By Darren Foster - Training Services Manager 

COVID-19 has changed so much of our lives in an incredibly short space of time. From a work life perspective, we’ve had to find new ways of working, especially as most of us are changing our routine to work remotely from home.

It’s also required businesses to take an innovative approach to how they deliver their products and services. At VERTO, we’ve always offered numerous ways to complete our training qualifications, but it's fair to say that online training has never been more important. For our business, that change means we’re looking to add more courses than ever to our online training options.

Being able to complete training online is not a new phenomenon: It has surged in popularity in the past 5-10 years as technology has made it easier than ever before to learn online and at a time that suits you, for example learning in the comfort of your own home. This popularity is receiving another boost given our current learning environment and you could argue that it is more important than ever.

Anywhere, anytime

The fact that online training is accessible to everyone, as long as they have Wi-Fi, is by far the biggest advantage. It means that a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), like VERTO, can provide training to you, wherever you are in Australia.

For the learner, the benefit of completing training at a time and pace that suits is enormous. Think about working parents, now lumped with the additional burden of teaching their children at home. Or those who have tragically lost their job due to the coronavirus-induced economic shutdown and need to re-skill to find a new opportunity. When time is tight, having the ability to learn whenever suits you is a huge advantage.

This flexibility opens training up to a range of people from so many different age demographics and backgrounds. Those who find it hard to attend face-to-face training, for example, those living in remote regional centres, have the same access to courses as anyone else.

Upskill for a new career

It’s a fact that even before the current crisis took hold we were facing an ever-changing employment market. People in today’s job market are changing roles and even career paths more than ever before. Over the past 20-30 years the ‘job for life’ mentality has given way to people seeking new options that suit their lifestyle or particular career goals.

Online training gives you a massive opportunity to update your skills any time you need it. For example, you may require a new skill to further your current career. Rather than taking a career break to acquire these skills, you can sign up for an online course and complete that training at your own pace. Ditto if you’re looking for a career change; no need to stop working to shift your skill set.

Wide range of courses

At VERTO, we’ve invested heavily in our online training capability for a number of years now. We already provide a range of qualifications that you can complete online, covering disciplines such as business, management, and leadership, as well as courses in specific skills or industries, such as warehousing.

With the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve recently increased our capacity in the online training space. We’re opening new courses covering areas such as mental health. As part of this, we’ll be expanding some of our traditionally face-to-face courses and making them available online to provide learners with the opportunity to complete more courses during this difficult time.

To find out more, visit our website www.verto.org.au.