3 Short Courses You Can Do To Build Your Skills Now

Whether you’re looking to gain that promotion, exploring new interests, or simply about to step foot in the job market – short online courses are a common and effective method of building the skills you need for success.

Not only are vocational qualifications attractive among potential employers (typically demonstrating drive and initiative), they also offer individuals an often faster and more cost-effective pathway to building the practical skills they need for the workforce. What’s more, courses delivered online have found to increase retention rates among its students as well as requiring less employee time compared to traditional classroom training. This is likely due to the greater flexibility they provide, allowing individuals to build their skills at time, place, and pace that suits them best.

Lumify Learn currently offers a wide variety of online programs across various sectors of IT, equipping existing or aspiring professionals with the knowledge and skillsets required to stand out on the job market. We explore three of our most popular courses (in three highly demanded industry areas) below, and how you can start upskilling today.

CERTIFIED PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL

Project management refers to the planning, design, development, and delivery of a specific service, product, or solution to people. These “projects” vary widely depending on one’s industry; the IT field, for example, may comprise projects primarily focused on software development – while a business in architecture will have projects mainly focused on construction. Shorter projects may arise to promptly address unexpected problems (with the understanding that improvements or upgrades will be needed over time), while other projects are completed over a longer timeframe, with projected maintenance required beyond its completion. It is the project manager’s responsibility to combine their skills, industry knowledge, and the available resources at hand to bring a project to completion within the given time and budget constraints.

According to Job Outlook – contract, program, and project administrators have experienced steady growth over the last five years, with employment expected to spike even further over the next half decade. By 2025, we’re likely to reach around 131,400 workers in the project management field. Payscale statistics also show that the average project manager earns a generous $99,764 AUD per year.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

To help aspiring project managers get head start in the field, Lumify Learn currently offers a 3-month “Certified Project Management Professional” course, designed to equip students with the fundamental skills required for the job market. The program is structured with three globally-recognised certifications focused on widely-used project management methodologies: AgilePM, Prince2, and Scrum. Among other skills, those who complete the program will have a stronger knowledge of agile practices, risk management, project documentation, and liaising with vendor or stakeholders. Additional course inclusions include training in project management or robotic process automation, helping you offload routine tasks for faster project execution and improved productivity.

Course completion can also lead to entry-level roles in the field, such as a project leader, a product owner, or a scrum master.

GROWTH MARKETING PROFESSIONAL

Growth Marketing Professional

The marketing industry has traditionally consisted of “set it and forget it” approaches – strategies that simply develop a single idea, deliver on a set budget, and hope for the best. These include large billboard campaigns or online ads with the same basic, uninspired copy. While effective in drawing attention at the top of your sales funnel, its success often dwindles there – having little impact on improving customer retention, engagement, and referrals.

Growth marketing, on the other hand, addresses these gaps in “traditional” strategies by extending beyond the top of the funnel. It focuses on nurturing customer relationships and improving their experience with the brand by catering to their changing needs and demands. Successfully achieving requires continuous, innovative experimentation and constant analysis of consumer data – involving methods such as cross-channel marketing, personalised campaigns, and loyalty programs.

According to Job Outlook, advertising and marketing professionals have grown strongly in the last half decade, with further growth expected in the next five years. The number of workers in this industry is expected to reach 105,500 by 2025. Payscale statistics also show that the average salary earned by growth hackers is $109,000 AUD per year.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Those who wish to pursue a growth marketing profession (or are simply looking to strengthen their marketing skills) can undertake Lumify Learn’s “Growth Marketing Professional” program. Over the course of three months, students will build both the quantitative and qualitative skills to implement successful growth marketing strategies – with modules covering effective copywriting, storytelling, social media tactics, e-mail marketing, content creation, and more. The course also explores skills specific to Google, with training in Google paid search (PPC), search engine optimisation (SEO) and Google Analytics.

Students who complete the course will equip themselves with (three) globally-recognised certifications under Google and the Digital Marketing Institute. Entry-level opportunities to pursue after completing the program include growth marketing roles and positions in digital marketing management.

CERTIFIED DATA SCIENCE PROFESSIONAL

Recent estimates show that online users create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data per day – a number only set to grow exponentially as technology and online environments continue to expand. With massive sets of valuable data comprising the world wide web, modern businesses have access to endless information regarding their market, potential consumers, and opportunities for further growth.

Here’s where the role of a data science professional (or data scientist) comes in. Skilled in analysing, gathering, and reporting on large sets of both structured and unstructured data, these experts help reveal industry trends, patterns, and statistics – helping businesses form solutions to existing, projected, or recurring challenges. Raw, unstructured data is often collected across varying mediums and platforms, including smart devices, emails, and social media feeds.

According to SEEK statistics, job growth for this field is expected to spike by 27.7% in the next five years. With a high skills demand paired with a growing global shortage in talent, the average salary for data scientists sit at a generous average of $91,857 AUD per year (according to Payscale).

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Those looking to set foot in this rapidly-expanding field can build the foundational skills required through Lumify Learn’s Certified Data Science Professional course. Over a three-to-five-month timeframe, students will learn the core concepts of data science and database management in the context of a Microsoft Azure cloud environment. Modules will also therefore explore the fundamentals of cloud environments, along with knowledge of Azure services, privacy, security, and compliance. Further along the course, students will additionally equip themselves with basic concepts in AI and the ability to use Azure services to develop and implement machine learning solutions.

Those who successfully complete this program will have four globally-recognised certifications under their belt – all provided by Microsoft and focused on delivering solutions through the Microsoft Azure environment. According to statistics – those certified under Microsoft are found to earn 15% more than those uncertified, on top of experiencing 20% more productivity.

Entry-level roles to pursue after this course include opportunities in data analysis, business analysis and data science.

HOW DO I ENROLL IN THESE COURSES?

To get started on building your skills, those interested can simply apply for a “callback” from one of Lumify Learn’s advisors on their selected course page.

A course advisor will then get in touch to explain further details about your course and answer any enquiries you may once. When you’re ready to take the next step, you’ll then be asked to complete an online enrollment process.

Once enrolled, students are invited to attend an online orientation on their course before diving into their studies. There are no prerequisites to any of these courses discussed – all one needs is a laptop or desktop computer, a stable internet connection, and the drive to further their skillset.

BUILD THE SKILLS YOU NEED FOR YOUR IDEAL CAREER!

Aside from programs in project management, growth marketing, and data science – Lumify Learn also offers a wide range of training courses in other ICT-related sectors including cyber security, web development, and networking. Qualifications range from boot-camp programs to diplomas, all delivered online to cater to your specific study needs and schedule.

Get started on your dream IT career, and enquire with us today!