utah.bank 10 THE EDULOGUE By Beth Parker, Director of Education, Utah Bankers Association Advantages of [Online] Learning for You and Your Career Employers know that employees who have the training they need to do their jobs effectively are more confident in the workplace. They understand that these employees are also more satisfied with the organization as a whole and are less likely to leave. At some point in your professional life, you will find that you need to acquire more education or training. You might need a particular degree that is essential for the higher-level position you desire, or certification may be required to perform a specific job. Or you might simply want an update of your knowledge to continue to excel in your role. Regardless of the reason for seeking out an educational opportunity, you will want to consider the time, convenience, and expense of taking it. Thanks to technology, you now have the option and opportunity to take courses online. You can take a workshop, sign up for a certification course or join a webinar. Most colleges and universities are now offering their full programs online as well. The advantages of online learning are that you attend class when it fits your schedule. It is more cost and timeeffective, and hiring managers value continuing education and professional development. Having the relevant courses and programs in the education section of your resume will demonstrate that you are resourceful and have taken the initiative to stay ahead of the curve and improve professionally. You may worry that online learning won’t offer you the opportunity to network, but many online webinars and courses are designed to be interactive in real-time. Video chatting and social media tools such as wikis and blogs make it easy for students to connect with classmates and instructors. Often, online instructors use innovative ways to ensure that students are engaged and able to get to know one another. By being on top of the courses, webinars, and on-demand learning opportunities in your field, you will find that you are learning new things and staying abreast of best practices that can be applied immediately in your current job. This helps increase your value to your current employer. There are numerous reasons to study online. Online courses can help you stay sharp, focused, energized and provide you with the skills and knowledge to understand and tackle workplace issues. They enable you to continue adding value to your job and your employer. More importantly, continued learning and skill development provide you with the f lexibility you need to build your career without sacrificing your job, your family life, or even your social life. Given the many advantages of furthering your knowledge and skills, you can see that it is worth pursuing. The Utah Bankers Association (UBA) partners with the American Bankers Association (ABA), which provides extensive learning opportunities suited to specific job roles in both facilitated and self-paced online formats, as well as in person. Their online training delivers content that meets the needs of today’s learners and the changing demographics of the banking industry. Many courses meet the requirements of the Institute of Certified Bankers (ICB) for exams or continuing education credits. UBA also partners with BankWebinars.com, which empowers financial institutions to prepare their frontlines, compliance teams, executive leadership, and board of directors with comprehensive enterprise compliance, risk management, and professional development education that is effective and engaging. You can access myriad training opportunities via the Utah Bankers Association website (https://www.utah.bank/education/ about-uba-education) under the Education & Events tab. n
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