into marketing and consumer behaviour
  • Study cultural influences, communication, ideals and actualities
  • Discover the differences in culture – subcultures, ethnicity and changes in culture
  • Learn about the value of studying the consumer
  • Understand what a consumer is 
  • Study the history of consumerism and how the consumer experience has changed
  • Understand the supplier 
  • Discover business ethics including international ethics
  • Learn about the market place and consumer action 
  • Explore false and deceptive advertising
  • Study the methods of false advertising including false pricing and insufficient details
  • Gain an understanding of communication and persuasion
  • Understand attitudes, the concept of attitude and how attitudes form
  • Discover how attitudes are changed
  • Examine the practical applications for marketing
  • Learn about message evaluation and selection
  • Explore message execution
  • Study what words sell including celebrity testimonials
  • Uncover what makes people decide to buy
  • Gain an understanding of how people make a decision including rational decisions
  • Discover Heuristic Procedures in terms of decision making
  • Examine the step-by-step decision-making process
  • Gain insights into merchandising
  • Learn about the trend toward home shopping

Top 10 Principles of Marketing Psychology

One of the key elements of marketing is leveraging how and why people think and act the way they do, which is essentially what the field of psychology attempts to explain. If you understand fundamental psychology principles, then you’re more likely to be able to attract, convince and convert the right audience.

#1 – Priming 

Priming in marketing is a subconscious reaction to stimuli that can influence our conscious decisions to new stimuli. It works by using associations made in our subconscious, and most of the time these are unnoticeable to customers.

For example, a furniture store performed a ‘split’ test on customers to see if branding their website differently would affect their customers’ purchasing behaviour. On one landing page, they featured coins and on the other clouds. 

As it turned out, the customers who saw the landing page featuring clouds bought a lounge that promoted exceptional softness and comfort. Those exposed to the landing page featuring coins bought lower-priced sofas. And more interestingly, many of the customers who were interviewed after their purchase could not recall either a cloud or penny background, and neither group believed the different backgrounds affected their decision.

The key lesson here? Use a combination of colour, language and image in your branding that primes your prospective customers to make positive associations with your products and then hopefully buy them! 

#2 – Reciprocity 

Introduced in Dr. Robert Cialdini’s book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, the concept of reciprocity is quite simple. If someone does something for you, most of us will naturally want to give back.

A straightforward example he gives was a staged situation of a waiter bringing the bill, complete with an after-dinner mint, to a diner. What he found was that diners automatically tipped according to their perceptions of the service given. So if given one mint, the tip jumped to around 4%, but with two, the tip jumped to roughly 20%.

In marketing, there are lots of ways to take advantage of reciprocity. It can be anything from a free e-book to a free trial or a sample of a product. However, the important thing to remember is that you give away the free item before you ask for something in return! 

#3 – Social Proof 

A common tool in marketing, social proof is the theory that people will adopt the actions or beliefs of a group of people they like or trust (or both). The idea is that since so many other people behave in a certain way, it must be the correct behaviour, and it’s often called the ‘me too’ effect. It’s a bit like a primary school dance – nobody wants to be the first one on the dance floor, but once a few people get up, everyone else wants to join in! 

In terms of marketing, a good example is in the retail world. When shopping in-store, there is less outside influence on your decision because you can directly compare products like clothing – often by ‘feel’ and ‘fit’. However online, many of us prefer to rely on outside opinions or reviews before we make a decision. And even if you love your choice, many of us will still be swayed about other customers’ experiences because they seem more knowledgeable about the product.

#4 – The Decoy Effect

This technique is often seen in pricing models where one price point is intentionally included to entice you to choose the most expensive option. Behavioural economist Dan Ariely gives an excellent example in his infamous TED talk, Are we in control of our own decisions? He describes an ad from The Economist that outlined their latest subscription packages. They offered:

 

· Online subscription: $59

· Print subscription: $125

· Online and print subscription: $125

 

So, you get the print-only subscription and the online and print subscription for the same price? But why would they offer that? It turns out that the middle option provided a frame of reference for how ‘good’ the combination deal was and enticed people to pay more for it. And they did! 

#5 – The Scarcity Concept

OK, so we’ve all fallen for this one. Ever gone to buy something and seen a tagline for a product along the lines of “Limited stock left. Don’t miss out!” That’s scarcity, and it’s another Cialdini concept. This psychology principle harps back to the simple formula of supply and demand – the rarer the product, content or opportunity is, the more valuable it is.

However, you do need to word this principle carefully. If you approach it from the point that there used to be a lot of a product, but due to popular demand, there’s only a few left, people will be receptive. But if you approach it from the angle of there were only a few products in the first place, so buy now, the principle won’t be as effective.

#6 – The Anchoring Concept

If you love shopping and wondered why it’s often hard to resist a sale at your favourite clothing store, you may just be falling for the old anchoring trick. This concept revolves around people basing decisions on the first piece of information they receive. 

So for example, if your favourite clothing store typically retails jeans for $50, but on your next visit they are on sale for $35, you’ll probably be ecstatic at a great deal. However, if your friend typically shops for jeans that are $20, the effect obviously won’t be the same for them! 

For marketers, anchoring is important, particularly in sales campaigns. However, you will need to clearly state the initial price of the product (which ‘sets’ the anchor), and then display the sale price next to it. 

#7 – The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon

Have you ever read or heard about a product for the first time and then you start seeing it everywhere you look? On TV, online, at the supermarket and then all of your friends seem to have it? This is known as the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon (also called ‘the frequency illusion’), and two processes cause it. 

The first is ‘selection attention’, and this happens when you are struck by a new idea, word or product and after that, you unconsciously look out for it and find it surprisingly often! The second process is called ‘confirmation bias’ which reassures you that each new sighting is further proof of your impression that the ‘thing’ you keep seeing is widespread and/or constantly encountered. 

For marketers, this phenomenon is precisely why brand presence, in particular, is incredibly important. Once people start noticing your brand, you’ll want to help them start seeing it ‘everywhere’. And a good method of achieving this is by ‘below the line advertising’ including targeted EDM’s (electronic direct mail), which can increase the possibility of them ‘converting’ or purchasing your product or service.

#8 – Verbatim Effect

This concept revolves around people being more likely to remember the gist of what someone has said, rather than specific details of what was said word-for-word. A simple example is the ‘telephone’ game you might have played as a kid. It’s where a group of people sit in a circle, and someone whispers a phrase into the next person’s ear. This continues until it gets to the last person. Typically, the phrase that was initially shared is quite different even though the meaning is essentially the same.

In terms of marketing, this concept can have a huge effect on how your content performs. This is partly because time-poor readers are spending less time reading lengthy content, particularly online. So if people aren’t reading all of your content and they aren’t likely to remember specific details either, what’s a marketer to do? Focus less on the precise wording and organisation of your content and more on how it makes readers feel. Writing compelling headline copy also helps! 

#9 – Clustering Theory

People have a limited amount of space in their short-term memory, and to cope, most people tend to cluster similar pieces of information together. So for example, if you had a grocery list of random items, most people would mentally group items into specific categories (like dairy, meat, fruit and veg for example), to better remember what’s on the list.

When creating content, clustering can be used to increase memory retention. This can be achieved on a website, for example, by grouping similar topics together with different header sizes and using bullet points. Clustering can also be used to segment customer databases by factors including gender, age, demographic and buying behaviour. You can then tailor your communications to encourage engagement, address where customers are in the buying cycle, and position your product or service to meet a need or solve a problem. Typically, this will increase trust in your brand and possibly result in a purchase! 

#10 – Loss Aversion Concept

Nobel Prize-winning psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky discovered the theory of loss aversion during their research on Prospect Theory. Loss aversion means pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Once someone has something, they often don’t want to lose it. And from a psychological perspective, it usually refers to people preferring to avoid loss rather than acquire gain.

In their study, participants were given either an object – chocolate or a mug – or nothing. They were then asked to make a choice and given two options. If they were given an object, they could trade that object. If they were given nothing, they could choose one of the two objects. The result? Roughly half of the participants who started with nothing picked a mug, but even more surprisingly 86 per cent of those given mugs stuck with them! What about the chocolate?

In terms of marketing, it can be challenging. Many marketers rely on urgency and the scarcity concept (mentioned above) to sell products. However, if customers think they can buy your product or service ‘tomorrow’ they have no reason to buy from you today. 

For example, telling loyal customers, it’s their ‘last chance’ for a 30 per cent discount and a week later having a two-day sale for 40 per cent off probably won’t work. The reason? They won’t believe your first offer next time and will probably wait for a better offer later. Essentially, you have to make customers feel the pain of not taking action (‘loss aversion’) and make it real. Sell benefits hard, push for a decision and make your limited-time offers or sales infrequent.

 

Have a little more time on your hands due to COVID-19? Gain fascinating insights into what makes consumers’ minds tick with our Certificate of Marketing Psychology! 

Certificate of Horse Care – New Courses!

Whether you want to indulge a hobby or work with horses, there’s a lot to learn, which is where our NEW courses, the Certificate of Horse Care (Introductory), Certificate of Horse Care (Intermediate) and Certificate of Horse Care (Advanced) comes in. So, if you’re a horse enthusiast, saddle up, it’s time to ride in a professional direction. 

Horses are majestic, powerful animals that bring us fulfilment as pets, in equestrian and sporting pursuits, and careers. But they also have high care needs.

So, if you’re considering owning a horse, taking up an equestrian hobby or working with horses, this course is ideal for you. It’s also valuable professional development for people aspiring to start an equestrian business.

The Certificates of Horse Care will provide you with an understanding of equine husbandry and practical knowledge in the care of horses from beginner through to advanced care. 

On completion of these horse care courses, you will feel confident to care for horses and discover opportunities working in the equine industry. 

Certificate of Horse Care (Introductory) 

The Certificate of Horse Care (Introductory), teaches you about horse psychology, tips on purchasing a horse, and how to feed a grass kept horse, including pasture management. You’ll also discover bedding and mucking out procedures and how to maintain professional grooming of a horse. 

Learning Outcomes

  • Describe the procedures for the buying and selling of horses
  • Differentiate between the different procedures used for the handling of horses
  • Develop a program for the evaluation of the conformation of horses on a property/facility
  • Develop appropriate procedures to manage a horse at grass
  • Explain the methods used to prepare horses for specific uses, including their grooming for different tasks
  • Explain commercial opportunities available in the horse industry
  • Learn about horse psychology and handling
  • Understand the importance of dietary requirements to the horse
  • Learn about the horse’s digestive system and the principles of feeding and watering your horse
  • Explore opportunities for working with horses or learn more about caring for your own animals
  • Learn to use correct grooming procedures, develop appropriate management procedures and broaden existing knowledge of commercial opportunities in the horse world. 
  • Learn to manage horses kept on pasture and pasture management techniques 

 

Certificate of Horse Care (Intermediate)

The Certificate of Horse Care (Intermediate) focuses on caring for the stabled horse. You will learn about feed, stabling, bedding and mucking out, and foot care and shoeing. You will also discover how to exercise and condition a horse, about tack and fitting, and how to design a horse facility. 

Learning Outcomes

  • Analyse the feeding requirements and techniques for horse husbandry
  • Develop a stable management program for horses
  • Explain the management procedures necessary to fulfil the bedding requirements of horses
  • Explain the management and care of horses’ feet
  • Implement management procedures for the conditioning of horses
  • Describe the procedures used for managing the tack requirements of horses
  • Explain the management, including design and applications, of facilities used in the horse industry

 

Certificate of Horse Care (Advanced)

The Certificate of Horse Care (Advanced) will extend your knowledge in all areas of horse care, including maintaining the health of horses, advanced grooming techniques, and the safe transportation of horses. You will also learn how to organise and manage an equine event and horse enterprise. 

Learning Outcomes  

  • Analyse the feeding requirements and feeding techniques available for horse husbandry
  • Develop a stable management program for horses
  • Explain the management procedures necessary to fulfil the bedding requirements of horses
  • Explain the management and care of a horse’s feet
  • Implement management procedures for the conditioning of horses
  • Describe the procedures used for managing the tack requirements of horses
  • Explain the management, including design and applications, of facilities used in the horse industry

 

5 Types of Equestrian Disciplines 

If you’re considering equestrian as a hobby, there are many types of horse-riding styles to consider, from the art of dressage to the thrill of show jumping. 

  1. Dressage 

The Olympic sport of dressage, derived from the French ‘training’, requires a horse to execute a sequence of specified movements in an arena in response to barely perceptible signals from its rider. The sport involves critiquing a horse’s pace and bearing in performing walks, trots, canters and specialised manoeuvres.

  1. Eventing 

Eventing (also known as equestrian triathlon) is an equestrian event which combines dressage, cross-country and show jumping. Eventing requires a high degree of ability in all areas of equitation

  1. Jumping

In jumping, horse and rider complete a course of 10 to 13 jumps. The competition aims to assess skill, accuracy and training by performing a clear round (no jumps down in the fastest time or gains the highest number of points (depending on the type of competition).

  1. Vaulting

Vaulting is gymnastics on horseback, combining gymnastic agility and horsemanship. In competition, there are compulsory, and freestyle routines performed to music.

  1. Endurance 

Endurance riding is an equestrian sport recognised by the FEI involving controlled long-distance races. Endurance rides vary in distance but are seldom over 160 km for a one-day competition. 

 

8 Jobs Working with Horses 

 

  1. Riding Instructor

Riding instructors work with horses and their riders, designing exercises and teaching correct riding technique in a variety of disciplines. They also teach horsemanship skills such as grooming, saddling, and tack cleaning and maintenance. Knowledge in horse transport, applying first aid, matching horses to riders and managing horses in a business is also crucial. 

  1. Farrier

A farrier works with horses and their owners to determine the best shoe for a horse’s level of activity and foot condition. Experience with horses is vital as is communication and business skills, as most farriers are self-employed. 

  1. Jockey

Jockeys work in the competitive horseracing industry riding horses in competitive races, race trials and exercise. Jockeys need to be small in stature (5 foot) and require high physical fitness, sporting ability and commitment to the sport.

  1. Groom

Horse grooms perform many duties in horse care, including mucking out, feeding and watering, grooming and washing, cleaning and maintaining tack, bandaging legs, tacking up and performing first aid. 

  1. Exercise Rider

Exercise riders exercise racehorses to keep them fit and ready to perform at their peak. The job requires a sense of the horse’s running rate to meet a trainer’s expectations of speed and distance. 

  1. Horse Trainer

A horse trainer (also horse breaker) prepares horses for riding, breeding, racing, work, showing or equestrian competitions.

  1. Horse Breeder 

Horse breeders care for, mate, raise, market and manage valuable bloodstock for the racing and equestrian industry.

  1. Riding Stable Owner

Riding stable owners manage the operations associated with horse care, feeding and stabling or agistment.

 

Ready to fulfil your equestrian dream or pursue a career working with horses? Study our Certificate of Horse Care online programs and get equine educated!

Isolation Frustration? Consider Online Learning

If you’re feeling bored due to COVID-19 self-isolation, consider online learning. COVID-19 is a human tragedy, affecting millions of people across the world. It is also having an increasing impact on the global and Australian economies. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, two-thirds of businesses across all sectors have reported a reduction in cash flow or revenue. Around the same number have indicated they have suffered decreased demand for their products or services, and one in ten said they had paused trading altogether. 

The impact of the crisis on the Australian labour market has also been dramatic and multifaceted. Reduced work hours have been reported by 25 per cent of businesses with 19 employees or fewer, and 34 per cent of businesses with 200 or more employees. And experts believe the economy will be in ‘hibernation’ for some time to come. 

As a result, many of us are spending more time with children who are no longer physically at school. And some of us are negotiating the challenges of working from home. However, the COVID-19 crisis also presents a unique opportunity to up-skill and re-train some of Australia’s labour force – from home! 

The COVID-19 crisis continues to evolve rapidly, and nobody knows the intricacies of the impacts. But the reality is things will eventually change. And if you have the time, it’s a unique opportunity to learn a new hobby or up-skill in a subject that could positively impact your career. Here we look at some of the areas that have most been impacted by COVID-19, and where future opportunities may lie.

Childcare Sector 

According to a recent industry report, preschools are being ‘moderately’ affected at the moment by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is partly because fear has influenced many parents’ decisions to keep their children at home. This in turn has reduced the demand for many preschool services. 

However, the Federal Government’s Early Childhood Education and Care Relief Package (which at the moment offers free childcare to essential workers), is expected to help retain staff and keep early childhood centres operational over the coming months. The package is also likely to support the continual growth in demand for childcare services, which will continue once the challenges of COVID-19 are over. 

Read more about online learning in Children’s Services here.

Hospitality, Travel and Tourism Sector

The downturns due to COVID-19 in these sectors have eventuated due to many factors, including border closures, restrictions on domestic travel and the mandatory cancellations of public events. Bans on international travel to Australia have also caused many tour operators to suspend or even end their operations.

Before the advent of COVID-19, the accommodation and food services sector accounted for 8 per cent of Australia’s jobs. Now, and according to a report issued by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, around 70 per cent of businesses have reduced work hours, and about 43 per cent said they had placed staff on unpaid leave, including standing them down.

The travel and tourism sector was also one of the biggest in the country, employing over 5 per cent of the country’s workforce, and due to COVID-19, it is now expected that ticket numbers will be down 25 per cent – if not more – in the coming months. 

However, despite these challenges, the industry will eventually regain its vitality. After all, people love to be entertained, visit new destinations and enjoy life-changing experiences. And once COVID-19 is over, they will again –, and the industry will need the workforce to make that happen.

Read more about online learning in Hospitality, Tourism and Events courses here. 

Psychology/Counselling Sector 

The Australian government has continually stressed the importance of social distancing, self-isolation and/or quarantine to assist with ‘flattening the curve’ during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, one of the devastating downsides to this behaviour can be confusion, anger and traumatic stress. This is particularly the case if it is combined with acute loneliness, a loss of income, limited access to necessities or an increase in alcohol consumption or domestic violence.

According to Job Outlook, the Health Care and Social Assistance sector was already expecting strong job growth over the next five years until 2023. This was partly due to the ageing population, the NDIS and the growing demand for home-based care services. Given our current circumstances, the demand for mental health services will no doubt rise even more, and the industry will continually need trained experts with the skills to assist those most in need. 

Read about our Psychology and Counselling online learning courses here. 

IT Sector

The internet is changing right before our eyes, with the amount of data traffic across Australia rising while we endeavour to stay at home. From video conferencing for work and ‘live’ chats with extended family to streaming content while self-isolating, many of us are more online than ever before. 

Additionally, with more people working remotely, internet speeds are being challenged, and cybersecurity has become even more critical. However, these demands also present new insights and the scope for new technologies and digital skills. Our point? The internet is at full throttle, and IT experts have become and will continue to be, even more in demand. 

Read more about online learning in IT courses here.

Other Sectors

Online learning during COVID-19 is a great way to enhance your CV, increase your confidence and keep your mind active. From the retail, fitness, beauty and hospitality sectors, to business-related sectors like sales and marketing, admin, HR, government, transport, manufacturing and finance, if you’re looking to up-skill or embark on a new career, we’ve got the course for you. 

We also offer a range of self-development courses that will help with your job-hunting skills, including how to build your self-esteem and get your finances in order. Our courses can even assist you if you’re looking to change your career direction or inspire you to start your own business when the challenges of COVID-19 are over.

Are you looking to enter the workforce, up-skill or change career direction after COVID-19? Let us ease the burden on your hip pocket with 15% off all of our courses in April! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Offer available until 30/4/20

Certificate of Home Vegetable Growing – New Course!

Growing your own vegetables is a rewarding hobby.  If you’ve always dreamed of starting a veggie garden, the Certificate of Home Vegetable Growing is ideal for you.

So hoe in, green thumb at the ready, and enjoy some fresh produce straight from your own backyard!

In this professional development course, you’ll discover how to grow your own fresh, delicious, seasonal vegetables all year round, learn how to build a vegetable garden (including container, raised and organic growing) and how to create a healthy compost.

You’ll also learn how to make optimal use of land, water and fertiliser to reap the best harvest, and how to implement watering and irrigation systems. 

You’ll also study pests, disease and weed control, tips on hydroponic and greenhouse growing and harvesting, as well as how to store and use your homegrown vegetables.  

On completion of this course, you’ll be well equipped to create a thriving vegetable garden at home!

Learning Outcomes

  • Identify a range of different vegetables
  • Determine sources and significance for information on vegetable growing
  • Describe the planting and cultivation of a range of different vegetables
  • Define production of some of the varieties of vegetables grown by home gardeners
  • Evaluate and determine treatments for a range of common pests, disease and weed problems that affect vegetables
  • Determine and describe methods for producing a range of vegetable crops out of season
  • Describe the production of some of the varieties of vegetables less commonly grown by home gardeners
  • Determine and describe ways of managing the water needs of vegetables in a home garden
  • Describe when and how to harvest different types of vegetable crops
  • Explain a range of methods for storing and using vegetables after harvest
  • Compile a resource file of organisations related to home vegetable growing
  • Compile reviews of sixteen different vegetables suitable for growing at home
  • Carry out necessary soil tests on two different soils
  • Obtain or make up a propagating mix
  • Make a vegetable garden
  • Identify weed species in a vegetable garden and suggest control methods
  • Make notes about pests and diseases in a home vegetable garden
  • Understand weedicides and pesticides appropriate for use on vegetable crops
  • Dry, bottle or freeze a vegetable you have not preserved before
  • List 20 different vegetables with information about their culture and harvest
  • Explore the different types of web content including articles, blogs and newsletters
  • Understand how to link your content with social media platforms 

8 Must-Haves for the Novice Gardener

The basics for the home gardener should focus on quality over quantity. Because, as a beginner, you don’t want to spend unnecessarily. Plus, by investing in the best quality, your budget allows you’ll save space (in the garden shed) and the time it takes to replace inferior equipment. Remember, good quality garden equipment will serve you well if you keep up the maintenance.

1. Spade

Look for a spade with a high-quality steelhead and a rounded handle. The spade is the workhorse of the garden, so don’t cut corners on quality.

2. Gloves

A good quality pair of gardening gloves is another essential in the beginner gardener’s kit, but you don’t need to spend a fortune. Bunnings has a high-quality, comfortable pair of gardening gloves for $3.

3. Pruning Shears 

Another workhorse worth investing in is pruning shears (also known as secateurs). These are an essential tool for pruning roses, trimming, deadheading and general gardening use. To help you cut through sturdy stems, look for a bypass blade and gear technology. 

4. Rake

Plastic rakes are durable, inexpensive and are excellent for raking leaves. But you’ll also need to invest in a steel rake for smoothing out soil and levelling the ground.

5. Watering Can

Watering cans are valuable when transplanting or seeding outside, as hoses can be too harsh and sprinklers often leave areas dry while soaking others. You can choose between plastic, ceramic or metal but look for a quality watering can with a cap and the end and small holes to break water into droplets. This design keeps water pressure low and evenly distributes water onto plants.

6. Garden Hose

When choosing a quality garden hose, look for a cast brass (rather than cheap metal) fittings. You should also select a heavy-duty, high-grade rubber hose to avoid kinking. You’ll also want a hose that rolls up earlier in any weather.

7. Sprinkler 

An oscillating sprinkler is ideal for watering large areas of grass or large garden beds that have plants with similar irrigation needs.

 8. Wheelbarrow 

At some point, most gardeners – even novice ones – will require the help of a wheelbarrow to complete garden tasks. Whether it’s moving soil, mulch, garden debris or moving large shrubs or bricks from one point to another, a good quality wheelbarrow is a must. Look for a high-quality steel wheelbarrow that’s lightweight to take care of heavy-duty jobs. 

So, are you ready to get your green thumb on? Study the Certificate of Home Vegetable Growing and plant and harvest your own fresh veggies in the backyard. 

Certificate of Leisure Marketing – New Course!

With the recent closure of ‘non-essential’ businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic – including many in the leisure sector – many industries are doing it tough. And although the government has offered a variety of financial assistance packages, the reality is that it may take some time for the Australian economy to recover. 

The leisure industry is an integral part of this economy. And like most things, the virus and its significant ramifications will eventually pass. Hence, businesses and individuals must do their best to ensure that when the time comes, they are ready to regroup, re-engage and rebuild. 

Along with this phase will come the need for marketing strategies that will enable leisure businesses to get up and running to deal with the challenges that lay ahead. Our Certificate of Leisure Marketing offers valuable insights and skill development for those currently in the sector or those looking to enter it. These include organisations like sporting clubs, hobby groups, PT businesses, fitness centres, gyms, nightclubs, entertainment venues, amusement parks, holiday resorts, museums and cultural arts centres. Let’s get through this together! 

Learning Outcomes

In the Certificate of Leisure Marketing course, you will: 

  • Learn about marketing and the leisure industry
  • Explore target marketing and what makes people buy 
  • Study marketing and consumer laws 
  • Learn about warranties, conditions and seller liabilities
  • Understand marketing strategies and the purpose of advertising
  • Study demand and supply, and the different types of customers
  • Uncover the marketing mix and matric 
  • Learn about market research, how to sell and how to increase turnover 
  • Study media promotion principles and their place in the marketing mix 
  • Explore the area of public relations
  • Learn about effective advertising and how to structure an ad or promotion 
  • Discover the different types of promotion materials 
  • Study how to design an effective promotions strategy
  • Learn about advertising in the media
  • Explore display advertising, free and magazine advertising
  • Understand the role of copywriting in advertising
  • Study merchandising and displays including signs and signposting
  • Learn how to identify a dissatisfied customer and how to deal with complaints 
  • Study problem-solving techniques including their pitfalls
  • Learn how to improve customer service 
  • Explore how to manage membership and patron levels
  • Uncover what causes patron loss 
  • Study fundraising and sponsorship for-profit and charity
  • Learn about the types of fundraising and how to gain it 
  • Gain insights into managing and organising events in terms of pricing and publicity
  • Learn the success indicators of shows and exhibitions
  • Study how to cater to people overload at shows and exhibitions
  • Understand the success indicators of shows and exhibitions
  • Learn how to gain community participation
  • Discover how to undertake promotional activities
  • Study the networking and marketing involved in fundraising events 
  • Learn about grants, gifts, donations and revenue in fundraising events
  • Gain an understanding of market-sensitive recreation services
  • Discover how to make product line decisions and introduce new products and services 
  • Study how to manage results and customers with special needs in recreation services

Eight Cool Things To Do In ‘Iso’

If you and/or your family have chosen to self-isolate or are practising social distancing, it can be a challenging time. Venues that used to offer leisure opportunities including sporting clubs, entertainment venues, amusement parks and museums are now closed, so how can you avoid boredom while still managing your mental health? 

#1 – Go Green

Gardening has many health benefits, and ‘no-dig’ gardens, in particular, can be an easy way of growing everything from fruits and veggies to bulbs and flowers. Balconies and courtyards can also work just as well – even if it’s just growing a few herbs to freshen up your recipes. Once your garden’s flourishing, you can then sign up for a garden maintenance course, to keep it thriving for years to come! 

#2 – Be Inspired 

American media organisation, Ted Talks, has literally thousands of free video talks to stir your curiosity and broaden your thinking. From business and education to science, creativity and tech, some of the most popular talks to date include What Makes A Good Life?, Looks Aren’t Everything, Believe Me, I’m a Model and The Orchestra In My Mouth. Bet you’re interested now! 

#3 – Connect Creatively

From designing your own website to learning how to produce professional flyers, logos and stationery, online courses are a great way of keeping those creative juices flowing. Love the written word? There is also a myriad of online tools to keep you occupied from improving your grammar and spelling, learning how to write your own biography, to leveraging tips from famous authors. 

#4 – View Virtually 

While museums and galleries are currently closed to the public, you can still have amazing access to history and art online. Take a virtual tour of the Gallery of Victoria, check out the Australian National Portrait Gallery, or watch a live stream of MONA’s most intriguing artworks. Further afield, visit the Louvre in Paris for a tour of its Egyptian antiquities collection, or gain virtual access inside New York’s Met Gallery with its 360° Project.

#5 – Get Wild! 

If you love animals, get your ‘fix’ with more than just a daily walk around the block with your furry friend. From studying an animal grooming course to learning more about our native wildlife with the Australian Museum’s Capturing Climate Change exhibition, the wonderful world of the Web is your go-to. And if you’re a voyeur at heart, forget TV binge-watching and spy on a range of animals hanging out on the live stream cameras set up at a variety of Australian zoos.

#6 – Focus On Fitness

Simply moving is a form of exercise, so gentle walks, gardening and even household chores like vacuuming can help with your fitness. But if you’re keen to up the ante, there are also hundreds of fitness apps out there that can inspire you with everything from workouts and weight loss to tracking your sleep, hydration and kilojoules. Too strenuous? Undertaking daily yoga or meditation sessions won’t just keep you mentally fit, but allow you to practice a little mindfulness as well – which can be very beneficial during these stressful times.

#7 – Listen In

Need some music or comedy in your life? With the Global Citizen and the World Health Organisation’s #TogetherAtHome series, you can now view intimate shows from some of your favourite artists … all from your living room! And for some much-needed LOL’s, head to Amazon Prime for weekly stand-up specials from the likes of Judith Lucy, Celia Pacquola and Lano and Woodley.

#8 – Love Learning!

Whether it’s up-skilling in your current job or offering insights into your favourite past times, online courses are a great way to keep your mind active during ‘iso’. From studying how to service your car, apply makeup or do your own taxes, now is the perfect time to quench your thirst for learning. After a new career in business, hospitality, IT or health care after the coronavirus? Online learning is a great way to go! 

Keen for a career in the leisure sector but finding it difficult to be proactive in these uncertain times? Prepare for the future with our Certificate of Leisure Marketing! 

Introduction to Internet Marketing – New Course! 

Navigating the complex and rapidly changing world of internet marketing can be daunting, which is where our new course, the Introduction to Internet Marketing, comes in. Time to get digital!  

Websites, blogs, online advertising, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, WordPress, Pinterest … the world of internet marketing has many ‘faces’, and all of them are unique and valuable to a business. But only if used to advantage! The key is knowing how to get noticed.

Virtually every enterprise can use internet marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy – and having these skills is not just valuable for those in marketing or social media marketing. Anyone who runs their own business or is responsible for (virtually) connecting with others can benefit from these powerful technologies – they’re universal! 

Learning Outcomes

  • Learn about the history of internet marketing
  • Discover the scope and nature of social media 
  • Explore the possibilities of using social media for marketing a product
  • Learn how to recognise information overload 
  • Study website marketing, social media marketing and the use of video and audio on the internet 
  • Explore the risks and legal concerns involved with internet marketing
  • Learn about Search Engine Optimisation and internet marketing 
  • Study psychology and psychological theories around internet marketing 
  • Understand how internet users think and behave
  • Learn about methods you can use to encourage people to your site
  • Examine how to overcome consumer resistance
  • Learn how to interact and engage with your customers
  • Study how to capture and hold your viewer’s attention
  • Discover the value of page title keywords
  • Learn about the effective applications currently being used in social media
  • Explore why you should use social media when marketing
  • Study the purposes of social media, its variables and ways it can be used in marketing
  • Discover why people use social media to advertise their products
  • Learn about the purposes of different social media applications
  • Study how to use your web presence properly
  • Discover how to ensure you have the appropriate mix of online marketing techniques for your product
  • Learn about the different types of internet marketing
  • Study website essentials and how to plan your website 
  • Explore different website layouts, landing pages and microsites
  • Find out what makes a mobile-friendly website 
  • Gain insights into search engines, apps and internet advertising
  • Learn about internet marketing demographics and promotions 
  • Examine how to establish and leverage an appropriate online presence when marketing a product
  • Explore the marketing processes involved in encouraging customer connections
  • Learn how to set up an online store 
  • Uncover successful tips when it comes to engaging with customers
  • Gain insights into business and marketing plans to ensure user engagement
  • Discover why website content is important 
  • Learn what content to create, how to create it and where to use it
  • Explore the different types of web content including articles, blogs and newsletters 
  • Find out how to link your content with social media platforms 

Internet Marketing Stats For 2020

In the ever-changing world of internet marketing, marketers need to understand that content marketing, in particular, is about more than just about producing mass-produced content. Using a data-driven approach, you can create effectively, targeted campaigns that will help your businesses attract, engage and retain customers. Here are some of the latest Australian SEO and content marketing statistics that will hopefully inspire you to study our internet marketing course! 

Search Engine Optimisation

It’s hard to deny the value of ranking well and attracting organic traffic to your website, and SEO is key to any digital marketing campaign, because: 

  • 93% of online experiences typically begin with the use of a search engine. 
  • Organic searches provide almost 6% more opportunities than paid searches. 
  • 75% of users almost never scroll past the first page of their search results. 

Search Engines 

Google continued to be the powerhouse of the search engine world and increased its market share by around 1% in 2018. Here are the top 5 search engines in Australia:

Google: 94.5%

Bing: 3.46%

MSN: 0.71%

Yahoo!: 0.53%

DuckDuckGo: 0.52%

Search Platforms

So, although mobile usage is gaining in popularity, the majority of Australian users still use their desktop. The top 3 search platforms are:

Desktop: 51.81%

Mobile: 38.09%

Tablet: 9.94%

Smartphones

Also, over the past decade, smartphones have revolutionised our lives in ways well beyond just verbal communication, and they are invaluable platforms for marketing because:

  • 89% of people are likely to recommend a brand to others if they’ve had a positive experience on their smartphone.
  • Over 51% of smartphone users have discovered a new product or business while they’ve been searching on their smartphone. 
  • Mobile searches using the word ‘best’ have grown over 80% in the past two years.

Blogs 

Blogs are regularly updated web pages that are typically written in an informative yet informal or conversational style, and they are an ideal element in an internet marketing strategy because:

  • 80 million blog posts are posted on average every month.
  • Content marketing via blogs gets three times more leads than paid search advertising.
  • 55% of marketers say blog content creation is one of their top inbound marketing priorities.

Social Media

Over half of Australia’s population logs into Facebook every day – so it’s a valuable platform to promote your content. Here are the top 10 social media platform rankings:

  1. Facebook – over 15,000,000 monthly active Australian users
  2. YouTube – over 15,000,000 unique Australian visitors per month
  3. Instagram – over 9,000,000 monthly active Australian users
  4. Snapchat – over 6,400,000 monthly active Australian users
  5. WordPress.com – over 5,800,000 users
  6. Twitter – over 4,700,000 monthly active Australian users
  7. LinkedIn – over 4,500,000 monthly active Australian users
  8. Tumblr – over 3,700,000 users
  9. TripAdvisor – over 2,800,000 users
  10. Yelp – over 1,500,000 users 

 

And, according to a Content Marketing Institute survey done last year, 90% of Australians also use social media posts for marketing purposes with 56% of marketers agreeing that social media is the most effective in helping their organisation achieve specific marketing goals. Here is the breakdown of marketing usage: 

Facebook: 93%

LinkedIn: 87%

Twitter: 74%

YouTube: 64%

 

So, are you ready to amp up your organisation’s marketing efforts? Study our Introduction to Internet Marketing and launch your business into the powerful realms of the digital world … and the future! 

Mental Health Awareness Program – New Course!

According to the World Health Organisation, mental health is ‘a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can make a contribution to her or his community’. When a person has a condition that affects their mental health, they may have a mental health disorder or illness, which includes conditions like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Beyond Blue, an organisation that works to address issues associated with mental health disorders cites one in six Australians is currently experiencing anxiety or depression or both. It also claims that one in eight Australians is currently experiencing high or very high psychological distress. 

As such, mental health care and management is a billion-dollar industry, and it continues to grow – particularly with the highly stressful events taking place across the globe at present. Our NEW Mental Health Awareness Program will give you the skills and knowledge you need to undertake a rewarding career that will assist with the population’s growing mental health issues, both now and into the future. 

 

Learning Outcomes

  • Study the definition of abnormality in terms of social constructs, statistical infrequency and the failure to function adequately.
  • Learn about labelling and stigmatisation of mental health and how it relates to mental illness.
  • Undertake a case study of African Caribbean people and schizophrenia.
  • Explore the causes of mental health illness including the social, physical, psychological and environmental factors.
  • Learn about the Diathesis-Stress Model.
  • Discover some of the treatments for mental health problems.
  • Study the forms of depression in men and women.
  • Learn how to determine the types, forms, causes, triggers and risk factors of depression. 
  • Gain an understanding of gender and depression and older people and depression.
  • Learn about some of the treatments for depression.
  • Study the psychological aspects of long-term grief.
  • Explore anxiety, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
  • Study post-traumatic stress disorder.
  • Gain insights into schizophrenia – the causes, symptoms, subtypes, and how to diagnose and treat it.
  • Learn about Personality Disorders, Psychopathy and its causes and treatment.
  • Study eating disorders and their causes, including body image and self-esteem.
  • Explore Anorexia Nervosa and its symptoms and treatment.
  • Learn about Bulimia Nervosa and its symptoms, associated behaviours and treatment. 
  • Study obesity and psychological complications and treatment. 
  • Explore dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in terms of the types, causes, care and management.  
  • Learn about a holistic approach to mental health in terms of diet, exercise, body imbalances, psychological and psychosocial factors and self-control techniques.
  • Study the role of social support networks and self-help groups in the mental health space.
  • Study the services available for mental health issues including counsellors, psychotherapists, clinical psychologists, nurses, professional carers, crisis centres, telephone and online counselling, group therapy and complementary therapies.

 

Why Study The Mental Health Awareness Program?

A course in mental health awareness will help you understand the signs, symptoms and possible treatments of adult mental health problems. It will also give you the tools to help someone suffering from mental health issues help themselves. This could be by finding ways to alleviate symptoms which the individual has little or no control over, and then educating them to leverage practical strategies and techniques to help control those symptoms. 

Career opportunities in this rewarding sector are wide and varied, and the job opportunities in the health field are virtually endless. They include working in:

  • Relationship, family, couple, grief, substance abuse, rehabilitation or body image counselling
  • Careers counselling, life coaching or stress management
  • Private practice or in self-employment 
  • A school or government institution 
  • An HR department or as an organisation’s mental health coordinator 
  • The medical field as a GP or mental health nurse 
  • Social services or as a caseworker 
  • Aged care services
  • Sports, clinical, forensic, social, military, aviation, industrial, criminal, educational, industrial relations or developmental psychology fields 
  • The education, psychiatry or occupational therapist sector 
  • Mental health marketing or education

Case Study – Psychologist Marie Jahoda

We have already mentioned the World Health Organisation’s definition of ‘mental health’, but what does good mental health mean? 

Born in 1907, Marie Jahoda was an Austrian-British social psychologist who developed the theory of Ideal Mental Health in 1958. In her book, Current Concepts of Positive Mental Health, she criticised psychologists for focussing on mental illness and disease rather than on mental health and well-being. Along with this, she developed the idea of what became known as ‘positive psychology’, and argued that what we consider ‘mentally ill’ largely depends on social conventions. 

After surveying several doctors and psychiatrists, she discovered six characteristics formed the conditions for mental ‘normality’: 

· Personal growth and development

· Positive self-esteem and a strong sense of identity

· The ability to cope with stressful situations

· Autonomy and independence

· An accurate perception of reality

· A successful mastery of the environment, including relationships

These included factors, such as being able to:  

  • Manage time well 
  • Form relationships successfully 
  • Have meaningful social relationships
  • Work well with other people
  • Be regularly active 
  • Have high self-esteem 

In her work, Jahoda studied unemployed people and found that they were often unhappy because they did not have many of these qualities in their lives. For example, because they weren’t working with others, they weren’t regularly active, and their unhappiness was not ‘just’ because they were poorer because of their unemployment.

Many modern psychologists have supported her research. However, others have criticised it, often because of Western cultural values. Autonomy, for example, is considered not as culturally valid in more collectivist cultures, where cooperation is valued more than independence. However, her work at the time was ground-breaking and is still a fascinating concept in terms of how we define both mental health and mental illness. 

 

Keen to assist individuals to enhance their quality of life in these overwhelmingly stressful times? Our Mental Health Awareness Program will give you the knowledge and skills to make a real difference in people’s lives.

Certificate of Family Therapy – New Course! 

Study family therapy and discover how you can assist families in need – whether it’s strengthening family dynamics, helping to heal emotional wounds, or leveraging interventions that will ultimately lead to positive change. What a rewarding way to spend your working week! 

When a family is healthy and happy, everything seems right in the world. Most families have a built-in resilience to the challenges that life throws at them, but even the strongest of families sometimes need help beyond their resources. A range of factors can also contribute to family breakdowns – from family crises and mental health challenges to financial hardship and even just the stresses of modern-day life, which is why family counsellors are so critical to today’s society. 

Why Study Family Therapy?

Family therapy is an area of counselling that is important for families because individual therapies often can’t heal broader family issues. This is particularly the case if all family members are affected by the behaviour of one individual, or the family itself has become fragmented and non-functional. A family therapy course can help you understand the different approaches you might take and give you a range of techniques that can be used in family situations. 

If you want to study family therapy, you’re choosing an in-demand occupation. The current average salary for a family therapist in Australia is around $65K, and the growth of jobs in this sector is also predicted to be very strong.

This course is ideal for anyone working with or interested in helping families in distress. This includes those working or hoping to work in: 

  • Family counselling
  • Psychology
  • Counselling
  • Psychotherapy
  • Social work
  • Psychiatric nursing
  • Caring roles
  • Support work
  • Health professions
  • Health education
  • Teaching

Learning Outcomes

  • Explore the nature and scope of families
  • Learn about the different types of families
  • Explore the traditional family structures
  • Gain an understanding of how family dynamics are similar and different from the past 
  • Explore the common problems for both couples and families 
  • Learn about how families cope with problems in different locations and cultures 
  • Study family systems, life cycles and dynamics 
  • Gain an understanding of the cultural variations in families 
  • Learn about the various crises that occur in families 
  • Study the effects of changing cultures for immigrant families
  • Explore the evolving structures of families in terms of religion, changing parents, incoming grandparents, new or departing siblings or when two families merge 
  • Learn about the effects of family abuse, violence, breakdowns and death and illness in families 
  • Study the impact of changes in location or income on families 
  • Explore family disintegration and reintegration 
  • Learn how to see patterns and identify problems
  • Study critical and long-standing family incidents 
  • Learn about the support structures for families and how support services can be accessed 
  • Study the benefits of extended families, community services, social networks and religious connections
  • Gain an understanding of the types of counselling including individual and group counselling 
  • Learn about the approaches to family therapy 
  • Uncover how to conduct initial interviews and sessions and consider solutions 
  • Study how to determine family roles and establish rules 

A Day in The Life of a Family Therapist 

Every family is unique, which is why a career in family therapy offers not only variety but unique and exciting challenges … practically every day! However, there are a few basic tasks that family therapists perform consistently. They include: 

  • Asking questions that will help family members identify their feelings and behaviours.
  • Counselling clients on concerns, such as divorce and separation, unsatisfactory relationships, home management, child-rearing and financial difficulties.
  • Addressing personal issues, including family relationship problems and destructive patterns of behaviour.
  • Encouraging family members to develop and use strategies to confront their challenges constructively.
  • Developing and implementing individualised treatment plans.
  • Maintaining case files that include evaluations, activities, progress notes and recommendations.
  • Conferring with clients to develop strategies for post-treatment activities.
  • Conferring with doctors and other counsellors and professionals to analyse individual cases and coordinate counselling services.
  • Following up on the results of counselling programs to determine the effectiveness of programs.
  • Providing instructions to clients on how to obtain help with legal, financial and other personal issues.

 

Keen to help struggling families understand their issues and work towards resolving them? Embrace your compassionate nature with our Certificate of Family Therapy.

Certificate of Biopsychology – New Course! 

Biopsychology. Psychobiology. Physiological Psychology. Biological Psychology. All lovely words to describe a combination of biology and psychology – a science that offers insights into the workings of the human brain. Fascinating, right? 

But it’s not just an interesting science combo – biopsychology plays an integral part in understanding ‘normal’ brain functioning. It offers insights into how brain diseases and injury can influence our feelings, behaviours and thoughts. 

It also allows researchers and those who have done biopsychology courses to come up with new ways of treating potential health problems, including diseases like Parkinson’s, which currently affects around 40,000 Australians. It’s an exciting science, and we’re excited too – because we are now launching our Certificate of Biopsychology! 

Learning Outcomes

  • Explore the nervous system, including external and internal stimuli.
  • Gain further insights into the mind-body debate.
  • Study the senses, including sensory input and perception.
  • Learn about the nervous system, including neurons, and the peripheral and autonomic nervous systems.
  • Discover more about the endocrine system, including the effect of hormones on behaviour and physiology.
  • Explore the types of stressors and how stress affects the personality and physical body.
  • Study emotions including theories, homeostasis and physiological responses like eating disorders.
  • Learn about consciousness including the degrees, awareness and attention and altered states of consciousness.
  • Explore advanced biopsychology concepts like evolution, genetics and experience.
  • Learn about the research methods in biopsychology, including behavioural genetics and psychophysiological measures.
  • Study the models of memory, Korsakoff’s syndrome and the types of amnesia.
  • Examine language in terms of the brain, apraxia, diphasia and the theories of Broca and Wernicke.
  • Explore brain damage in terms of the causes and types including epilepsy, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. 
  • Learn about brain damage recovery, including the stages and the area of neuroplasticity.
  • Study the effects of drugs on the brain in terms of steroid, barbiturates and illegal drug addiction. 

Why Study This Course?

The average annual psychologist salary in Australia is currently around $77,000, and the future growth of jobs in this area is considered to be very strong. 

This specialty psychology course may be studied by itself or as part of a certificate or higher-level course, either as a career move or for professional development purposes. It suits: 

  • Health practitioners 
  • Health professionals
  • Counsellors
  • Psychologists
  • Psychotherapists
  • Fitness and sports professionals
  • Those working in research, teaching or health and biological science professions

History of Biopsychology 

While it might seem like a relatively recent development, the roots of biopsychology date back thousands of years to the time of the early philosophers. However, it’s worth noting that it’s only in recent history that we have come to understand the location of the mind! 

Philosopher Aristotle, for example, believed our thoughts and feelings arose from the heart. Greek thinkers like Hippocrates and later Plato suggested the brain was where the mind resides and that it served as the source of all thought and action. Later on, thinkers like René Descartes and Leonardo da Vinci introduced theories about how the nervous system operated. While all of these early theories were essentially proven wrong, they did establish an important idea – that external stimulation could lead to muscle responses. 

The concept that certain parts of the brain were responsible for certain functions also played an important role in the development of future brain research – like the famous case of Phineas Gage. Gage was a railroad worker who suffered a devastating brain injury – a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain’s left frontal lobe. Astoundingly, he lived to tell the tale and survived for another 12 years! 

Cases like this had an important influence on our understanding of how damage to certain parts of the brain can impact behaviour and functioning. Since those early influences, researchers have made important discoveries about how the brain works. Research on neurons, neurotransmitters, evolution and the localisation of brain function, have all advanced our understanding of how biological processes impact thoughts, emotions and behaviours. 

10 Amazing Facts About The Brain 

  1. Your brain has about 100 billion neurons – that’s about as many stars as you’d find in the Milky Way! 
  2. Our brains continue to produce new neurons throughout our lifespan.
  3. While humans can’t regenerate central nervous system nerves, worms can! 
  4. Not all brain cells are the same – there are all shapes and sizes, and different types do different jobs.
  5. Because of something called neuroplasticity, the brain is constantly changing in response to experience.
  6. Signals in your neurons can travel at the same speed as a Formula 1 car (around 360 km/h)! 
  7. The left/right-brain dominance is a myth – no one side of the brain is used more than the other.
  8. The brain is the most energy-intensive part of our body, using 20 per cent of our energy even though it makes up just three per cent of our weight.
  9. The brain is mostly water – that’s why sometimes if you’re dehydrated you feel dizzy or light-headed.
  10. Your brain is hyper-efficient, running on just 20 watts of power as opposed to a computer, which needs 65 to 250 watts. So, switch off that computer and switch on your brain! 

 

Keen to delve into the fascinating science of Biopsychology? Start with our Certificate of Biopsychology, further your qualifications with our Advanced Course … and get psyched! 

Boosting Productivity at Work for Success

Boosting productivity at work doesn’t mean working harder or faster. Rather, it’s about working smarter so that at the end of a busy day you feel accomplished, not stressed!

So, what’s the secret boosting productivity at work? We spoke to the experts to discover productivity hacks that’ll have you out the office door before you hit the floor!

Sally Foley-Lewis, the author of The Productive Leader, says boosting productivity at work means first focusing on your personal productivity.

 

  1. Identify the procrastination triggers

Procrastination triggers are usually based on stress, explains Ms Foley-Lewis. Ask yourself, what is the stress that is triggering this procrastination

“There are many types of procrastination and once identified it’s easier to minimise them. Given life is always full of ups and downs, it’s unrealistic to think you can rid procrastination forever. The trick is to identify it early and take positive and productive action.”

 

  1. Set tomorrow up for success today

Develop afternoon and morning rituals – they’re good productivity boosters.

Afternoon

At the end of the day

  • List tasks you know can trigger procrastination. Write them out in full, so you can’t waste time tomorrow
  • Identify one thing you’re proud of achieving throughout the day and/or thank someone for their help
  • Put on a timer for 2 to 5 minutes and tidy your work area, so it’s more inviting tomorrow.

 

Morning

At the beginning of the day

  • Prioritise a list of tasks according to the most value-laden and important first
  • Schedule those tasks into your calendar so you own your day first, and before others add appointments into your calendar
  • Schedule a block of time in your day marked private, even just 10 minutes as wiggle room.

“If you set up your afternoons and mornings daily, it helps to keep flexibility in your day.

If you must shift your important work for someone else, move your important appointment, don’t simply delete it.”

  1. Schedule you

Your health, wellbeing, self-awareness and personal development are how you fill up your tank to operate at your best, explains Ms Foley-Lewis.

“Most people want to perform well. It’s hard to give your best when you’re running on empty. Scheduling you into your daily or weekly calendar is essential.”

Beck Lomas, Marketing Director at Promotr, leads a team of busy and deadline-driven professionals in digital marketing and has the following productivity hacks.

  1. Take regular short breaks

    It may seem counter-intuitive, but short breaks refresh the brain between tasks and ensure team members are at maximum capacity when tackling a new task.

  2. Have fun

Fun is more invigorating than a food break, juice or even coffee, explains Ms Beck.

“I ensure there is a lot of ways to have fun at work during breaks, such as shooting hoops, funny quotes of the day, and sharing of funny social media content.

“A short laugh can invigorate both body and mind, boosting productivity.”

Boosting Productivity at Work – Happiness is Key

Eugenie Pepper, a counsellor, says science-backed research shows happy employees perform better and are more productive.

“The principles of positive psychology can be used in the workplace to improve wellbeing and productivity.

“When we are happier, our mood is up. And when we’re feeling positive, we are more motivated and efficient and therefore more successful and productive.

“Unhappy employees take more sick days – up to 15 more a year.”

Good leaders use positivity to motivate and maximise performance, and this positivity is contagious, explains Ms Pepper.

“Studies have shown that managers who provide recognition and encouragement increase productivity in their staff by 31 per cent.

“Just believing in your employees’ skills and intelligence can boost productivity. Positive belief is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“Giving employees the feeling that they have some control is also a driver of wellbeing and performance.”

If you’d like to boost your productivity at work, take a look at our Motivation Strategies for Success. 

5 Reasons Why Personal Development Courses Matter

Personal development courses are an investment in you. They’re an education in how to be the best you can be – in your career and your personal life.

After all, one influences the other. If you’re struggling in your career, it’s bound to carry over to your personal life and vice versa.

And if you’re doing well in your career – your personal life will reap the benefits.  As long as you’re not a workaholic, of course!

But there are differences between professional development and personal development courses (or self-development courses).

 

Professional Development V’s Personal Development

While professional development improves your skills and knowledge in your career, personal development courses aim to develop you as a whole person.

Clayton Jan, a business communication consultant, says it’s not easy to define personal versus professional development.

“You could say they’re not categories but a continuum, from personal development through to professional development.

“Some activities are evidently one or the other and some are a mix of both. What could be professional development for one will be personal development for the other.

“The question is, what is the benefit? Is it for you personally, or for economic reasons? I learned about time management and organisation, for example, as part of preparing for an office reorganisation, rather than for personal development,” says Jan.

 

Professional Development 

Professional development courses build your knowledge and skills in your job. These skills generally don’t carry over to your personal life.

They do enable you to move forward in your career with confidence. A confidence that comes from knowing your skills are in demand.

An example of professional development skills include:

  • IT training  
  • Occupational health and safety knowledge 
  • Accounting
  • Legal expertise 
  • Health and medical terminology 

 

Personal (Self) Development 

Personal development courses concentrate on building skills that are useful in your career and your personal life.

Personal development is about investing in your greatest asset – you. It helps you improve your self-awareness and identify. It also develops your talents to find your true potential, which improves the quality of your relationships and helps you achieve your life goals. 

An example of personal development courses include:

  • Assertive communication
  • Conflict management
  • Building emotional intelligence
  • Developing a growth mindset
  • goal setting
  • Organisation and prioritising 
  • Anger, time and stress management

 

5 Reasons to Invest in Personal Development 

There are five main reasons to study personal development, according to Mr Jan. 

 

  1. Confidence with others. If you find yourself uncertain of something or missing a skill, you can learn about it and be confident in it, whether that’s for purely personal, social, or work-related reasons.
  2. Comfortable within yourself. Learning about yourself, what makes you ‘tick’, what your weaknesses are and why, and how to address it or work around it, makes a huge difference in making life comfortable.
  3. It makes life easier. It gives you tools to cope—you never know when something is going to happen that forces you to deal with a situation you never thought of before. If you’re used to always trying to improve yourself, you are more likely to face those times with a positive mindset.
  4. It’s fun. I learned Adobe InDesign for work. I learn about astronomy for fun (an appreciation for our environment puts problems into perspective).
  5. Personal development is a lifetime activity. I knew someone who, in her eighties, decided she wanted to go to Rome and so learned Italian. When I studied French, it was for purely personal enjoyment (and I wanted to do something I couldn’t ‘theorise’ y way through, as a way to learn how to be comfortable being uncomfortable).

 

“For someone starting out, foundational understanding is useful, for example, time management, work-life balance, organisational skills, communication, and goal-setting.

“I have been doing personal development for so long, I can see that I don’t have a typical list. For example, things like time management, work-life balance, or developing goals are no longer challenges, just things to manage. I am now focussing on leadership and mentoring.”

 

Professional and Personal Development Are Complementary 

Personal development courses and professional development go hand-in-hand, says Mr Jan.

“While professional development focuses on knowledge, skills and techniques, personal development focuses on how you can bring that professional development to bear.” 

Professional development can benefit you personally. But personal development has a greater potential to overflow into your personal life, explains Mr Jan, and both should be lifetime activities.

“I was given the opportunity to undertake a 360-degree team assessment. The results were surprising. I was one of the most invested in the enterprise and yet was seen by others as the least invested. 

“In response, I undertook a range of development activities in my weak areas, from learning workplace training facilitation to engaging an executive coach.”

The results were impressive, says Mr Jan, including improved relationships, the ability to influence others, network and negotiate.  It also set the foundations for future personal and professional growth. 

“It also gave me insight into what I can and cannot do. There are some things I am not good at, and I know why. I know myself well enough to make those calls based on information rather than fear.”

 

Personal Development is Ongoing 

 Personal development shouldn’t be considered a distinct or occasional activity, but ongoing and part of life, says Mr Jan. 

“Seeing a limitation in your capabilities and taking action to either improve it or work around it becomes a normal part of life, and that’s what makes things better over time.”

In a way, it’s Socrates’ dictum, “The unexamined life is not worth living”: we examine ourselves, and improve our quality of life, through undertaking what would be personal development for us.

 

The Ultimate Self-Development Program 

If you’ve been considering personal development courses, take a look at The Ultimate Self-Development Program. 

In this comprehensive personal development course, you will enhance your communication, negotiation and organisation skills.

You will also gain the skills and knowledge to manage time, stress, anger and gain critical insight into conflict resolution to manage your relationships – both at work and in your personal life. 

You will also learn about a growth mindset and be able to identify a culture that has a growth mindset, and how to develop it in yourself and others for greater personal and professional success. 

Discover many professional and personal development courses online and enrolling now – be the best you can be. After all, there’s no time like the present. 

New Course – Certificate of Operations Management

Operations management skills are invaluable as market trends change constantly. It is through operational excellence that organisations can improve their internal processes and gain a competitive advantage, which can lead to customer retention and increased profits.

 

There are over two million companies in Australia, and more than 400,000 of them are small and medium-sized businesses that have supply chain and logistics functions. Operations managers are an essential part of almost every industry, including in manufacturing and service organisations in both the private and public sectors.

 

Learning Outcomes

 

The Certificate of Operations Management is an online professional development course that will help you organise workplaces, meet strategic objectives, and improve the quality and efficiency of internal processes and operations.

 

In this operations management course, you will explore popular inventory management tools, and learn about the transformation model, the product and service life cycle, the components of a supply chain and the key objectives involved in supply chain management. You will also learn about demand forecasting, capacity management and value stream mapping via ‘Lean’ techniques, and explore the revolutionary Kanban system.

 

On completion of this course, you will be equipped with the transformative strategies that will help you enhance an organisation’s ‘best practice’ operations to be sustainable over the long term. 

 

Is This Course for You?

 

The Certificate of Operations Management suits those who are seeking operations management skills and roles in sectors ranging from finance, retail, education and insurance to healthcare, government institutions and manufacturing companies.

 

Why Become an Operations Manager?

 

  • While your future role may vary according to the organisation and industry you work in, you will be typically tasked with financial and resource management, as well as communications, risk management and quality control.

 

  • Operations management skills you’ll attain include overseeing processes, minimising operational costs, strategy development and product design, including designing systems that cater to market trends and customer needs.

 

  • From a personal development perspective, you’ll also fine-tune your leadership, communication, analytical and interpersonal skills.

 

  • The demand for operation management positions will continue to grow in 2019. Seek is currently advertising over 2000 Operations Manager jobs in the supply chain industry across Australia in the categories of sales, manufacturing, admin, IT, healthcare, construction, retail, accounting/finance and logistics/warehouse. Seek is also currently advertising over 8000 Operations Manager jobs in the logistics industry across Australia. 

 

  • An entry-level Operations Manager with less than one year’s experience can expect to earn an average salary of around $66,700, someone with one to four years’ experience, an average salary of about $79,000, and people with five to nine years’ experience could earn over $90,000 per year.

 

  • Your new job title could be Business Operations Manager, Purchasing Manager, Traffic Manager, Warehouse Manager, Logistics Manager or even Operations Research Analyst!

 

A Day in the Life Of … 

 

Operations Managers should be able to meet client demands and needs by staying up-to-date with industry trends, while also considering cost-effectiveness and the optimal utilisation of resources.

 

Depending on the industry, a typical day could involve working closely with colleagues (i.e. supervising employees, supporting sales staff or working with senior management on strategic plans), and making strategic decisions (about management methodologies, production processes, financial data, technology or goods and services distribution). 

Managing Diversity in the Workplace (What’s Your Unconscious Bias?)

Managing diversity in the workplace is crucial to increasing inclusivity, which leads to greater success in today’s complex, global business environment.

In fact, the business case for diversity is convincing with far-reaching benefits for the culture of an organisation as well as a stronger competitive advantage.

Unfortunately, many businesses find it difficult to overcome one of the most significant barriers to a more diverse and inclusive workplace – unconscious bias.  

So, let’s take a look at diversity, inclusivity, unconscious bias – and what this all means for the future of business.

 

What is Diversity?

 A diverse workplace is one that employs a wide range of people with a variety of differences in gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, race, ethnicity, cultural background, education, and ability. 

 While not an extensive list, as many differences make us unique (from the way we think to our values), these incorporate the most apparent differences and the ones that can lead to unconscious bias. 

 Managing diversity in the workplace well leads to inclusivity. An inclusive workplace, where everyone feels acknowledged and valued, represents another essential cultural and organisational advantage. 

 

What is Inclusion?

The Diversity Council of Australia (DCA) states that inclusion occurs in the workplace when a diverse range of people feel valued and respected, have access to opportunities and resources, and can contribute their perspectives and talents to improve their organisation.

Fiona Krautil, Founder & Principal Consultant, Diversity Know-How, says research continues to demonstrate that managing diversity in the workplace leads to:

 

  • Employee engagement 
  • Job satisfaction 
  • Staff retention
  • Employee wellbeing
  • Effectiveness 
  • Innovation 
  • Service delivery 
  • Organisation performance and ROI
  • Reduction in risk, unlawful behaviour, harassment and discrimination.

 

Tips for Managing Diversity in the Workplace 

Businesses can incorporate diversity and inclusivity in the workplace by educating, empowering and encouraging leaders and employees, explains Ms Krautil.

“Encourage the senior leadership team to identify and collectively share their diversity and inclusivity case change. 

“So, why does diversity and inclusivity matter to the organisation’s performance? Then develop a change-maker plan, and collectively lead the diversity and inclusivity agenda.” 

It’s also essential to educate and empower people to co-create a more inclusive culture by asking them to:

 

  • Educate others – ask for reasons behind people’s opinions when you suspect more assumption than fact
  • Change it – critically review processes and systems for bias which may be causing exclusion, disadvantage or limiting the talent pool
  • Call out bias – call out bias behaviours or stereotyping and expose the blind spot to educate and inform
  • Identify hot spots of innovative diversity and inclusivity practice in the organisation – that can then be scaled
  • Pilot more inclusive ways of working that can be scaled. 

 

It’s also critical to set diversity and inclusivity cultural expectations and consequences, explains Ms Krautil, to hold leaders and teams accountable through KPIs. So, set measurable milestones and track progress.

“Remember, the research evidence shows if we don’t consciously include, we will unconsciously exclude as our human brain is hardwired to see a difference as a danger,” says Ms Krautil.

 

Strong Business Case for Diversity 

Employers have a responsibility to ensure they’re not discriminatory, but managing diversity in the workplace also makes good business sense. 

The DCA, states that managing diversity in the workplace leads to improvements in organisational performance, effectiveness, profitability and revenue generation:

  • A workplace that values diversity and is free of discrimination and is more productive
  • Greater employee satisfaction leads to improved productivity and profitability
  • Reduced employee turnover cuts the cost of having to replace skilled and experienced people
  • Harnessing employee skills and perspectives increases creativity and innovation.

 

Barriers to Managing Diversity in the Workplace

So, how do you ensure you’re managing diversity in the workplace well? The first step to diversifying your workplace and encouraging inclusivity is to confront and change your unconscious bias.

It is only when we identify the unconscious bias that we can begin to see meaningful change within an organisation’s culture that leads to inclusivity. 

It is crucial to identify any unconscious bias before recruitment, so leaders are deliberately creating a diverse workforce. 

 

If workplace diversity and inclusivity is important to your organisation or your role within a company, consider how you’re managing diversity in the workplace. 

Engaging in diversity training to overcome unconscious bias is the first step that individuals and organisations can take to ensure diversification and inclusivity is on the agenda. 

 

What is Unconscious Bias? Are You Guilty?

If creating and managing diversity in the workplace is on the agenda, consider the most significant barrier – unconscious bias.

There are many cultural and competitive advantages to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace culture. Still, efforts are often hindered by the unconscious bias of leaders and employees within an organisation.

So, what is unconscious bias – and what can workplaces do about it?

 

What is Unconscious Bias?

Unconscious biases are attitudes that are learned and reinforced by stereotypes. These biases stem from stereotypes that are automatic, unintentional, entrenched, widespread, and are often the basis for patterns of behaviour in the workplace that prevent diversity and inclusion. 

Research is proving that our unconscious biases perpetuate stereotypes all the time, as our brains are hardwired toward patterns of similarity which makes differences harder adapt.

If workplace diversity and inclusivity is important to your organisation or your role within a company, consider managing diversity in the workplace. 

You may need to engage in diversity training to overcome unconscious bias. Engaging in diversity training to overcome unconscious bias is the first step that individuals and organisations can take to ensure diversification and inclusivity is on the agenda. 

13 Tips to Really Kick Career Goals

Is it time to kick some career goals? You might be comfortable in your career, but are you challenged? Do you wake up excited about the week ahead? If you’re shaking your head, these tips on achieving your career goals will speak (or shout) to you.

Simon Bennett, Career Coach and Principal Consultant at Glide Outplacement, advises that when your career is starting to feel stale, consider the following to turn it around.  

 

  1. Seek New Challenges

If you’re unhappy at work, it might be time to start doing more of what you enjoy. You could take on a variety of new challenges or consider expanding on your skillset, which can make your career more rewarding.  

 

  1. Look for Opportunity at Work 

Volunteer for other opportunities within your workplace, such as project work or secondments. You might be surprised that you enjoy the temporary work so much that you decide to make it permanent.

 

  1. Propose a New Job for Yourself

Maybe the job you want doesn’t yet exist. If you believe it would generate or take advantage of new business opportunities, you could suggest this role for you be created for you. 

 

  1. Make a Career Ladder Move

A promotion will give you more responsibility, new skills, higher pay or status. Alternatively, if you want to change your job but not take on more responsibility, working with a new team (but on the same level) could see you carrying out different tasks. 

 

  1. Take on an Additional Job

A second job or voluntary work can ‘fill the gaps’ in your current position. It can provide more fulfilment to your work, an opportunity to be more creative or meet new people.

 

Change Leadership and Career Expert Michelle Gibbings says the world is changing, which means to stay relevant it’s vital to be comfortable with career change and reinvention. 

So, to reinvent and kick your career goals, you should heed the following career advice, according to Ms Gibbings.

 

  1. Actively Plan Your Career

You should take time to actively plan your career goals by setting aside time to consider what you want to achieve. You should also monitor the progress you’ve made and identify key next steps to making your career goals a reality. 

Consider what’s happening around you – how is your role, profession and industry changing?

Most of the workforce will be impacted by disruptive technologies, including automation and artificial intelligence, so you need to be ready.

 

  1. Be Clear on Your Value

Everyone brings their own unique skills and style to the workplace, so be clear about the value you bring to the table. Then make sure that you consistently deliver value with the work you do.

 

  1. Build Your Profile and Connect

Build a profile where you are the go-to expert on something and are respected, and have a network that will advocate for your expertise.

 You may need to spend time thinking more about what you can do for others, rather than what they can do for you. The more you help others, the more they will want to help you achieve your career goals. 

 

 Consider:

  • How can I help a colleague or connection build their network? Is there someone in my network that I can connect them with?
  • Have I got new knowledge or insight that I could easily share?
  • Can I help a colleague or friend with their career goals? 

 

  1. Seek Out Learning Opportunities 

Don’t wait for your organisation to create learning opportunities for you. Successful people know that learning is crucial to future career success and to achieving career goals. They continuously seek new ideas and ways to stretch themselves.

 

Consider:

  • Buy a book on a topic that interests you (but is different from your day job).
  •  If you sit in an office, attend a course that requires you to use your hands, such as woodwork, craft or design.
  •  Go to a lecture on a subject that will broaden your field of view. Or subscribe to online news so that you can get up to date information and knowledge from around the world.
  •  Get a coach who can help you uncover your career goals and motivations.
  •  Invest in learning more about yourself, your emotional intelligence and emotional triggers.
  •  Take on feedback from sponsors, mentors, colleagues and peers as it’s crucial to understand how people see you and how that differs from how you see yourself.

 

  1. Get Active and Manage Stress

Your mental and physical health impacts on your focus, productivity, decision making, and how you relate to work colleagues. Today’s work environment is also stressful, so it’s important to be able to regulate your behaviour and manage stress. 

 

 Consider:

  • Are you getting enough sleep?
  • Are you eating well and exercising?
  • Are you finding time to reflect?
  • Are you setting aside time each day for me-time? 
  • Are you finding ways to recharge and maintain your energy levels?

 

 Your career is meaningful, but it is only a part of your life. So, make sure you plan and manage your career goals as part of your ‘whole life’ goals. 

 

Katrena Friel, author of Refresh Your Career: 7 Steps to Refreshing Success, shares a few of her tips on refreshing your success to kick career goals. 

 

  1. Access Your Personal Power 

Personal power is being able to walk into a room with self-confidence. When your personal power is lacking, you tend to be passed over for promotions, you’re invisible, and you cannot say no. 

 

To harness your personal power, you need to own your space and feel comfortable in your own skin. You should send a clear message to your unconscious mind that you want to have access to as much of your personal power as possible. 

 

  1. Develop Your Emotional Intelligence 

Emotional Intelligence (EQ), is one of nine intelligences. In business, it is considered one of the most important intelligences and is highly valued in business today. It pretty much determines your career success.

Essentially it is two things. First, ‘know yourself’ and ‘Know your impact on others’. There is no way you can do the second without the first. That’s EQ in a nutshell! 

 

  1. Be Yourself

How willing are you to be vulnerable at the right moments, so that people want to help and support you? Be genuine and true to yourself to avoid perfectionism. 

Being a perfectionist is to be machine-like. Nobody has ever enjoyed working for a machine.

 

Are you inspired to kick some career goals? If so, Australian Online Courses can help you to gain the skills and knowledge you need to achieve that promotion or to change careers and start doing something you love.  

 

Australian Online Courses

If you’re looking for an online training provider that offers quality content, reasonable course fees and superior student support, choose Australian Online Courses for your professional development.

Simply visit us online to discover hundreds of flexible, online, professional development courses covering almost every industry sector. Or contact one of our friendly Learning Consultants on 1300 762 221 or via Live Chat.

How to Become a Chaplain (And What’s a Humanist)?

If you’re wondering how to become a chaplain, your thoughts may turn to religious ties or spirituality.

A chaplain is a spiritual representative often attached to a religious institution – they may or may not be certified or ordained to carry out their duties.

While traditionally, most chaplains identify with a religion, many represent various faiths or identify as humanist chaplains and act as a neutral spiritual resource. 

There are many chaplaincy courses to help you train to become a chaplain or to maintain your professional development as a chaplain.

 

What is a Humanist Chaplain? 

A humanist chaplain supports and cares for people lovingly without reference to or discussions about religion.

 

What Do Chaplains Do? 

If you’re considering how to become a chaplain, you should also think about the nature of the role, and what will be required.

As a chaplain, you will support people experiencing hardship, trauma or ill health and will be required to:

 

  • Listen with compassion and patience
  • Offer a safe space for people to share their experiences and feelings.
  • Help people work through difficult life circumstances.
  • Assist in times of crisis, such as ill-health and disasters

 

There are many chaplaincy courses that help chaplains to support those under their guidance and care, from youth work to alcohol and drug addiction and homelessness support.

 

What is Humanism?

Humanists Australia says humanism is an approach to life which focuses on living ethically and enjoying life, without the need to rely on supernatural or other extra-human sources of ethics and meaning. 

The worldwide humanist movement works to make the world a better place. 

Humanists believe everyone should live an ethical life caring for people, animals and the planet, without a need for religion. They also believe everyone has the right to enjoy their religion if it does not cause any harm.

 

How to Become a Chaplain – Chaplaincy Courses

There are many options to learn the knowledge and skills required in chaplaincy.

Chaplaincy courses offered online include the Certificate of Chaplaincy, Pastoral and Spiritual Care, which is a professional development program providing the knowledge and skills required to provide chaplaincy and pastoral care services.

On completion of this chaplaincy course, you may seek voluntary or paid work as part of a pastoral care team in a variety of settings, including hospitals, residential and aged-care facilities, community outreach centres and churches.

 

Professional Development for Chaplains 

Maintaining professional development is crucial in chaplaincy, particularly in community services and social welfare. 

Australian Online Courses offers the following online chaplaincy courses that may be helpful, professional development for chaplains.

Homelessness Support

Aged and Home Care

Certificate of Palliative Care

Certificate of Youth Work & Justice

Understanding Domestic Violence

Certificate of Addiction Support – Drugs and Alcohol

Certificate of Chronic Disease Support

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