It is becoming increasingly important for students to choose one of the modern courses of study that are relevant to the modern times in which we are living and working according to Natalie Rabson of Boston City Campus & Business College.
“Education is not static and Boston therefore maintains a liaison with various industries, updates course material, and introduces new courses such as Cloud computing to keep graduates in line with the demand from the workplace,” she elaborates.
“Our research, for example, showed that there was a gap for a qualification that covers skills such as skills in the social media and digital marketing fields and so the Boston BCom Management Marketing degree was born. This degree equips students with the knowledge and skills for career opportunities in the fields of business, management and marketing, focusing on digital marketing, social media and brand management - all buzzwords in the marketing field of today.”
“A broad based business qualification has high value for you in terms of employment. Our business qualifications cover Business Management, and Financial Management, as well as Marketing and more. These are the skills you will need to add value to a company. Regardless of whether the economy is experiencing growth or not, qualified entrepreneurs, marketers and managers are always needed in order to promote existing and new products and services “A business and management degree mean a chance at a better life for me and one day, for my family. It will empower me to get into a job that is both financially stable and comfortable,’ says a Boston higher Ed student.
She continues that the flexibility is absolutely ideal for her. “Some days I do get quite a bit of work done while on other days I need to dedicate my time to my job. Basically I have the flexibility with this degree to accommodate my career goals both in terms of studies as well as in terms of earning. ”
Boston makes the application and registration processes so simple. Applications are done free of charge and on-line, and you get a response within 3 days. “We also offer great activities to encourage social interaction with your peers as well as your community” says Rabson. “Students do not operate in isolation – success is bred from communities and networking, and contributing to society. We try and facilitate these interactions”
Another fairly new qualification is Events Management. Kerren Leibowitz is about to qualify in Events, and says that for her the very best part of her three years at Boston has been the flexibility of being able to study anywhere anytime. “You can go in 3 times a week for your sessions, and choose to stay longer, or carry on with lectures at home. , with the lecture still playing in front of you”.
What does she feel is the biggest benefit of her course? “You get everything you want out of this course, and can use your skills for any event”, – she mentions everything from music event to sports, governments, corporates, weddings etc. Leibowitz continues, “You have the basic skills and you can choose your niche. I just have to add that the staff on campus are ALWAYS available. You can email them, or simply chat to them when you are feeling stressed. They are so understanding, in terms of that everyone comes with different levels of education. Rabson reiterates that you must make sure that any course you register for is accredited, as well as that the institution is accredited.
“It is crucial to update your skills and knowledge base if you want to stay relevant in the workplace, find a job or be promoted to a better position,” says Rabson, “Technology changes so fast that everyone needs to continuously learn new things. Life-long learning applies to each one of us, from IT specialists to motor mechanics, chefs to public relations officers.”
Study options are vast when it comes to updating your skills. Investigate courses and short learning programmes that are regarded as valuable by employers.
Check that the right government and/ or industry body accredits the course you’re interested in. While the skills are valuable, they must be based on industry accreditation. “The aim when studying is to update skills and knowledge, and add value to an employer and your CV” Rabson points out. “At Boston we pull out all the stops to keep contact with various industries, update course material, and introduce new courses regularly.”
Select from careers, or modules within careers, such as IT, management, HR, accounting, marketing and more.
Course and learning programmes are modular, which means students can enrol for only a few modules or particular skills such as Bookkeeping or graphics if they so choose.
Short courses are an effective way to give someone who may not wish to enter the commitment of higher education for whatever reason, the chance to put something on their CV. For those already employed, these courses also offer a variety of new or upgraded skills to choose from in a labour market flooded with job-seekers who don’t have enough skills to become successfully employed. A short course is the start to employment, and often to some more studies! The value of short courses in a South African context lies in that they are inexpensive vocational training programmes, and easily accessible via part-time learning.
“Go see a career advisor that can help you choose a good, accredited course,” says Rabson. “Boston offers over 80 dynamic study options at our campuses as well as media studies at selected campuses, - we understand that prospective students need a helping hand.”
For more information, contact Boston City Campus & Business College on 011 551-2000, e-mail [email protected], visit www.boston.co.za, or Facebook.
