Monthly Archives: July 2013

BYOD! The change is here.

Bring Your Own Device

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Tim T Dingle BSc (Hons) MIBiol PGCE MBA Chief Development Officer at the Academy of Vocational and Professional Training.

AVPT Global is issuing a technological tsunami alert; feel the force of a very real wave of BYOD / BYOT and new mobile learning and learn how to avoid being swamped.

Here at AVPT Global we like to bring you some advanced news and perhaps a serious warning of impending change. I have worked in the education sector for 25 years and seen many changes in technology during that time. There is a clear and present need to improve the soft skills and learning of individuals- whether at School, University or in business. Already at AVPT we are using the latest technology to improve training and it is clear that mobile learning is massive. I came across the term bring your own device (BYOD) in a recent workshop for employers. It means the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned mobile devices (laptops, tablets, and smart phones) to their workplace and use those devices to access company information and applications. The term bring your own technology (BYOT) is being used more frequently in an educational context. It is a part of a supplementary school technology resourcing model, where the home and the school collaborate in arranging for use their own digital technology to be extended into the classroom to assist their teaching and learning and the organisation of their schooling.

The BYOD / BYOT ‘tsunami’ is rapidly coming over the horizon for educational institutions and businesses. BYOD is making significant inroads in the business world already with about 75% of employees in high growth markets such as Brazil and Russia and 44% in developed markets already using their own technology at work. In most cases, businesses simply can’t block the trend.

We believe that BYOD may help employees be more productive and become genuine Life Long Learners. It can and should increase employee morale and convenience by using their own devices and makes the company look like a flexible and attractive employer.  Many feel that BYOD can even be a means to attract new staff (and we all know how hard it is to get the right person on board): 44% of job seekers now view an organisation more positively if it supports their device.

AVPTGLOBAL almost 400 courses all globally accredited

AVPTGLOBAL almost 400 courses all globally accredited

We have found at AVPT that if businesses are to survive they will need to be proactive and really note and respond to the trends.  They will need to shape the largely inevitable development to the best advantage or try to surpass the deeds of King Canute and prevent the wave from swamping their institutions. Perhaps not surprisingly at this very early stage many of the early BYOT moves are making this mistake, are naïve, simplistic and preoccupied with the relatively mundane, showing little appreciation of what BYOT could entail.

We believe at AVPT global that there are least six global megatrends coming together that will impact on all businesses, schools, institutions to some form of BYOT. These megatrends relate to the normalised use of personal digital devices in every facet of life, the burgeoning digital and educative capacity of the student’s homes, cloud computing, parent digital empowerment, government’s increasing inability to fund state of the art personal technology for all and the inexorable evolution of schooling from its insular paper-based mode to one that is more digital and networked.

Fundamental to BYOT is that personal choice of the technology by the individual (whether in School, Higher Education and Business). While businesses /schools might and probably should provide advice, the final choice should rest with the individual. The will give an enhanced facility for the personalisation of learning in and outside the business and educational premises. That is the secret of the success of online mobile learners. In our online Learning Management System that can be used by the owner of device, at home, work or on the move (found out VTF are driving this change).The individuals are having their ownership of the technology and the information respected and absorbed.

Get qualified whilst on the move with AVPT

Get qualified whilst on the move with AVPT

So the future that BYOD / BYOT is creating will cause a profound educational change. It has immense potential that will assist change in the nature of schooling, teaching, learning and the relationship with homes and work. However, to realise this potential there has to be really strong leadership in education and businesses management. It has to change thinking and begin to understand what is needed terms of the power of mobile learning. Leaders have to take charge of the process, understand the possibilities and appreciate what is required for sustained success and development. At AVPT we see leaders training who are training to be proactive, learning about the forces impelling institutions to some form of BYOT. We see the need to appreciate the real potential for society in educational, social, economic, technical, administrative and political terms.

At the Academy of Vocational and Professional Training we believe these are still very early days with BYOT / BYOD. There isn’t much out there being written about these changes to mobile learning except in some pioneers in the field. The focus of most business and institutions is technical with little thought given the wider educational or financial implications. The greatest challenge with BYOT / BYOD will be human. The technical aspect is easy- and always will be. The key is to understand the historic significance of this development and to recognise that we are moving to a new model of mobile learning, teaching and institutional resourcing where everyone collaborates, facilitates and genuine accepts these changes.

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Importance of developing a strategic approach to learning and harnessing the internal skills

Download your free copy today

Download your free copy today

Corporates, enterprises and charities all wish to run their operations at the minimum costs allowed.

Article  by Diane Shawe M.Ed
CEO of AVPTGLOBAL

We all recognise that in today’s environment, business moves faster than ever. Most organisations now recognise the importance of developing a strategic approach to learning and harnessing the internal skills of their teams. Moving away from more tactical based activities associated with training such as measuring skills-based behaviours, to focusing on acquisition of knowledge and learning transfer that result in individual and organisational performance improvements.

E-learning has the potential to fully integrate the benefits of personal freedom with connectivity (belonging to a purposeful group of learners). From an educational perspective the “e” in e-learning stands for more than electronic; it can also stand for extending and enhancing the learning experience.

Quote by Darwin rapid-technology-social-changeNew market opportunities open and close at blinding speed, new competitors emerge overnight, product life cycles are getting shorter, and customers are more knowledgeable and sophisticated. This fast-changing environment has led to requirement to change learning and training.  However more often than not, the task of aligning the learning organisation to the business can be challenging and the perception of how the business views the learning organisation in terms of aligning to strategic initiatives is different to how the learning organisation perceives itself.

Downsizing has resulted in a mass drainage and outflow of skills as employees or contractors are let go.  To ensure that an organisation can compete globally and remains at par with the technological changes in the global market committing to the investment of on-going skill training is often viewed as a potential unnecessary incision into the bottom line.  This continued way of thinking comes at a cost because of the risks involved in

developing the professionalism of the staff (Lucey, 2004). The fear of poaching of the staff by other companies after significant investment has been made in upskilling and training from the said company is of real concern, because skilled, experienced staff when pulled in can respond faster to problems brought forward by the customers and ensure high productivity and efficiency in the long run (Corbett & Huggett, 2009).

With the explosion of mobile technology, organisations need to take advantage of the benefits, scalability, and viability of using mobile e-learning, using smart phones, tablets, and notepads that offer a blended solution  to read more click to download white paper…

AVPTGLOBAL almost 400 courses all globally accredited

AVPTGLOBAL almost 400 courses all globally accredited

AVPT Attracted Dozens of Enquiries from Prestigious Beauty Academies in a Successful Exhibit at This Year’s Wales Hair & Beauty Show


H&BWales before&after No2AVPT attracted dozens of enquiries from prestigious beauty academies in a successful exhibit at this year’s Wales Hair & Beauty Show.

by Arub Masoodi BA (Hons)
Public Relations (Social Media Focus) Intern,
AVPT Global Ltd

Diane Shawe CEO, Georgina Marumahoko head of hair & beauty department, and their team at AVPT Global exhibited at the Wales Hair & Beauty show in its second year running. The show allows a platform for hair, beauty, and holistic professionals to network and bring top brands and innovations from the industry together to help grow business. It took place in City Hall Cardiff, Wales on 30th June.

The Wales Hair & Beauty Show, after having a successful first show in 2012, will now be an annual show bringing the leading names in hair and beauty together in a cost effective manner to showcase their ideas, network, and grow their businesses by connecting with experts in the field.

At the show, AVPT showcased their skills and knowledge, attracting a number of enquiries ranging from people looking to start a business, possible collaborations, or those who are already in business and looking to expand.
Emily, who won a free makeover worth £400 from Georgina, couldn’t believe how different she looked.

 wales beauty show before shotwales beauty show after shot

Diane Shawe, CEO & founder of AVPT Global, spoke on how to set up and run a profitable hair extensions business.

H&BWales Diane Shawe presents

After attending the show, Georgina stated this was an exciting time for the quickly growing hair industry as she saw how much of an increasing awareness and strong interest there is in hair extensions.

AVPT attracted well over 35 enquiries from prestigious companies such as Bath Academy of Media Makeup (BAMM) and Coleg Gwent inviting many new and exciting possibilities!

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The Third Gulf Education Conference Hosted Many Educational Ministers From Around the World in London

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AVPT at Gulf Educational Conference 2013

The Third Gulf Education Conference Hosted Many Educational Ministers From Around the World in London

 

by Arub Masoodi BA (Hons)
Public Relations (Social Media Focus) Intern, AVPT Global Ltd

Diane Shawe CEO & her team were exhibitors at this prestigious event where ministers and the heads of department met to discuss rethinking higher education in a global and digital age.
The conference took place on 19th and 20th June at the fabulous Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London.

The Gulf Education Conference, now in its third year, is an unrivaled occasion for leaders of education to meet and exchange ideas to further develop and enhance education around the world. The Conference allows a platform to collaborate on a global scale with leaders in education from the Gulf, Mena, UK & US in attendance while also creating a platform to address weak spots and key problem areas in order to implement better plans for improvement. Leaders of education such as, H.E. Ali Adeeb, Minister of Higher Education & Scientific Research Iraq, and Anjum Malik, cofounder Alhambra US Chamber Director, Global Marketing, GIEL University of Texas Austin, were in attendance.

AVPT attracted high levels of interest in their soft skills course when several ministers felt more attention was needed to develop these skills in their country.
Enquiries came flooding in from the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq, the American University in Cairo, the British Embassy in Doha and the Logic Institute CEO Husain Fateel who wants to create a joint venture with AVPT Global. AVPT attracted over 30 enquiries that are now being followed up.

AVPT, along with ministers of education, Chancellors and heads of corporation were able to engage directly with one another and discuss the future of education while collaborating on ideas and extending links to better global education.  

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Money has no feelings

50 pound notesHow you can massively improve your chances of success.

By Tim T Dingle BSc (Hons) MIBiol PGCE MBA Chief Development Officer at AVPT Global.

I am sure you think about money every day. Right? Maybe it occupies your mind a lot? Does it even keep you awake at night? Well try thinking about the fact that the currency we exchange is nothing more than a piece printed-paper (cotton). It has no feelings at all. It doesn’t really have any value at all except the value that’s been assigned to it. Why would we want to measure our personal worth against printed-paper that has no value? This is the fallacy that millions of people have bought into. If you are an entrepreneur or a business owner serious think about doing a course to get this right now. You need to alter your perception right now.

You only need to look at the effect money has on the way we view ourselves. To some degree, our sense of self-worth and security tends to rise and fall with our income. Do you find that happening to you? Well regardless of how we reason it intellectually, the truth is, we always feel better when finances are not an issue. Imagine if the whole value exchange system had been built on something like buttons. “Oh, I’ve got more red buttons than you so that means that I am a more valuable person.” The whole concept is so absurd, it’s laughable; and yet, in reality, a handful of buttons are probably worth more than a pound coin.

A long time ago, currency was intended to represent a commodity like gold (The Gold Standard) but is that still true? Absolutely not, as there is no commodity to back it up – the Bank of England just prints up currency and put it into circulation. They call it Quantitative Easing these days or QE. The whole economic picture is just a very clever illusion which we all appear to buy (literally) into. So if it’s an illusion that we are all involved in, so what can we do? How can we come to terms with money?

For most people unless you have inherited wealth, we need some financial security in our lives. Sadly, the way we’ve been programmed to attract money is probably not the best way to satisfy that need. From early childhood we are told that money makes the world go around. Do you remember, as a child asking your parent, “Please can I have a pound?” They would question and ask the dreaded why? “I need it to get one of these.” So immediately, we learn to recognise that everything we want in life has a price tag on it. It’s all about the money, money. Well maybe improving self-esteem would help?

As we get older we start to link our worth with our hourly or monthly wage. As a result, our sense of personal value gets all wrapped up in what we are able to earn per hour or per month. Notice how this conditioning process unfolded. Initially, money had value because it represented what we could buy with it. Then it took on a personality of its own. You see, we all need money so we can pay the rent and put food on the table. The need is real and without adequate finances things can get very uncomfortable. Is it any wonder that it is almost impossible to avoid forming an emotional attachment with that worthless printed paper?

What happens to those emotions when the economy is floundering and personal assets start evaporating? Our sense of security can easily turn into panic and leave us incapable of making sensible decisions. That’s a lot of leverage for paper with no intrinsic value. Independent of the economy or our personal financial status, a balanced perspective can go a long way toward neutralizing the emotional influence of money. Maintaining the right mind-set will not only help us to get through tough financial times, it will also help us prosper in the future. Let’s try looking at this whole monetary issue from a more empowering point of view. We can do this by ignoring the negative press and addressing our personal relationship with money.

Have faith in your own business ideas and take control of your financial future. If you come up with a sound business idea, create a business plan and act on it promptly. Don’t allow limiting beliefs about your abilities to create income stifle your creativity.

Giving is a powerful way to attract what you need, and generosity opens the flow of abundance. I’m not saying you should give away your last shiny pound coin. But a mind-set based on hoarding is a sure way to create scarcity. Remember, there are many ways to give outside the realm of finances. Could you give of your time or experience to help others? What about training to help other by becoming a Virtual Tutor to guide students to success?

Quote by Darwin rapid-technology-social-changeAn obsessive view of money can make an unhealthy response, like greed and dishonesty. This can be true whether a person has a lot or a little. When money has that kind of power in a person’s life, they become its slave.
When we view money as just a tool, and don’t allow ourselves to get emotionally attached to it, we are in control. Remember, it’s just printed paper with no intrinsic value whatsoever. You, on the other hand, are extremely valuable.

Here at The Academy of Vocational and Professional Training we believe that the more you actively share your unique value with the world, the greater your sense of self-worth will become.

AVPTGLOBAL almost 400 courses all globally accredited

AVPTGLOBAL almost 400 courses all globally accredited