Education is the basic right of every human being, and quality education is the requirement of the moment, globally. Competitions in the economic landscape is rising, and functional knowledge is an essential necessity for financial and personal well-being.
With the rapid adoption of technology in various educational spheres; however, education is becoming more attainable. IT education in particular is benefitting tremendously from the rapid immersion of technological advancements into technical training. This is a major step forward, towards the elimination of the socio-economic barriers that exist, blocking the path to quality IT education.
In this article, we will discuss how one successful education delivery method; namely online IT training, can be harnessed to bring down the socio-economic barriers in society, and introduce more technically skilled and technologically savvy IT professionals into the market.
Online IT Training: An Analysis and Practical Benefits
Online education is not a recent phenomenon. I fact, it has existed for almost the same time as the mainstream web, with notes and even full textbooks being made available on the internet. However, it is not until the advent of online video streaming that web-based education really took off. Complete courses had existed before this, and self-paced courses, which are quite popular today, were already being used to deliver learning. Yet, online streaming and virtual instructor-led training, within virtual classrooms, started to make online training the new college!
Finding courses and certifications on the internet is relatively simple today. All it requires is a Google search and you can have thousands of courses across a variety of subjects, at your disposal. The number and variety of courses, as well we the practical benefits that online training presents, make it the perfect platform to solve the educational disparity issue.
How Online Training is Developing Global Communities
Take, for example, a developing country such as Vietnam. According to one report, 40 percent of the children in rural Vietnam use the internet for education. For urban areas, the number is 62 percent! This is amidst a global effort by technology companies to increase access to information and communication technology. All of the above, when seen from an observational perspective, reveals a trend sweeping the globe.
Online training is an instrument in breaking the socio-economic barriers, regardless of region.
Types of Online Education (IT Sector)
Online education, especially that in the IT sector, consists of the following two models:
Credit-based courses, in which students receive tertiary education through an institute of higher learning, or even colleges and universities. This form of education used to be conducted by mail, over a century ago, so it’s not a new concept. In fact, the University of London featured a distant-learning program in 1858. Fast forward 160 years and we have complete online degrees, with some institutions offering a diverse and expansive array of online courses for any type of learner.
Certificate-prep and professional training is the second type of online training, being popular all over the world with professionals seeking training related to higher level functions and positions, as well as specialization. This learning type usually focuses on very specific courses, and aid in preparing for specific certificates. The MSCA certificate is an example of this type of online training.
Benefits of Online Training
Following are some surface benefits of online IT training.
- Easy and earlier access to technologies such as interactive virtual reality.
- Considerably more streamlined administrative training and function.
- Enhanced eLearning and student support through online help desks.
- Better information retention due to multimedia delivery (images, sounds, interactive graphics etc.)
- Flexibility advantage, based on the availability of self-based learning.
- Cost savings due to lack of commute to and from learning centers.
- Students can attain more and better learning, sooner.
- Global accessibility, regardless of country or region.
Online IT Training is Breaking Technological Barriers in Several Regions
This is especially true for developing countries, where there has been a historic lack of technological innovation, both due to economic conditions and socio-political unrest. Technology is the primary savior here, as many, if not all the positives are somehow related to technology and the awareness of it. Areas such as healthcare, economies, infrastructure and environmental preservation are all experiencing progress stemming from the proliferation of education in the online realm.
Enabling Online IT Learning in your Organization/Community
Today, there is a plethora of online learning available to the IT student and/or professional. An example is the online IT training courses offered by QuickStart; which not only cover a diverse range of IT applications, but provide vital technological education that can be used for tremendous community development.
The number of benefits of accommodating online IT training in your organizational structure is ever-expanding. Make sure you reap said benefits during the optimal time of tech-innovation, in order to produce better, more skilled and well-rounded professionals.