How Continuing Education Lead Us To C.A.R.E.

By Thelma Tippie

The ‘E’ in our C.A.R.E. model stands for Educate. You may say, “Well, that is exactly what The Computer Workshop does”, and you would be right and wrong at the same time. Yes, we educate our clients on many different Software packages and Soft-Skill courses, but what we really do is ‘change lives!

Yes, you can come to join one of our public classes and learn what you need to do your job better. But over my career in the training industry (34+ years now), I can’t count the number of times a client (a company or individual) has consulted with us to make sure what they are doing will get them to their end goal. Our instructors often consult with a student after a class is over to give information on which direction to go with their training to reach the next level in their careers. We have gotten numerous emails and thank you notes from students who got a promotion or a new job because we took the time to make sure they had the education they needed. To put it simply, we will always work with you beyond the classroom.

We all know that education never stops and in the IT industry, the speed that new technologies and improvements on current technologies get rolled out seem to be at lightning speeds. We just get comfortable with one way of doing something when a new way that is bigger and better is released – then it is back to the classroom to update our skills. Whether that is virtual or in-person – yes, we have our in-person classrooms open if you are tired of being at home!

Sometimes I sit back and wonder… “How did I get here from where I started?” The answer is continuing education to stay current. In 1988 we had approximately 12 courses for the PC and Macintosh. Had I not been willing to learn new technologies, I would have been out of business in about 5 years. If I were to advertise a DOS Operating System, WordPerfect, Lotus or Paradox class today – you might be scratching your head and saying “What?”. I understand a couple of these may still be taught in some areas, but not much in the US. Back in 1988, they were the Core Courses – no Windows, no Network, no Internet, and certainly, the only ‘cloud’ we knew of was in the sky!

Of course, it wasn’t long until the technology outgrew my brain capacity – we had to start hiring experts in specific areas to teach certain classes. This is still our practice today – that was the ‘R’ in ‘C.A.R.E.’ – Refer. If we don’t offer a specific course or technology, we will get you to someone who provides that knowledge – we are your ‘One Stop Shop’. We will go over and beyond normal customer service to help you. You see articles about changing customer service after Covid – well ours never left but escalated to take care of a changing world. Our Education Specialists help our clients find and stay on their career learning path, through the ‘Educate’ part of our C.A.R.E. model.

Speaking of Change – we have a Change Management and Leading Change class this month that helps leaders learn to work with their team for optimal results! –register here.

When you are looking for any type of training (IT or Soft-Skills), remember, we C.A.R.E.