70-year-old engineer attends online classes

Efficiency and cost considerations mean that more and more people are turning to web-based course work, and this now includes 70-year-old engineer Edwin Wakefield from South Africa.

Edwin has just successfully completed a three-month, part-time course in PLCs and SCADA Systems, one of a range of courses offered by IDC Technologies via distance learning. He enrolled in the class under his own steam and paid his own way, aiming to expand the knowledge he has developed during his career in industry.

Edwin was extremely supportive and optimistic about online learning today. He said that “the main advantages of online learning are convenience and accessibility and the guaranteed availability of top-class instructors”.

“I’m sure that attending live evening classes can have certain advantages, provided the quality of the instruction is up to standard," he said.

"This may not always be the case. Unless one’s place of work is close to where the course is presented, attending live classes can suffer from lack of convenience and accessibility.”

The online course included a blend of live interactive webinars, reading material and coursework via email, and some one-on-one contact.

For more information about the distance learning subjects offered by IDC Technologies, visit www.idc-online.com and go to eLearning.