Short Courses in Wellington Where You Can Learn New Life Skills

Do you want to grow your business or take your career to the next level? Are you keen to expand your expertise or learn new tricks of your trade? Or maybe, like me, you're simply curious to learn new things, always looking for a new hobby, hack or passion. There's one nifty solution: upskill.

In a tech-driven world where unlimited information is available at our fingertips, the trend of upskilling has been steadily gaining momentum. It's the new buzzword in proactive and forward-thinking workplaces and a favourite strategy among go-getters.

These short, in-person courses are being held in Wellington throughout the winter season, and some are offered online, meaning you can be productive without even getting dressed. The colder months are the perfect time to bury yourself in a new project or hunker down and learn a new skill that you've always been interested in. This winter, make the wisest investment of your life — invest in yourself.

TECH AND DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY

Have a good handle on your camera but itching to take your photography skills to the next level? This course is for you. Beginners beware — this course requires knowledge of more than just Insta-worthy iPhone shots. You should be competent using your DSLR camera in manual mode and be familiar with basic principles of photography (metering, exposure, etc).

By the end of the course you'll have learned more techniques in camera use, composition and lighting and be able to identify and critique technical and emotional elements of a picture. One of the most exciting aspects of the course is that it includes a Saturday field trip – an opportunity to put your new skills into practice.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

Take a peek into the exciting world of Photoshop with this comprehensive Beginner course. Create your own images and enhance your designs using simple editing tools and image manipulation techniques. You'll learn how to manage layers, make selections, create digital illustrations, manipulate photos, and apply effects and output files for your design purposes. Learn skills to create images that can be used in your photography, marketing materials, websites and more. You don't need experience, but proficiency with computers is a must. Begins 4 July, $495

WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

The Wellington Community Education Centre offers an in-person introductory web design and development course for small business owners and individuals wanting to publish content. You'll learn HTML5 and CSS3 and the language of the web and its applications in a combination of theory and practical activities. By the end of the course, you'll be able to plan and code a basic website and research web hosting and domain name options. Spots are filling up fast ahead of the 31 July start date, so reserve your spot or put your name on the waiting list here.

If you don't have the time to commit to an in-person class each week, check out this Web Developer Bootcamp course, which is available online with Udemy. Billed as the one-stop shop for programming fundamentals, this course will provide a complete web developer education. You'll learn HTML, CSS, JS, Node and more.

BUSINESS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: A PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. Often regarded as the key to both personal and professional success, emotional intelligence includes three skills: emotional awareness; the ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problem-solving. At this one-day workshop, you will gain an understanding of why you react in a particular way to situations and how you can take control of your emotions instead of your emotions controlling you. Begins 16 July.

MICROSOFT ACCESS

Most job roles today involve some form of data management, and for data workers, research scientists and accountants, data management may be a strong component of the job. This course helps you learn your way around Microsoft Office Access, a versatile application which you can use as a personal data management tool or for an entire department or organisation. In this course, you'll use Access to manage your data, including: creating a new database; constructing tables; designing forms and reports and creating queries to join, filter, and sort data. Begins 4 August.

THINKING ON YOUR FEET: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION FOR BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS

Would you like to be more effective in meetings and drive better business outcomes? Facilitated by Janine Gould, founder and director of Communicate Consultants, this course on effective communication will help you think on your feet and will show you how to communicate your ideas with impact, build positive stakeholder relationships and understand the power of feedback. Begins 23 August.

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID

You may have completed a first aid course before — the classes educate and empower people to take action and give aid to others in medical emergencies. And they have been proven effective. First aiders save lives. Colliberate, Wellington's new mental health gym, has taken this concept of physical first aid and applied it to mental health emergencies. Mental health first aid is the help given to someone developing a mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, or substance misuse, or someone who is in a mental health crisis, like panic attacks, self-injury, or aggressive behaviour. By the end of this course you will receive an MHFA certificate, which teaches you how to assist and support someone who is struggling with their mental health, experiencing distress or in a mental health crisis. Begins 19 July.

LANGUAGE

TE REO MAORI

Do you know the difference between your whānau and your whenua? If not, it might be time to upgrade your proficiency in te reo Māori. Even if you've already mastered the 100 words every New Zealander should know, we could all benefit from improving our level of Aotearoa's first language. By the end of the Introductory 1 course you'll be able to identify the sounds of Māori letters and pronounce letter combinations using correct intonation and stress patterns, confidently greet people, introduce yourself and communicate basic personal information. If you're ready for more than the basics, up your fluency with karakia (prayers), whakataukī (proverbs), kīwaha (idioms) and more in the Introductory 2 course. Begins 1 August.

NZ SIGN LANGUAGE

You probably already knew that English and Māori are the official languages of New Zealand. But did you know Aotearoa has a third official language? New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) – the visual and gestural language preferred by the Deaf Community in New Zealand –became an official national language in 2006. For beginners, with no prior knowledge of NZSL, try this introductory course at the Wellington CEC. By the end of the course, you'll be able to introduce yourself, greet other people and exchange personal information, ask for clarification, express basic needs and wants, and use numbers and simple phrases. Begins 31 July.

For those with a basic level of sign language already, try this course at NZSL 4 U. Whether you are an individual looking to further develop your New Zealand Sign Language or a business or organisation that is looking to upskill your staff, this course at NZSL 4 U will be able to provide NZSL classes to meet your requirements. NZSL 4 U is also able to provide in school or after-school classes. Begins 6 August.

Always wanted to learn NZ Sign Language but not sure if you can commit to a whole course just yet? Want to just learn a few signs/phrases? Give it a go at this taster class by koha at the Newtown Community & Cultural Centre. Turn up from 6pm for a drink and a few snacks. The class will run for one hour from 6.30-7.30pm. Begins 19 June.

HOSPITALITY

BARISTA CERTIFICATION

Wellingtonians love their coffee. They can tell a good flat white from a lackluster one in a caffeine-fueled heartbeat, and they aren't shy about letting the barista know. This course will give you skills to impress even the most pretentious of coffee snobs. Master the art of making and serving coffee and gain the knowledge and expertise required to work as a barista in just four days. Begins 13 June.

LICENSED CONTROLLER CERTIFICATION

The LCQ is a valuable qualification for anyone working within establishments that sell alcohol. Become a certified duty manager and gain an understanding of host responsibility requirements of licensed premises. Begins 9 August.