ACS Distance Education Newsletter

ACS Distance Education

NEWSLETTER

SPECIAL OFFERS

SPECIAL OFFER 1

NEW YEAR RESOLUTION: DEVELOP A NEW INTEREST

Spice up your life by getting into something new in 2006 by purchasing a Self Guided CD Course.

*See how they work at http://www.acsedu.com/cdcourses.aspx

*Upgrade option for full student services and assignment marking is available if you require it.

*Get a full 100 hour course on CD, with interactive self tests, normally US$249.27 for only $199 US ( Approximately AU$ 266.00 and Uk Pounds 113.00).

CLICK HERE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OFFER AND ENROL

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SPECIAL OFFER 2

ENROL IN ANY SHORT COURSE BEFORE FEB 1st and CLAIM A

$100 bookshop voucher.

-Only valid if you contact the school claiming this offer at the same time that you enrol (eg. Write on the enrolment form, send an email when you enrol online, or phone us to enrol over the phone and mention this offer.)

-Not valid with any other special offer (You can't claim 2 special offers for the same enrolment).

-Books available are subject to stock available (Note: We hold close to $100,000 of book stock. Most titles displayed in our online bookshop listings are available)

-If your selection goes over $100 you must pay the difference.

-If your order goes under $100 and you will forfeit the difference. A credit note will not apply.

-Book Voucher valid only till the 1st of March 2006 and can be redeemed only by calling the school.

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WEBSITES

Now receiving over 3 million hits a month!

*More Photos

Have you checked our websites lately. We've added hundreds of new photos to the pages over the past few weeks. Click here for an example

http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/product_listings.aspx?catid=Psychology

http://www.acsedu.co.uk/courses/product_listings.aspx?catid=Hospitality

http://www.hortcourses.com/courses/product_listings.aspx?catid=Landscaping

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INFORMATION & ADVICE

Check our specialised websites for information and advice about different disciplines:

BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT		SELF SUFFICIENCY

PSYCHOLOGY		HEALTH, FITNESS & LEISURE

WRITING & JOURNALISM		ENVIRONMENTAL

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Comments received recently from ACS students:

From A.Green, studying Horse Care I:

"I learnt many new skills that are easily applied"

From D. Hennessy studying Food and Beverage Management:

"I have enjoyed the course and would study with ACS again"

From D. Christian studying Culinary Herbs:

"I have found the course interesting and it has expanded my knowledge of herbs immensely"

From J. Beer studying Educational Psychology:

"I found the course interesting, challenging, and rewarding"

From A. Peterson, studying Journalism:

'Many of the skills that I have learnt from this course help me on a day to day basis"

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New Courses Now available Online and on CD:

	Advertising and Promotions
	Abnormal Psychology
	Certificate in Garden Design

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HOT COURSES

Some skills are always being sought after by employers or clients. If you are looking to increase your employability or business success, check out these:

Working with Children

Child care skills are in high demand. Recent media reports in Australia indicate resources and facilities are strained and can foresee growth within this industry.

KEY COURSES TO CONSIDER

Children's Nutrition	Child Psychology	Play Leadership

Writing & Publishing

The publishing industry has undergone upheaval over recent years. Print media is selling less but electronic media opportunities are increasing rapidly. Opportunities abound for advertising and PR writers. Now is a good time to train and enter the publishing industry.

KEY COURSES TO CONSIDER:

Freelance Writing	Editing I

Photoshop

Business

Businesses don't need to be big to make a lot of money these days. Through such things as creativity, networking, innovative marketing, or technology, a small business can be very profitable. As in the past though more businesses fail than succeed.

Running a business is not for everyone, but up to a third of the workforce may succeed at a small business during the course of their working life. The trick is to first make sure you are suited to running a business, secondly to determine what type of business suits you, and finally, to prepare properly by building a capacity to succeed before you begin.

KEY COURSES TO CONSIDER:

Starting a Small Business	Marketing Foundations	Bookkeeping I

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT BOOK

Do not believe everything you read in a book.

It is not necessarily accurate just because it is in print!

Books listed in the ACS Bookshop ( www.acsbookshop.com ) have been selected by our staff as being accurate and relevant to the study programs offered at the school.

To request a book recommendation email academic staff admin@acs.edu.au

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CHINESE CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS DELEGATION VISITS

A delegation of 12 senior staff from the Chinese Correspondence School visited ACS in Australia this month. This school is the largest distance education school in the world with tens of millions of students. The Chinese school has been showing interest in establishing a relationship with ACS for more than a year, and it is hoped this visit will be the first step to a long and mutually beneficial association.

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STAFF NEWS

Max Tay Congratulations I.T. tutor, Max Tay, awarded M.Sc (Information Technology) by the University of Liverpool, UK in 2005.

Welcome to new tutor Simon Lennard M.Hort.Sc. Over 20 years experience in commercial horticulture and research. Simon has a Bachelors Degree in Horticultural Science and a Masterate in Horticultural Science from Massey University New Zealand

ACS Distance Education
Phone: +61 755 304 855 or +61 397 361 882
Fax: +61 755 304 855 or +61 397 361 882
Email: admin@acs.edu.au

January 2006

Inside this Issue:


	Special offer $$$

	Websites

	Advice and Testimonials

	New Courses

	Hot Courses

	Chinese Delegates

Confused about what to study? READ THIS!

Many people get confused about what and where to study. You have so many choices.

Should I do a Short Course, Certificate, Diploma or Degree?

CONSIDER THIS:

Longer courses should teach you more . There are lots of graduates from "quickie" certificates and diplomas who are unemployed. Any enlightened student or employer looks well beyond the name of a course or whether it is accredited.

Only attempt the achievable It's often easier to complete a short course, and move on to another one later, than to attempt a long course from the start.

What content should my course have?

CONSIDER THIS:

Broader studies are better in the long term . Graduates from broad based certificates and diplomas tend to forge better long term careers than those from highly specialised courses.

Is it up to date? Most courses are designed by committees over a period of years, and then run with little change for a period of years (commonly 5 years) according to content specified. This traditional approach often means content is out of date.

Is the focus on your short term needs, or long term needs? Some colleges focus of developing a capacity to grow and adapt within a chosen discipline, others consider "continuous retraining" as being inevitable; and aim to develop skills for today in today's course, then expect the student to keep returning to gain skills for the future through a lifelong program of learning.

Knowing, Doing, Understanding, and Remembering are all different . Some attempt all four, others focus on one or two only. Decide whether you want to be able to do something without understanding and remembering it well into the future? ACS focuses on all!

What about Recognition and Accreditation?

CONSIDER THIS:

Recognition & Accreditation is often misunderstood .

It's significance has changed over the past decade in many ways .

Formal accreditation is only critical in some situations. To get a work license (Doctors, some tradesmen, etc). For many jobs (eg. marketing manager, gardener, etc) the only thing that matters is an ability to do a good job.

The best courses are not necessarily the accredited . It costs money to accredit courses, so accredited courses have less of your fees to devote to actual teaching.

Accredited qualifications can often be obtained without any study at all . Under many modern accreditation systems it is relatively easy to be assessed and given an accredited qualification without doing any study at all.

WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT:
QUALIFICATION OR WHAT YOU LEARN?

Many institutions and students assume that without a qualification you won't succeed in a career. Research and common sense, however, shows this is simply not true.

What is true is that you need knowledge, skills, and a good attitude towards work if you are going to reach your full potential in the workplace.

Often people who have degrees and diplomas fail to progress along a career path while less qualified people advance faster, or move to start their own very successful small business.

A qualification can sometimes help get an interview and assist you in starting a career, but a year or two later it will inevitably be the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are formed during your studies which will count most. We often hear of less qualified people who did a good, non-accredited course who are forging ahead in a career, while others who did poorer but accredited courses have got stuck in a low level job with little chance of advancement.

John Mason, Principal