With online training courses more accessible than ever, now is the perfect time to start considering participating in some virtual study. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, being able to learn virtually across Australia has become a bigger focus. But how do you choose the virtual study options that are right for you?
We’ve put together a handy list of the top online training courses you can take in Australia right now. Best of all, some of these suggestions will put you ahead of the game when it comes to the new virtual world we find ourselves in.
Virtual Readiness Courses
Throughout all industries, we’re headed for a big change in the way we do business. We’ve all been put in a situation where virtual learning, collaboration, and management have been thrust upon us. With remote working comes plenty of challenges, but there are a number of courses designed to give you the skills required to cope successfully in a virtual world.
Although we might be slowly getting back to normal, the way we do business has likely changed forever. These courses can get you ready.
Train the Virtual Trainer
With people working remotely, more development is being done through virtual sessions. Just because everyone isn’t in the same office together, that doesn’t mean people’s training needs to go out the window. People have development needs, and maintaining consistent training opportunities is important.
These courses teach trainers how to operate effectively in the virtual world, giving them the skills, tools, and techniques to deliver engaging sessions in a virtual environment. They’ll learn how to convert existing course content into virtual learning experiences, and how to keep participants engaged. These courses not only help your trainers but also add value to your whole organization by improving the quality of your online training sessions.
Managing Virtual Teams
Even when the world goes back to normal, it’s likely that remote working will still play a huge part in many businesses. So, how do leaders maintain a sense of normalcy, engagement, and inclusion if people aren’t together in the office? A course in managing virtual teams gives leaders the skills and tools necessary to manage effectively.
You’ll gain valuable insight into the technology required to operate effectively, adapt your communication skills, and keep people aligned when they’re not physically together. There’s also a change management component to these courses, which is crucial when you don’t have regular face to face contact with your teams.
Leading a Blended Workplace
The likely scenario many businesses will be faced with is a blended workplace. That means some people will continue to work from the office, while others work from home. This requires leaders to be agile, keeping everyone on the same page despite different working conditions. It represents a huge change, and it may see people coming and going, working part-time from home and part-time in the office. Maintaining a sense of normalcy is challenging for leaders.
This course helps leaders maintain a high level of performance and engagement in blended workplace situations. Maintaining a culture is also essential, when some essential staff may be resentful of colleagues working from home. With this type of online training course, leaders can feel more equipped to manage challenging environments and keep teams aligned to common goals.
Collaborating in Virtual Teams
Courses in virtual team collaboration are perhaps the most valuable for organizations moving forward. Not restricted to just leaders or trainers, these courses are for everyone. Staff will learn all about virtual teams, from how to communicate effectively and collaborate with team members to effective meeting techniques.
Importantly, staff will also be given training on Microsoft Teams and Office 365. This software makes it easy for teams to collaborate and work effectively, so gaining knowledge of these products is beneficial for everyone.
Microsoft Office Courses
Another group of training programs that always deliver value is Microsoft Office courses. As one of the most widely used software suites in the business world, almost every organization has some exposure to Word, Excel, and Outlook at a minimum. The beauty of Microsoft Office training courses is the variety and flexibility of delivery. Many courses can be delivered in virtual classrooms, making it easy to upskill team members regularly.
You can also isolate courses for certain programs. Everyone’s skills are different, so you can tailor a training schedule to suit the individual. If they’re already great at Excel but want to learn more about Powerpoint, you can book them in for courses accordingly.
Professional Development
Professional development covers a wide variety of skills, and everyone’s training needs are different. These types of courses are specifically designed to build on the skills you already have, and take your career in the direction you want to go. From time management to leading teams through change, you can find a huge range of professional development courses to keep building your capabilities.
Project and Time Management
Almost everyone can benefit from time management courses. When you’re well organized with your time, productivity increases dramatically. Essentially, it’s about working smarter, and a time management course certainly teaches you how to do that.
Project management is also a skill most people will need if they want to succeed in business. Even if project management isn’t exclusively part of your job, it may be in the future. So, understanding the fundamentals is crucial for advancing your career.
Both of these courses are a great way to build on skills you may feel you already have, or learn something completely new.
How to Influence and Negotiate
Influencing and negotiating are skills that everyone can benefit from, and there is a range of courses that fall into this category. To build capability in your teams, influence and negotiation courses are a great way to get people thinking more about the way they communicate.
There are specific courses available to deal with conflict, increase assertiveness, communicate with influence, and many more. To empower your leaders of tomorrow, these are the types of skills you’ll want them to have.
Leadership Courses
Leadership courses cover a pretty broad spectrum, which is great because you can access all or just some as required. The whole concept of great leadership is made up of so many different capabilities, and these courses allow people to develop each of them individually.
Types of courses include change management, performance coaching, time management, leadership essentials, and many more. Whichever skills you need to brush up on, it’s all possible with online leadership courses.
Business Writing
Many aspiring leaders put a lot of effort into their negotiating skills, project management skills, and also their general leadership qualities. However, another important aspect centers around written communication. Business writing is a lot different than the internal emails you send all day, and it’s a skill that needs to be developed.
Business writing courses are extremely valuable to learn about writing policies and procedures, business cases, and proposals. As you move through different parts of your career, you’ll always find business writing at the center of everything you do, so studying these courses is a great idea to hone those written communication skills.
Presentation Skills
Many people think presentation skills only apply to trainers, but that’s definitely not the case. If you’re looking to advance your career, knowing how to present information effectively and engage an audience is important. It might be pitching products to investors, or presenting important information to staff.
Presentation skills courses teach you how to prepare and deliver engaging content while keeping people interested. When it comes to asserting yourself as a professional, your ability to present information is definitely a skill you want to have.
The best way to manage your training needs either as an organization or an individual is to make contact with a reputable training provider with innovative delivery options. Virtual learning is the new norm in Australia, so it’s important to find ways to access training easily, efficiently and with flexibility. Start online training today, and access a world of opportunities at your fingertips.
