Working diligently and being up to date with the latest business philosophies is not enough to make sure that you’re always at the top of your game. A foolproof system may be running in your workplace, but do you have the foundation to ensure that this will not be wasted? Apart from taking account management courses in the UK, here are some things you could do.

1. Be patient

It may be a cliché, but the first impression is important. How you approach, your client will determine your next encounters. So do your research. Get rid of the cookie-cutter and disingenuous gimmicks just because you want to close the deal.

See them as a partner, not a number. Learn about their business and industry. Be up to date with relevant news. You don’t have to be an expert but at least be updated enough to hold a meaningful conversation. Take the time to get to know them. It is important to build a personal relationship.

2. Value communication

If you’ve been patient enough to create a relationship, maintain it through valuable communication. One way is by approaching customer service calls with positivity. This is an old rule in business that is often taken lightly. Express to them that you value their feedback and opinion.

Utilize this as a way to find out how you can improve your client’s experience. Be fair in the way you communicate with your client, no matter the size of their business. The aim is for them to see you as a partner that they can grow with.

Try to maintain a relationship with stakeholders, such as acquisition officers, within your client’s enterprise. This is so that even if they decide to sever their tie with your client, you are at the top of mind whenever their new employer is in need of your service.

As a caveat against making your manner seem delusive, be personable in your approach and avoid using transactional language. Your goal should not always be to close a sale at every call but rather to be at the top of mind even if other options may be available to them.

3. Be reliable

Now that you’ve established a rapport with your client utilize the feedback you’ve gathered to create a customized experience. Be open to ad hoc requests. Evaluate and discuss whether this is something to be prioritized or be pushed at a better date.

Reply to inquiries promptly and if it is beyond your expertise, connect them to the right person. Be certain to follow up whether they got their response. Go the extra mile in finding solutions to their concerns.

See if this is something that is line with your business and will be beneficial to offer to your client. This can even be a new source of income for your company. They will also, in turn, see you as someone that they can depend on.

Keeping your skill updated is important. But you should back this up with the correct values and attitude. This basically means that you should be an all-around pleasant lad on top of your skills.

The US is facing labor shortages in several industries — due in part to the lack of new blue-collar workers. The baby-boomers of the 1940s–1960s are reaching retirement age, and the blue-collar workers of that generation will have fewer people filling their shoes.

Construction

Although almost anyone fit enough can get general labor jobs — skilled workers like electricians and plumbers are difficult to find. In some states, electricians and plumbers can demand outrageous rates because of their scarcity — sometimes charging more than lawyers and surgeons.

Skilled or specialized construction work is also getting higher wages, as fewer graduates are entering the workforce. This lack of skilled workers has been especially felt after Trump’s win in 2016. The President cut taxes and lowered regulations — prompting a surge of construction jobs.

Construction companies were left scrambling for personnel, resulting in higher wages and other additional benefits. Wages for construction jobs have passed the $30/hour mark, while more skilled laborers can demand much more.

Manufacturing and Production

Automation and companies outsourcing production to other countries have led potential workers away from the manufacturing industry. However, labor costs in China and other parts of the world are beginning to rise to levels that make outsourcing less attractive.

The current government’s policies on tax and regulations have also led to a manufacturing boom to meet increased sales — boosted by online transactions. Manufacturers are finding difficulty in completing their rosters — especially after expansion. Although young people are entering the workforce — it is not enough to fill the gaps left by retiring workers.

Trucking

Trucking has one of the oldest demographics when it comes to workers. Most US truckers are older than 45, with the average age being 55. This is particularly troubling because the industry will face a massive shortage of drivers in the next 10–15 years.

The American Trucking Association is already calling for the age requirement, which allows drivers to cross state lines, to be lowered to 18. This would allow high school graduates to start their careers in trucking earlier, instead of waiting until they’re 21. Driver shortages have also resulted in increased wages — $40,000/year for a rookie driver, which can increase to $60,000 in a few years’ time.

What can be done?

Automation is touted as one possible solution for the lack of blue-collar workers — but this is seldom true in most cases. Construction and trucking have very limited applications for automation, and manufacturing jobs still rely heavily on actual labor.

Raising retirement ages can also hold off impending shortages — but only if workers are willing and still able to perform their jobs. Promoting trade schools and erasing the stigma of blue-collar work in younger generations is the most optimal solution — but it would take another cultural shift for that to happen.

As blue-collar workers get older, demands for new blood gets higher. Wages in construction, manufacturing, and trucking are becoming very competitive — oftentimes exceeding standard office salaries.

Blue-collar work is now becoming a more attractive option for fresh graduates hoping to start a high-paying career immediately — and without the need for burdensome student loans.

With the many things that distract schoolchildren nowadays, it can be quite challenging for teachers to help their students learn. Among students, there is always a temptation to talk, especially if they find the lessons boring. There might also be distractions inside the classroom like tech gadgets. Sad to say, not only older students can become distracted; children who are just starting their formal education and can also develop unhealthy learning habits.

It’s a good thing, then, that there are various ways teachers can help their young students learn. If you’re a preschool or middle school teacher, take a look at three of these methods:

Engage the students’ imagination

For young children, their imagination can be a potent tool for learning. Inside the classroom, you can engage their creativity in different ways. You can, for one, read aloud some stories, or better yet, have them write their own stories. Also, instead of letting them become a distraction, take advantage of tech gadgets and use an online storybook creator to help you and your students create stories and books. Another way to encourage imagination is drawing. You can have tasks asking your students to draw what they want to become in the future, where they want to go someday, or even how they can help the environment.

Let the students play games

Games are always fun, so why not incorporate them into your lessons to help your students learn? For geography lessons, for example, you can play a game of Toss the Globe. In this game, the student holding an inflatable globe names a continent, ocean, or country and tosses the globe to another student who then locates the place or body of water mentioned before passing the globe. Flash cards can also be good for educational games. You can use addition and subtraction flash cards and have five students play at a time, with the first one who gets three correct answers winning the game.

Give the students practical experiences

As the adage goes, “Experience is the best teacher.” You can help your students learn by having them experience things. Science experiments, for instance, have always been a great hands-on experience for students. Have your students grow plants in both ideal and not-so-ideal conditions so that they can see for themselves how important sunlight, water and soil are to plants. If your school allows students to go on field trips, you can take your students on one as well. Go to a museum, zoo, theater, or fire station; a field trip will be an enjoyable learning experience for your young students.

Now more than ever, it can be difficult for teachers to help their students, especially the young ones, learn. Many classrooms nowadays have many distractions, such as various technological gadgets that encourage kids to play instead of study. Nonetheless, you shouldn’t let this discourage you from performing your duties to the best of your ability. After all, you can always find ways to share your knowledge with your students.

Summer is not all fun and games for students. Sometimes, the days become so dull that they wish they were doing something fruitful and productive. That said, why not take up education courses online since you have the time for it. This would also be perfect for those who need to take up extra units for failed classes during their academic year.

If you are one of the learners that think they might get too distracted when they choose to study online, don’t fret. The Internet can also give a lot of benefits that can help you do well with your studies. Let’s start with these basic yet vital advantages:

Finding Additional Information

There are times when you find a topic too complicated that even after you go over it a number of times, it can still be confusing for you. Fortunately, the Internet is chock full of information that you can use. You can find them by either going through your own online class sources or the ever-reliable search engines.

With the right research skills, you can even find information that would fit your level of understanding for easier processing and learning. However, do make sure that you finish all your required tasks before you go off browsing for unrelated topics or themes.

Listening to Music

Setting the mood with music makes whatever you’re doing easier. Specific kinds of melodies and rhythm have already been proven by recent studies to enhance learning, focus, and memorization. Also, other musical genres are perfect for relaxation, which can help your mind when you’re already stressed with studying.

Thanks to the Internet, you can easily find whatever kind of music you’re into and you can even shuffle them for a bit of variation during your study sessions. This makes lessons less of a chore and more of a soothing and enjoyable experience.

Studying With Friends

The Internet makes communications easier, making it perfect for setting up study groups. Even if you don’t take the same summer school program online, you and your friends can still help each other out when studying.

You can give each other pointers, proofread and even edit their works through e-mail. You can also offer your friends a much-needed boost of confidence by sending messages or text. With the increasing popularity of social media, you can even create group chats and pages for better coordination of activities, faster sharing of information, and more effective means of enriching one another.

The best part of these is you won’t even need to travel to your friends’ houses just to send your message. Everything can be done, from classes to research and social connections, in the comfort of your home.

These benefits are just the tip of the iceberg if you decide to take classes online. By making the most of them, you can gain an impressive edge in your work and learning skills, even more so when it comes to your daily grind as a student. Also, the conveniences that you can gain with online summer courses can help you save time, effort, and money.

The quality of educational furniture you set up in your school matters. This will not only safeguard the health and safety of your students but also support their learning and development.

There are several factors that you need to consider when purchasing pieces of school furniture from suppliers such as Office Line. To help you with planning and buying your supplies, here are a few key areas you should keep in mind.

Learning and Development

You should always prioritise the learning, growth and development of your students. Take note that well-designed educational furniture can improve concentration and reduce misbehaviour among children. These factors can lead to much better learning possibilities. So, make sure to use only high-quality furniture for your students.

Keep in mind also that the children’s visual environment plays a vital role in their learning. For example, if you have a messy or cluttered classroom, some of your students might find it hard to focus on their tasks. It will also be great if you have informative and inspirational displays around, which the kids can look at any time.

Ergonomics

Chairs that do not have an ergonomic design can hurt someone’s back over time. So, it is best to buy your supplies from quality manufacturers who are following the standard guidelines. Custom fit chairs, for example, come with both comfort and health benefits to users.

Since most class activities involve children sitting most of the time, you should make sure that they feel comfortable in their chairs. Ideally, all of your students, when sitting, should be able to reach the floor easily and rest their backs against the chairs. You should have a combination of chairs and desks in different sizes since kids differ in heights and weights, too.  Studies have shown that ergonomic chairs help improve students’ focus, attention level and memory.

Mobility

Mobility is crucial in all classrooms, given the different activities that students do every day. This is why it is ideal to choose designs that you can move from one place to another every time there is an activity. Educators should be able to ease activities inside a room without asking for help from maintenance personnel.

For example, rigid-style chairs do not allow students to have natural movements since these require upright posture. Ergonomic furniture, on the other hand, allows students to move comfortably and develop good habits for posture.

Aftercare Support

Another factor that you should consider is the aftercare support. There will be times when the furniture may break or malfunction from time to time. Knowing that the pieces of furniture have warranties can ensure that you will be receiving aftercare services.

These are a few factors that you might want to consider when purchasing educational furniture. It is best to buy products from a reputable manufacturer so that you can guarantee its quality. Choose a supplier who provides warranties to its customers so you can receive aftercare support if needed. These companies have the experience and the knowledge to give you the best products that will fit your requirements.

Teaching children during their formative years is crucial to their learning and development. How they are taught and how they learn will set the tone for how they receive instruction for the rest of their student life.

According to researchers, students have different learning styles or preferred methods of learning. This goes beyond the traditional way of teaching using a blackboard and chalk. Nowadays, a majority of kindergarten classes in St. Edward School and other educational institutions use various teaching aids and tools to make learning more fun and interactive for young kids.

Appealing to Different Kinds of Learners

You probably remember singing a lot of nursery rhymes or playing games to learn about numbers when you were still young. Other lessons involved coloring shapes or mimicking the sound of animals to remember their names. This is because children pick up lessons faster and with greater retention if music, games, visual aids or group activities are used. Learners of all ages benefit from different modes of teaching.

Harvard University professor Howard Gardner spent years studying learners. He came up with the theory of multiple intelligences, which propose that there at least seven kinds of learners. These are:

• Visual or spatial – These are learners who learn best through pictures, images and spatial understanding. These students follow tasks by imitation. This means that they would rather look at what the teacher is doing during an experiment than look at the handouts with instructions. At the same time, they would rather watch videos than listen to a lecture without visual aids.
• Auditory or musical – These learners prefer to listen to lessons. They record lectures and play them back for better retention. These students also excel in music classes.
• Verbal – They learn best with words. They read, write or listen to lessons. These students thrive in the old classroom setup where the teacher writes lessons on the board and students have to copy.
• Physical or kinesthetic – These are tactile learners who explore the world using their bodies and senses. They like to feel things, taste them, or smell different ingredients in class. They like to dance or excel in sports.
• Logical or mathematical – These students like numbers, formula, algorithms and logic when learning. They thrive in an environment where they find solutions to problems and by solving equations.
• Social or interpersonal – These students learn best with groups or teams. They like study groups or review sessions and excel in group activities and projects.
• Solitary or intrapersonal – These learners work best alone. They don’t like waiting for other team members to decide on a presentation theme or how to attack a project. They may be shy and reserved or just totally independent.

These various modes of learning also highlight the unique gifts and strengths of different students. A child who is not very adept in math may be a very talented musician. Exploring various areas of intelligence has given teachers and schools a new perspective on how to recognize a student’s strength and develop his talent. Each learner should not compete with others; only himself.