Five Effective Training Skills for Adult Learners
For some, taking an adult learning course can be a daunting proposition, especially if you have been away from education for a while. However, you really have nothing to fear. As we get older – and wiser – we develop a range of effective training skills that can help us accomplish almost anything we put our minds to. So, here are five effective training skills that can benefit students embarking on their next education journey
1. Strong Communication Skills
Communication is often the key to success in any work environment, so it should come as no surprise that this skill will benefit you on an adult training course. Someone who has the confidence to ask questions, listen to advice and express their thoughts and feelings clearly is in a great position to take on an adult education course. Why? Because they can articulate their current understanding of a topic, make connections with other ideas, and become aware of what they do or do not know.
2. Being Organised
Being organised while taking an adult education course will likely contribute to your success as a student. Adult learners often need to fit learning around their busy jobs and family life, so it’s no surprise that people who are good at time management are the most effective at getting work done. We’d recommend preparing a weekly schedule that allows you to map out when you will study, do chores, work, eat and socialise with friends. Luckily, strong organisational skills are required in most, if not all, career occupations. So, the likelihood is that if you’ve been managing a workload, you’ll be well equipped to take on an adult learning course.
3. Being Adaptable
Adaptability is no doubt a sought-after skill. A student with the qualities of adaptability and flexibility will be able to acclimatise to the new situations and challenges of a learning course with ease. This may be as simple as adjusting to varying teaching styles of tutors, finding time to study after a challenging day at work or adapting to learning remotely for the first time if you’re unable to get into a training centre one day.
4. Having Advanced Research Skills
Advanced research skills are essentially the skills that help students find the answers to questions.
And whilst we all use search engines like Google to look things up, advanced researching skills are a little more sophisticated than that. In a nutshell, advanced research skills are the ability to search for, find, collect, analyse, interpret and evaluate information that is relevant to the subject being studied – which is useful when trying to understand and apply information to your course.
Related: 5 Valuable Skills That Will Help You Land Your Dream Job
5. Having Enthusiasm for Lifelong Learning
Learning is a lifelong journey, so taking an adult education course becomes much easier if you’re passionate about it. A motivated adult learner has a strong, powerful, compelling feeling and desire to acquire knowledge. And because of this level of enthusiasm, they aren’t afraid to go the extra mile and put in the work required to achieve their qualification. If you love learning, the chances of you succeeding on your adult education course are far higher than if you don’t.
So, when it comes to the adage You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, students at Pitman Training are proving it simply isn’t true! You can achieve your personal and professional development goals by adopting these five elements of effective training skills.
