 By Rona Goold - Australian Celebrants & Celebrations Network (ACCN) Director
The second year of this style of Ongoing Professional Development (OPD) - contracted providers - sees a better start to Ongoing Professional Development (OPD) for marriage celebrants.
Whereas programs were not available until May last year,the three providers have been able to announce their initial year's plans in February.
The ACCN understands that new OPD options submitted by the OPD providers are still awaiting approval by the Marriage Celebrant Section, so we may see newer seminars or workshops mid year.
FACE TO FACE OPD
The ACCN has loaded all the face to face sessions it has been provided, or has taken from the OPD providers websites, to assist celebrants to view all the options available in their area or close by. This OPD Calendar is found on the Australian Celebrants & Celebrations Network
Australian Celebrants & Celebrations Network (ACCN) is NOT an OPD provider, so please contact the 3 providers directly. However the ACCN provides this information so celebrants may be able to make choices better suited to their own needs.
Celebrant associations also may offer OPD as part of their Annual or Biennial Conference programs.
As well as looking for local OPD arrangements, check out the association's conference options in the ACCN Calendar's Celebrant association events
DISTANCE EDUCATION & ONLINE OPTIONS
Distance Education is provided by OPD providers as well. A summary of these can be found on:
DISCOUNTS
Discounts for Ongoing Professional Development is also provided to celebrants who are members of celebrant associations and networks.
Why? Because celebrants who aim to provide the best service they can to their couples and families already pay for a form of professional development via their associations. In turn the Committees of Associations work hard to bring the benefits of 'group' buying power to their members.
This can have some advantages. For example the Australian Celebrants & Celebrations Network's OPD Discounts for Financial ACCN Members 2011 mean that those savings effectively make ACCN membership or membership of other associations much more affordable !
In fact there is no financial reason why any celebrant can not afford to belong to one of the celebrant associations or networks. Taking the discount from membership fees for the ACCN for example, can mean a foot in the door for $ 10 or $30 pa.
HOW TO CHOOSE OPD?
It can be hard, as not all OPD options are available in a local area, online or distance options. Knowing what you need most can be tricky, modules on the day may be different to what you expect, and cost can be an issue.
Increasing skills and clarifying your attitudes:
If you wish to learn skills or have plenty of discussion with other celebrants about a topic, then OPD provider chosen events may be better suited to your needs. Smaller class sizes are more conducive to everyone being able to participate, and allow the educator move opportunity to deal with individual needs and queries. As a general guide, it is thought to be that class sizes for the OPD providers are as follows.
AssentTECS: maximum 30
Gordon TAFE: maximum 30
Australian Celebrations Training: not confirmed at this stage.
Gordon TAFE will also provide training for classes as small as 12. So If you have a local group that would like to pick it's own topics, date and times, contact the Gordon to discuss your needs.
Increasing knowledge and networking:
If you are happy to increase your knowledge generally and network with other celebrants, the associations' conference type events will offer that. Class sizes are usually much higher, but are balanced by the knowledge and support gained by networking with other celebrants, especially meeting those you may know on line, or via newsletters. Cost of celebrant association OPD is often lower as the association's Committee's do a lot of volunteer work in organising the venue, refreshments and if relevant, accommodation.
However your choice is much more restricted by the fact that the 2 topics presented will be those chosen with the majority in mind, and may be topics you've already done.
Local association OPD events and conferences can also be less expensive as travel and accommodation expenses are often less than national conferences. Also meeting local celebrants, means you know local celebrants when you made need back-up when you or your family have an emergency.
Good reasons for supporting your state based associations.
If you can afford interstate travel, or are able to combine a family visit or holiday when a national conference is underway, then that is an opportunity to meet celebrants from different part of Australia and compare notes about how different issues may affect celebrants in different states. For example, fees paid to civil funeral celebrants in Melbourne are generally higher than in other states, though most fall below an acceptable level to compensate independent celebrants for their skills, time and operating costs.
Check out the association's conference options in the ACCN Calendar's Celebrant association events
Distance and Online options
Distance or Online options are one sure way to determine your own pace of learning, and to have a clearer idea of what you have absorbed.
However, there are stories of celebrants putting in far more time than is required in face-to-face sessions. Remember that unless you want to study at great depth, the distance education should work our at about 5 hours of your time.
Some hints.
It maybe best to
- time yourself
- set your clock to see how much of a two hour session is involved in reading.
- Of the remaining time, divide that by the number of questions to work out an average time required per question.
- Make dot point answers, and move onto the next section, when your time is up.
- You can always come back to questions to add more later, but you will have a better idea of what is expected and what you can do.
- Then if you spend over the allotted time, you know that's your own choice not a requirement,
Check out the different topic options on:
CoCA and OPD
The Coalition of Celebrant Associations (CoCA) as the peak body for celebrancy in Australia has made a number of recommendations to the Attorney General's Department as regards ways of improving OPD.
These relate to a number of aspects, but in particular CoCA has recommended that Units of the new Certificate IV in Celebrancy be approved OPD activity. Whilst a single unit maybe more expensive, take more time and is assessed, CoCA considers celebrants should have the choice of applying their OPD money to training that will directly lead to a qualification.
If you have suggestions about Ongoing Professional Development, please contact your Celebrant Associations Delegate. See CoCA's website for the current associations' memberships and their respective delegates.
If you are not part of a celebrant association or network, you are strongly encourages to join one of the CoCA associations. You may also write to, myself, as the Editor of Our Space to share your concerns, suggestions and experiences with OPD.
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