LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
BY: LAURA SHELTON, CMP
A Fiesta of Education—Make it Last All Year I
cannot say how much I like this year’s conference theme—“A Fiesta of Educa- tion”. Education is one of, if not the best,
way of geting ahead and staying ahead. For some, however, education conjures up bad memories of high school or geting “stuck” with the college professor that others warned you about. But a “Fiesta” of educa- tion, well that just sounds fun! And education should be fun. We all
prefer different types of education, and all respond to various content delivery methods beter than others. What I have come to love about DATIA is that we offer something for everyone, and are moving forward even more in that direction. Prefer to complete in-depth comprehen-
sive training, over days or weeks as your schedule permits? Well, then DATIA’s online training courses are for you. Cur- rently the Certified Professional Collector Course® is online and we are moving to have all courses online within a year. Prefer to atend specific, short, education
sessions where you don’t have to travel, but have the ability to interact with the presenter? With a webinar being held each month in 2012, DATIA’s webinar series has topics that cover the gamut of issues affect- ing drug and alcohol testing professionals. Prefer to atend sessions in person
where you can interact with the presenter and other atendees? Well then, DATIA’s in person training courses and its annual conference are for you. DATIA offers seven distinct training courses, many of which will enable you to offer training courses to your staff and clients that en- able them to achieve certification. In addi- tion, DATIA’s annual conference features over 20 different educational sessions with sessions on a wide variety of topics and
geared towards a wide range of experience levels. Prefer to read at your leisure? Ten be
sure to read the DATIA eNews, and of course each issue of DATIA focus. Both are also available online in archived versions so that you can go back and research informa- tion on specific topics. A benefit of attending DATIA’s in
person courses is also the networking contacts that you will make. The stories I hear each year of people meeting at the conference, staying in touch, routinely sharing information, and even referring business to one another never ceases to amaze me. This too is education, and possible the quickest way to gain information in an ever-changing indus- try. Hear a rumor about a new product being offered that may help your clients, or that auditors are focusing on checking that a certain process is being done in compliance? All it takes is a phone call or email to a colleague to find out what they know. Chances are they can share new information with you or direct you to another colleague that can. Regardless of how you get your educa-
tion, it should be a top priority in your continuing professional development. And to make sure that you look forward to these educational moments, whenever you think of geting education think of making the moment or event a fiesta! ❚
Best,
Laura Shelton DATIA Executive Director
6
datia focus
spring 2012
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