Whether engineers want to get a head start on next year, explore a career adjustment, or they’re looking to fulfil CPD hours, these courses and webinars can help.
Remote working has been a hot topic since the beginning of COVID-19 – it’s been the enforced reality that many have tried to make an opportunity. But it’s remote learning that might have experienced the more lasting transformation. Increasingly, professional education has shifted partly or totally online.
This does present its challenges. A study published in PLOS ONE looked at US engineering students learning online during COVID-19. It found that “30 per cent of engineering students had work-life balance issues, while 55 per cent of students lacked motivation, and 50 per cent did not have access to a private space to attend classes”.
Reflecting the global change, 2021 was the year Engineering Education Australia launched EEA Online. It’s a suite of training courses designed to support engineers throughout their careers that addresses the above issues by being self-paced and flexible.
Numerous studies have found the key to successful self-directed learning is the empowerment of the individual. For example, research from 2016 published in Cogent Education found that the most important factor for successful self-directed online learning was the “freedom to learn”.
The courses offered by EEA allow engineers to pick what they want to learn, learn where they want and structure their education around work, family commitments and recreation, rather than having to choose between them.
Additionally, all EEA courses and webinars contribute to continuing professional development (CPD) hours. This makes them suitable for engineers who are chartered with Engineers Australia (or looking to become so), as they are required to lodge 150 CPD hours over a three year period.
For those who only have an hour or two to commit to learning over the next few months, EEA is also offering on-demand webinar recordings on a variety of interesting topics.
Below is a selection of what’s available over the 21/22 break, separated by format and focus.
Self-paced short courses
With approximately eight hours of learning, these EEA courses are designed to give you a more comprehensive understanding across a host of disciplines.
There are eight technical skills short courses available.
- AS/NZS 3000 – The Wiring Rules
- Concrete Technology for Civil Engineering
- Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering
- Introduction to Rail Engineering
- Safety in Design
- Solar Battery Storage
- Solar Power System Fundamentals
- The Engineering and Design Lifecycle
There are three project management short courses.
- Enhancing Project Performance
- Project Planning, Scheduling and Control
- Systems Thinking in Engineering
There are also three short courses dedicated to soft skills and business acumen.
On-demand webinars
If you don’t have the time for a short course, or there are just specific areas you’d like to learn more about, these webinars are useful.
There are five dedicated to technical skills.
- Demystifying Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) Piles
- Performance Solutions – Compliance with the NCC
- Practical Design Applications of Temporary Works
- Underground Utilities in Construction Projects
- Understanding your Electrical Load
For those interested in project management, there are two webinars available.
- Understanding the 7th Edition of the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK 7)
- Managing Project Baseline Changes
Finally, for those who want to improve their soft skills and business acumen, EEA has six on-demand webinars.
- Building Resilient Teams
- Communicating with Impact
- Criminal Manslaughter – Positively Demonstrating Safety Due Diligence
- Cyber-Attack and Defence in Engineering
- Dealing with Conflict: a toolkit to identify and resolve workplace conflict
- Driving Positive Outcomes through Negotiation and Dispute Resolution
To find out more learning opportunities that can support your engineering career, whether they’re on-demand or live courses in 2022, visit Engineering Education Australia.