Academy of Learning supports you to success: how an accountability partner makes all the difference
After a torrid 2020, National Career Development Month couldn’t have come at a better time. If you’ve suffered a redundancy, want to progress in your career or just enjoy learning, developing yourself by taking a training program is the answer. And to ensure you take a smooth path to completion, choosing to learn with an accountability partner is a proven route to success.
In fact, research found that people are 65%1 more likely to meet a goal after committing to that by telling another person. Their chances of success then increase to 95% when they have ongoing meetings with an accountability partner to check in on their progress.
Choosing a partner
Getting started is the hardest part when choosing a training course but finding yourself a training provider who gives students all the tools to succeed is a pretty good place to start. At Academy of Learning Career College, we educate students through guided learning because we believe that education with accountability gets the best results. This means we not only provide straightforward courses with excellent support, workbooks, practical exercises and online course material, but we also give access to a learning coach. A trained learning coach’s role is to ensure learners have the best chance of success. They motivate, provide personalized, just-in-time support and help learners master course content, discover effective study habits, manage test anxiety, and hone the professional skills they’ll need to succeed in the workplace.
The reasons people take training programs boil down to one goal… to better themselves. Students who take part in education can develop themselves, earn a recognized qualification, and even perform better in their current job and improve their skills. So, whether someone’s looking for employment, or wants to improve skills for their career, assisted learning with an accountability partner gives them the best chance of achieving a diploma or completing a training program. It’s widely acknowledged that more people employed in managerial, professional and associate professional occupations have taken part in formal training, compared to people who are employed in intermediate, routine and manual occupations. Therefore, it’s clear people who develop themselves have a better chance of career progression. A learning coach guides students through their learning, supporting them to manage their time, giving fast feedback and ensures they stay one step ahead of deadlines. This kind of assisted education gives students the best chance of success.
Taking account of the benefits
Training benefits students by improving their knowledge, and even helping them to develop the skills required to do their jobs better. Some other benefits enjoyed by students are that they achieve increased self-confidence, not only in work but in their personal lives too.
For adult learners who struggle with confidence or have problems with reading and writing, an assisted training program with an accountability partner hugely increases their chances of success. A trained learning coach can highlight struggles at an early stage and offer students expert advice from a patient and professional standpoint.
Online but not alone
During 2020, access to learning has taken on a very different look with more people studying online and this is likely to continue into 2021. Whilst online courses give adults the flexibility to study in the comfort of their own home or from the office, without the right support, the likelihood of actually completing an online course is very low. At Academy of Learning, we counteract this by allocating a learning coach to each of our students. So, when a student decides to complete a training program with us and can’t make it onto one of our campuses, their learning coach is always accessible to keep them on the right track.
One of the most significant difficulties facing those studying online is a lack of motivation to learn independently. Now be honest with yourself, after a long day, if there’s a toss-up between doing an extra hour of learning or watching Netflix, which would you pick? A learning coach gives students the friendly nudge required to make the right choice.
The IT word
When it’s out of your hands and your learning is off track because you have technical difficulties and IT is letting you down, you need a partner too. At Academy of Learning, our students are taken through a step-by-step guide to set up their online and on-campus learning environments. Our learning coaches are also on hand to ensure any IT difficulties can be solved quickly, so your education journey is not disrupted.
A guided learning experience is critical in ensuring students get the feedback, support and motivation they need to complete their training course, especially with online courses featuring more prominently this year. Whether you receive online or face-to-face training or a combination of both, learning in a supported environment with an accountability partner will give you the best chance of success.
1 The American Society of Training and Development: Handbook of Measuring and Evaluating Training: 2010
