SEPTEMBER, 2010 - MRWED CEO, MARC RATCLIFFE INVITED TO SPEAK AT THE TAE10 SUMMIT & MASTERCLASS

MRWED CEO, Marc Ratcliffe has been added to the lineup for the inaugural TAE10 Summit and Masterclass hosted by the Voc Ed Learning Group (VELG) in November. VELG is holding its TAE10 Summit at the Brisbane Mercure on 8 & 9 November 2010. The intention of the Summit is to:

• Educate registered training organisation (RTO)staff about the recently endorsed TAE10 Training & Education Training Package
• Inspire the development of innovative strategies for training and assessment to produce quality qualification outcomes for learners
• Empower the vocational education and training (VET) industry through

On the first day Marc will be discussing the importance of customising commerically produced products. On Day two, he will be running a Masterclass on the importance of using an assessment mapping matrix. For more information on the TAE10 summit visit :

http://www.velg.com.au/images/TAE10%20Summit/TAE10%20Summit%20flyer.pdf

30 July, 2010 - THE SIMPLEST WAY TO UPGRADE TO TAE40110 IS WITH MRWED

All MRWED's students who study the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment in 2010 can receive the existing TAA40104 and the new TAE40110 qualification at no additional cost as part of the MRWED TAE10 Guarantee. We believe the MRWED TAE10 Guarantee is Australia's simplest way for candidates to map their current competencies to the new Cert IV TAE40110. Whether you are an existing student, a past MRWED student or perhaps you studied your original TAA04 qualification with another training organisation, MRWED provides a Fast and Flexible path to upgrade to the new TAE10 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment TAE40110. For more details read our TAE10 Training and Education Info page here.

27 July, 2010 - SINGAPORE TRAINING & ASSESSMENT COURSES ARE A HIT!

Marc Ratcliffe (MRWED CEO) has returned home from Singapore after successful delivery of the  Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. Students who study with MRWED in Singapore may be eligible for  WDA funding for use towards course fees and tuition. We will leave it to one of our students to sum up the course:

"Thank you once again for sharing your knowledge, skills and attitudes (you were an excellent model of trainer attitudes) with us. In our various informal exchanges amongst course participants, we were impressed with the content of the course and the manner in which you conducted it"- received via email, Tuesday July 27, 2010.

23 July, 2010 - MRWED ANNOUNCED WINNER AT 2010 AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS AWARDS

For the second year in a row MRWED has been awarded with an Australian Business Award, this year under the category of Recommended Employer- Education and Training. We are incredibly proud of this achievement. Not only is it important for our clients to have a fun and rewarding experience during our training courses we are also dedicated to making sure our team are enjoying themselves too.

12 July, 2010 - OUR THREE CONFERENCE SPEAKERS RETURN FROM HONG KONG

MRWED's own Marc Ratcliffe, Aaron Smith & Earl Brown return home after speaking at the 17th International Conference on Learning in Hong Kong. It was an interesting conference with a range of speakers from around the world presenting practical workshops and delivering academic papers. Marc's very popular workshop "Building Your Trainer's Tool Kit: 12 Proven Tricks to Spice Up Your Training" is always a hit. Aaron gave tips from his Marketing/ Media background on Engaging Different Generations of Learners, and Earl ran a workshop on "How Not What" Trainer Tips for Efficient Delivery of Skills Based Training. For more insight into the conference read Marc Ratcliffe's Blog here.

July, 2010 - PLEASE WELCOME MAREE DAVIDSON

Maree Davidson joins the MRWED Learning Leaders Team from July 2010. Maree has more than 23 years of experience across a wide variety of industries and skill sets including Community Services, Learning and Development and Project Management- Great to have you on-board Maree. To find out more about Maree and the rest of the team read the Learning Leaders Page here.

25 June, 2010 - MRWED IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S BEST PLACES TO WORK IN 2010

For the second year in a row MRWED has been named as one of the best places to work in the country by BRW Magazine and the Great Places to Work Institute (Aust).  This year we ranked in the top 20 businesses at number 15. Since last years original listing we have introduced an inhouse social media networking platform to allow staff to chat, plan social events and keep abreast of daily operations more efficiently. We have also introduced a customised online rewards program where staff accrue points when they achieve set milestones, these points can then be redeemed for time off, free gifts or charitable donations. But we believe the key to being a great place to work in Australia is simply to have fun. Download the PDF MEDIA RELEASE here.

24 June, 2010 - REREGISTRATION AND QUALITY AUDIT COMPLETE

What an amazing day! We have completed our mandatory Reregistration Audit and received some great advice, supportive comments and suggestions for further success. So what does all this mean for students, past and present? These audits provide students with piece of mind and an assurance that MRWED's systems, practices and methodologies meet (or exceed) the standards for quality Vocational Education and Training in Australia. We believe this quality process will result in delivering the most tried, tested and validated Trainer training courses in Australia. In the coming weeks we will receive our final feedback ... as the saying goes "Stay Tuned".

June, 2010 - $1.5MILLION IN TRAINING VOUCHERS: CUSTOMER REWARDS PROGRAM

Our biggest Customer Rewards Program ever! $1.5million worth of Training Vouchers to assist learners achieve their goals in the Training and Assessment industry. MRWED CEO Marc Ratcliffe said "It's our way of giving back to students and clients who have supported us and used our services". These training vouchers can be used towards further studies in Diploma programs. To be eligible for your FREE Training Voucher enroll in MRWED's Certificate IV in Training and Assessment Program from the 1st of June 2010. *Terms and Conditions apply see voucher or speak with MRWED consultant for details.

June, 2010 - QUALITY AUDIT

"Time Flies When You're Having Fun". Time has certainly flown by for us, we are now preparing  for  our mandatory Quality and Re-registration Audit, scheduled for the 24th June 2010. These Government audits are an integral part of the quality and registration checks for all Registered Training Organisations (RTO) in Australia. Auditors e valuate evidence presented by RTO's against the AQTF standards: This means the auditors will look at our systems, procedures, policies, training materials and strategies to ensure the standards are being met. We have deliberately delayed applying for scope extension to the new TAE10 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE40110) until we have had the opportunity to scrutinize and test our programs to the high standards of a full Government Audit. We believe this will provide our students and customers with a strong, evaluated, assessed and solidified Cert IV program. Its an exciting time at MRWED, we look forward to gaining feedback and advice to continue to be Australia's leading provider of Trainer training.

June, 2010 - MRWED GAINS SINGAPORE WDA APPROVAL

MRWED Training and Assessment has bolstered its international expansion program with the Singapore Governments accreditation by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency. This means the Singapore Government will subsidise the course fees of eligible employers and individual workers undertaking MRWED's Trainer Training courses (within Singapore). MRWED has been exporting Australian Trainer Standards and Qualifications into Asia for more than 3 years. Read More, DOWNLOAD the FREE PDF MEDIA RELEASE here.

May, 2010 - MRWED WINS ASIA PACIFIC'S BEST WORKPLACE TRAINER TRAINING PROGRAM

MRWED Training and Assessment has been awarded for having the Best Workplace Trainer Training Program in the Asia Pacific region by LearnX Asia Pacific 2010 E-Learning & Training Awards. Marc Ratcliffe (MRWED CEO) said it was an honour to be recognised as a leader in the industry. Read more, Download the PDF MEDIA RELEASE here.

12 May, 2010 - TAE10 TRAINING AND EDUCATION ENDORSED

The TAE10 Training and Education training package was endorsed by the NQC on Wednesday the 12th of May. We have created an information page for you which includes: Basic Info, Industry Links and a very helpful list of answers for Frequently Asked Questions. 

10 May, 2010 - AUSTRALIAN TRAINER STANDARDS EXPORTED TO ASIA

For more more than four years MRWED has been exporting Australian Trainer Training Standards into Asia. MRWED and India based partner COTMAC are delivering the Training Trainers Program (TTP) this week in Pune, India. Marc Ratcliffe has flown to India to personally oversee the delivery of the program and lead the training. Later this week Marc will head back to Singapore to meet with AusIntel (MRWED partner) to provide support for our extending calendar of Singapore Training Programs. And all of this before returning back to Brisbane before the weekend- A whirlwind trip for our CEO. Download the PDF MEDIA RELEASE here.

28- 29 April, 2010 - GUEST SPEAKER AT HR SUMMIT, SYDNEY

Guest speaker at the 8th Annual HR Summit Marc Ratcliffe (MRWED CEO) shared his very popular workshop "26 Proven Activities to Enhance and Engage Learning!".  The Summit is Australasia's leading event for the HR industry. Spread across two days and attracting some of very best speakers from Australia''s leading companies. The event features two conference streams, free workshops and networking functions.

21- 22 April, 2010 - AITD CONFERENCE, SYDNEY

Marc Ratcliffe attended the 2010 Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD) Conference in Sydney. This years conference centred around "New Thinking, Developing & Learning". The annual AITD Conference is quickly becoming Australia's "go to" event for the Training and L&D community.

1 April, 2010 - REAL REWARDS RECOGNISED

MRWED continues to build a fun and supportive place to work, recently launching a "frequent flyer" styled, points based, internal rewards program for staff. MRWED Learning Leader Jason Ash discusses with BRW Magazine (p.40, April 1-7, 2010) what it takes to retain quality staff in a growing business.

"MRWED has introduced a “frequent flyer” style incentive scheme that enables employees to accure points when they achieve certain milestones. The points qualify them for rewards such as extra days off, plasma televisions and a free day at the spa.

Ash says he prefers such rewards to cash bonuses. “There are times when money isn’t everything. I’ve got a young family and I can use points I accrue to win time off and take a family holiday. The program gives us [employees] the opportunity to work towards a particular goal that’s important to us.”

MRWED Training and Assessment was named number 8 of the Top Ten Best Places to Work in Australia by BRW &  Best Places to Work Institute in 2009. Download the PDF MEDIA RELEASE here.

29 March, 2010 - SPICE UP YOUR TRAINING

Recently Marc Ratcliffe's article "Spice Up Your Training- Proven Techniques To Engage Learners And Make Your Training Memorable" was published by US Training Magazine. Download this article for free from our Whitepaper/ Articles Page.

March, 2010 - HIGH DEMAND FOR ONLINE LEARNING

During the past 6 months MRWED has experienced a massive 32% increase in enrollment for our Online Courses. MRWED is committed to supporting students with real people, trainers who are easily contacted and able to provide relevant support to assist the students reach their goals and complete the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. Recently MRWED created an expanded and  dedicated Learning Support Department to assist students with their self-paced studies. Read more about the High Demand For 24Hour Classrooms in our March Media Release.

March, 2010 - TEACHERS ALL ABOARD TRAINING

MRWED CEO Marc Ratcliffe examines how to deal with reluctant passengers along the training journey read his article from Teacher [Magazine] (March 2010, p20 -23): "Effective professional development or training is about skillful teaching, but its also about careful use of technologies. We teachers don't always make the best students"... Download this article for free from our Whitepaper/ Articles Page.

FEBRUARY, 2010 – TED/TAE10 MAY REPLACE TAA04 WITH A NEW CERT IV COURSE

There has been much discussion regarding the IBSA's proposed Training and Education TED10 Training Package. TED10 is due to be endorsed in late March or possibly April of 2010. It contains the new Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. However it is anticipated the training package may have a name change before the endorsement to reflect the "serious intent of the new Training Package" the acronym will most probably be known as "TAE10". Find out more about the proposed Training and Education Training Package on our new a TED/TAE10 Facts Page.

19 February, 2010 – MRWED EXPANDS INTO NEW ADMINISTRATION CENTRE

The new MRWED Administration Centre was officially declared open by QLD MP (Morayfield) Mark Ryan and MRWED CEO Marc Ratcliffe on Friday the 19th February 2010. Among the guests were Chamber of Commerce & Local Council Representatives, Local Business owners and of course our great MRWED Team, all celebrating the expansion and continued success of one of Australia's Top Ten Great Places to Work. Article from QLD Business Acumen (March 2010).

17-18 FEBRUARY, 2010 – National Growth Summit

Mid-February MRWED CEO Marc Ratcliffe, Executive Assistant Jenny Colvin, Quality Manager Damian Noud, Administration Manager Cheryl Paine and Marketing Manager Aaron Smith attended the National Growth Summit '10 in Sydney. The two day conference was aimed at entrepreneurs and leaders of Australia's fast growing companies. Guest speakers included Marketing strategist David Meerman Scott, Global business strategy expert Herman Simon and business "Growth Guy" Verne Harnish.

3 FEBRUARY, 2010 – Motivating Teachers in Training

Marc Ratcliffe's latest article "12 Techniques to Motivate and Engage our Teachers (6 Proven Tricks and 6 Quick Tips)" discusses the reluctance of educators to attend  their own professional development, while providing practical advice to encourage  Teacher training. This article is a FREE download from our White Papers and Articles page.

JANUARY, 2010 – Games For Training

Australian Trainers are increasingly turning to games to bridge the generation gap when up-skilling employees. CEO of MRWED Marc Ratcliffe suggests games help combat the short attention spans of Generation Y and engage the cynical Generation X while bolstering learning retention in Baby Boomers. Download the PDF MEDIA RELEASE here.