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Author  Emer O’Sullivan, Global Product Marketing Manager, Axelos

May 15, 2019 |

 3 min read

  • Blog
  • Professional development
  • Skills
  • Training

This week, we celebrate the annual Learning at Work Week, a national event that celebrates professional development and lifelong learning in the workplace.

All over the UK, organisations are running activities and workshops to empower professionals with new skills and knowledge. At AXELOS, this is something we do all year round. We are passionate about professional development; our whole organisation is founded on it! We believe that learning doesn’t end once you’ve got the certificate, but should be a lifelong process of continual improvement and refinement. As the industry moves, so you must move with it.

But learning shouldn’t just be limited to your job, it’s so much wider than that. Here are five examples of how I keep learning.

  1. Training
    So to kick it off with some work-related learning, training courses are an engaging, effective way to learn. I’ve sat two AXELOS courses this year – AgileSHIFT® and MSP®. As a Global Product Marketing Manager at AXELOS, it is critical I understand our products in detail, and AXELOS encourage all our staff to get certified in our portfolio.

    Beyond that, I am attending a B2B Content Marketing course this week. As part of my professional development plan, I’ve identified that content marketing is where I’d like to build my career, so a day of training outlining how to draft a content marketing strategy and hints and tips for content production will be incredibly helpful!
  2. Podcasts
    Podcasts are an easy way to get bite-sized learning, plus they are a great distraction on the tube. There’s plenty of podcasts out there if you’d like to use them to develop your skills and knowledge in a professional capacity. Personally, I’m addicted to a podcast called The Guilty Feminist. Not only is it hilarious, but it’s also incredibly informative and inspiring – it highlights examples of local action you can do in your area to help drive change.
  3. Reading
    I’m reading Money: A User’s Guide by Laura Whateley at the moment and it’s teaching me so many things about money that I wish I was taught in school but wasn’t! It can be difficult to find time to read with today’s endless distractions (aka Netflix) but let’s not forget the power of a good old book!
  4. Webinars
    Webinars are a super easy way to get the content you care about handed to you on a plate. And – even better than podcasts or books – you get the opportunity to interact with the speaker by sending in your questions and comments. If there’s something at work that you are struggling to grasp, I’d really recommend signing up to a webinar on that topic.
  5. Mentoring
    I’m mentored by a B2B Marketing Director outside of my company and it’s been great. Having that outsider perspective is helpful as they approach topics without the emotion and politics that we can all sometimes get caught up with in the workplace. Plus, it’s your go-to person to review work, ask advice and share top tips.

These are my five examples of ways that I keep learning. But this isn’t an exhaustive list. Being the mentor rather than the mentee can be just as a helpful; there’s hundreds of language learning or yoga teaching apps, and there’s plenty of meet-ups that you can join. From sports clubs, to book clubs, to agile meet-ups; there really is no excuse to stop learning. And you’ll feel so much better for it. Let’s be honest, when we feel smart, we feel good!