Today I started training a new client in web design. My trainee has opted for a course of 12 sessions, going through what I call the starter package for new web designers and has opted to make a real web site as part of the course.
I really enjoy doing training. I have over 12 years experience of teaching web design and this is part of my work that has been very successful and which I enjoy the most.
Most trainees opt for a session of 2 hours and usually do one session per week. All training (or “coaching” as I sometimes call it) is one to one and hands-on. I have worked in classroom and small group settings, training in web design but I like the personal challenges that come with face to face coaching.
I teach professional web design and very often this is for people who want to become web designers as part of their career path. My curriculum is based on professional experience and includes much that is left out by academic courses taught by those who are not jobbing web designers. You cannot learn modern practice from a curriculum manual that was edited some time ago but for many accreditation bodies, this is what happens.
To do this work well you have to be up to date with current practice. That is constantly changing. The whole world of website design has changed a lot, mainly due to the impact of Web 2 and social networking sites. Also, in the UK at least, most people are now using Broadband and this has introduced a layer of multi-media content that has radically changed what you can include as content on a site.
I write my own courses and have done for some time. I have course curriculums that I have made up myself to fit with commissions and contracts. Some of my courses are unique and I think I am good a designing courses and all the support materials that go with them. I charge very competitive rates, given that grant aid or funding for this is now extremely difficult to get.
My business – B2B Web Consultants – closed in 2016 when I retired.