23 Aug, 2021 - 6 min read
Don’t let time, money or a fear of learning hold you back
‘I just don’t have the time, I’m working full time’
‘I just can’t afford it’
‘I just can’t imagine going back to study’
Have one of these thoughts crossed your mind when you considered starting one of our programmes?
Well, it’s our responsibility to equip you with the full suite of knowledge needed to make the right decision for you and your future. Let us walk you through ways in which you can overcome fears around time constraints, costs and return to learning with the wind in your sails.
“I have learned more about myself as a person, as a mother to neurodiverse twin boys and a gifted teenage daughter; the learning was deep and immense. I truly believe it has made me a better leader of change for good, a more human-centred leader, and a more understanding mother, wife and friend.”Rachel Wells, graduate of The Mind Lab’s Postgraduate Certificate in Leading Change for Good (Cohort 2).
Overcoming “I don’t have enough time”
We appreciate that life is already a constant juggle between work and family and commitments that finding time for learning may seem unrealistic. But our programmes are designed to work alongside life, and create efficiencies in the workplace that have knock-on effects on the rest of your schedule. That’s one way we do things differently here at academyEX, we’re aiming to make learning more accessible and changing people’s mindset about the level of time commitment required.
Remote learning is also a feature of our programmes. Most can be done from home, work or online, with some modules and most assessments being largely self-directed and therefore fully adjustable to your schedule. Almost all of us know how to join a Zoom meeting by now, so this option is great for those wanting to learn no matter where in Aotearoa you may be.
We also believe that if something is worth your time, you’ll make time for it – and trust us, the learning on our programmes is worth your time. Make your future a priority by making the time.
“People are always saying they can’t learn as they can’t step off the conveyor belt, it’s too hard to get back on, and they can’t afford to stop working – this is because they’re used to the traditional way of learning. What we’re doing here means people don’t have to stop working, infact studying alongside your career is even more powerful and even more important. And it’s the only way to keep our country moving.”
Frances Valintine, CEO & Founder of academyEX.
Overcoming “I can’t afford it”
We get it – education can be pricey. But did you know that some organisations cover a portion of their employees' course fees? Many have a professional development budget – it’s worth finding out if yours does. We have pre-made letters ready for you to present to them (view the template for Leading Change for Good or template for Master of Contemporary Education), and our outreach managers and enrolments team can help with these discussions too, as we know sometimes they can be difficult.
We also have a range of scholarships and financial support available. In fact, we’ve even gone to the lengths of making one of our programmes, Digital Skills for the Workplace, free for the rest of 2021. Teachers at decile 1-4 schools can sign up to our Postgraduate Certificate in Digital & Collaborative Learning and receive a full scholarship for our 2021 intakes.
We work with StudyLink to make our programmes more accessible and there are a range of other funds and grants you can apply for – just reach out to us so we can talk you through them. Learners at academyEX can also access The Hardship Fund for Learners (HAFL) which enables us to provide temporary financial assistance for currently enrolled tertiary learners who are facing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If this is the case for you, reach out to your Programme Co-ordinator.
At academyEX we’ve worked hard to make our programmes accessible and affordable, as we know how important this learning is. They’re also practical, so many programmes can lead to real life promotion or job opportunities. For example, our Postgraduate Certificate in Leading Change for Good develops you as a leader, something you can utilise to advance your current role or move to your next one. You never know where the learning will take you.
Overcoming “I’m too rusty to go back to learning”
Did you dislike school? Have a bad experience at uni? Maybe you feel you’ve ‘been there, done that, not going back’? Well we’re here to remind you that learning should be a lifelong process, and we do it differently here.
With the world being driven by advancements in tech, and careers becoming a lot less linear, it’s crucial everyone adopts a growth mindset and ‘keeps up with the times’ for the benefit of the next generation.
Teaching-wise, we do things differently here at academyEX. We don’t sit you down and lecture at you for hours on end, no. Our sessions are interactive, with you being an active participant in your learning journey. This is the case for both the online and face-to-face variations, and we’ve been teaching online since well before Covid came about.
Even more unique for academyEX is that our learners help shape our programmes, the content, assessments and speakers, and your feedback initiates changes not just for your cohort but for the following cohorts too. Our high levels of collaboration mean you learn as much from your peers as you do from facilitators and guest speakers, and we learn from you! We live by ako, reciprocal learning.
“All my life I have struggled academically. Even a 1st class Masters and a Massey scholarship didn’t convince me that I was ‘worthy’ of an education; at academyEX I have found my place. What I have learned in the 9-months at academyEX, surpasses what I learned in my 5+ years of post-grad study. The facilitators and team at academyEX have reinvigorated my passion and love for learning.” - Rachel Wells, graduate of The Mind Lab’s Postgraduate Certificate in Leading Change for Good (Cohort 2).
It’s time people experienced the new cutting-edge of education, and we’d love to be part of that journey for you.
“We are normalising lifelong learning by encouraging people at all stages of their lives to get back into education and by connecting it closely with the real world and workplaces of today and tomorrow. We are making education accessible through timing and delivery, modality, pricing, duration of programme and content being embedded with contemporary knowledge. New Zealand has a very low participation rate in learning beyond the compulsory years and this is a huge disadvantage. Our economic future needs people with contemporary knowledge at all levels, we can’t just rely on the next generation, we need to do better.”
Frances Valintine, CEO & Founder of academyEX.