When Will Learning Learn

It Really Is Time To Get Disturbed – Lead article from the upcoming edition of Proteuslife.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler

I am sure that there are many within the Learning and Development and the Human Resources fields that will disagree with me on parts of this article, just as I am sure many others who have a real passion for Learning and Development and seeing people grow, who will be right there in my corner.

Over the past two years we have seen our industry in real chaos. Training providers across the country are closing down because they are not business savvy and therefore do not draw enough business, they deliver sub-standard education which eventually catches up with them, they have not been able to keep up with the constant change from the regulatory bodies, or they have gotten tangled up in the web of dishonest behaviour brought about by a funding model that almost invites you to do so.

Whatever the reason, there is an increased mistrust by the public in training providers across the country and that makes me sad, because this is the industry that I have spent most of my life in. It makes me angry when disingenuous people destroy it for their own gain.

So what is happening out there in training land?

A few years ago the landscape changed. A new funding source came into play called Vet Fee-Help. Similar to HECs, in essence it was to help people gain a qualification with no upfront personal fees. Instead the government would fund it and the trainee would repay it later when they had gained their qualification and were in a job that paid them just over $54,000 or more.

Now you would think this would be a good idea and for some it has been, but for a large number of people it has been a disaster and left them with a qualification that is of little use, or an unfinished qualification and a massive debt over their heads.

Overnight, qualifications that cost between $3,000 and $7,000, all of a sudden cost between $15,000 and $25,000 – WHY?

The answer is very simple; some training providers saw a way to get quick and easy money. The problem is that the trainee was not getting anything extra except a greater debt. Yet the funding provider somehow saw this as acceptable!

Des Penny

Proteus Leadership is one of Australia’s premier leadership training and development companies. Proteus Leadership provides leadership courses and management training to a range of industries and assists organisations to build positive workplace cultures, implement change and Create Great Leaders. Proteus also facilitates a range of world-class management courses, workshops, conferences and events across Australia and beyond with the sole purpose of bringing leaders together to connect and grow.

“Our core purpose is to Create Great Leaders that will in turn build Great companies and develop Great teams.”