continuing professional education

Online professional continuing education (CE) providers have been struggling with a difficult challenge since the great recession started—the onslaught of free online CE. And the gauntlet was thrown down by none other than CE providers themselves.

I was watching my favorite college team when I made the connection between my football viewing and my day job. The Fighting Irish might have been playing USC when I realized that it wasn’t that long ago when the only way to see your favorite team on the field was to be in the stands. Read more »

When it comes to in-person continuing education (CE) events, some organizations overlook the participants who may have the biggest impact on their bottom line. Why? Maybe it’s because they can’t see them? Read more »

Predictions can be a slippery slope. This is particularly true when they follow on the heels of a roller coaster business environment and an economic climate capable of turning a lot of economists prematurely gray. But despite all that, I am feeling pretty confident about my view into the future, the online future at least, of continuing professional education (CPE). Read more »

I recently overheard someone commenting that an educational web presentation was not as effective as an in-person lecture because it lacked back-and-forth communication between the lecturer and the students. I must admit that my first thought was, “when did my professors ever let anyone in the class get a word in edgewise?” Read more »

When I first entered the business world, banking was a relatively slow-moving industry. Traditional and conservative, the majority of banks were managed by old school bankers who stayed on top of industry trends and best practices by reading trade publications. These bankers could perform their jobs quite effectively with a relatively modest amount of time invested in ongoing learning. Read more »

Continuing education is a critical pursuit for many professionals. Anyone who needs to maintain certification or a license understands this well. What is often overlooked is that continuing education provides benefits beyond staying current on the latest protocols, techniques, laws, regulatory requirements, best practices, etc.

A report by the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University, Help Wanted, Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018, states that “Ultimately, when it rains long enough and hard enough, everyone gets a little wet. Recessions are like that too. But postsecondary education and training is still the best umbrella in any economic storm.

My company is a leading provider of technology and services that enable online continuing education. From that perspective, you could assume a bias towards certain kinds of CE. On the (less cynical) other hand, I have been exposed to a tremendous amount of online professional continuing education over the years.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimates that lawyers work up to eighty hours per week, with an average between forty and seventy hours. Financial service-professionals, like financial managers and investment bankers, work forty to sixty hours per week. CPA’s also put in over forty hours per week and many more hours during tax season.