Fall and education go hand-in-hand. It’s hard not to think of one without the other. Education doesn’t stop when we grow up. To stay current on trends and be competitive, continuing education is just as important as primary education. The great thing about 2012 is the opportunity to get education in many different ways to accommodate schedules and learning styles.

Fall and education go hand-in-hand. It’s hard not to think of one without the other. Education doesn’t stop when we grow up. To stay current on trends and be competitive, continuing education is just as important as primary education. The great thing about 2012 is the opportunity to get education in many different ways to accommodate schedules and learning styles.

Over the years, webinar availability and the technology behind it has grown. It’s common to hear about many free webinars that offer instruction on a multitude of topics. Not only can you sign up for these webinars, but you can catch the archived version of the event if you missed the live version. I’m guilty of this myself. I often sign up for webinars just so I can watch the archived version when I have time.

The Cabinet Makers Association announced that it is turning its sessions from the International Woodworking Fair into a webinar series. “Both core curriculum sessions and CEU sessions will be part of the inaugural webinar series,” Dave Grulke, CMA director says in his latest article. This program will help professionals add a certification to their offerings.

The International Surface Fabricators Association provides four training courses for members: Solid Surface Total Fabrication Training Level I, Solid Surface Total Fabrication Training Level II, Basic Stone/Quartz Total Fabrication Training, and Advanced Stone/Quartz Repair.  These seminars are held in-person around the country and provide multiple days of instruction on topics pertinent to the surface industry.

The Marble Institute of America also offers education options for its members. Members can choose from in-person seminars, live events, free webinars on website optimization and Employment Practice Liability Insurance, other continuing education courses that provide certification credit.

More than 3.9 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2017 term – a 12 percent increase over 2006, according to the 2008 Sloan Survey of Online Learning by The Sloan Consortium. The survey also found that the “12.9 percent growth rate for online enrollments exceeds the 1.2 percent growth of the overall higher education student population.” This type of learning will only grow as these students enter the workforce – who will ultimately be your competition.

Are you taking advantage of online learning opportunities to stay abreast of new practices and trends? Share the most-valuable courses here with your peers.