Architectural ironmongers across the world can go online to pursue British qualifications, at the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers’ (GAI) new online Education Hub. Numbers signing up for the GAI’s Diploma have leapt since GAI launched the Education Hub in September 2015 to make its educational resources available via the web. Total enrolment is up by 23 per cent on the previous year. Students are now studying the same GAI courses in 25 countries, with nearly half (47 per cent) of the total based outside the UK.
Gary Amer, chief executive of the GAI, said: “This significant increase in interest shows just how far we’ve come in creating an online learning environment that answers students’ requirements for greater flexibility, and benefits those who can now easily fit their studies in around their working lives.”
A learner experience survey suggests a large majority of those using the Education Hub rate their learning experience as positive. The GAI adds that it offers the only recognised programme in the world that leads to a qualification in architectural ironmongery to British and European standards. Identified by GAI members recently as the brightest jewel in the Guild’s crown, the education programme has been running since 1961 and has built up an international reputation.
The Education Hub is its latest development, making the range of GAI education, Certificate and Diploma qualification and CPD (continuing professional development) materials available online for the first time. It’s designed to be more engaging and accessible for learners, the industry body says, making use of animations and video clips. It also offers students greater flexibility to choose when and where they study.
Most students signed up on the Education Hub are studying for GAI’s Certificate in Architectural Hardware qualification, a two-stage programme which leads on to Stage 3, the much sought-after Diploma qualification. The Hub also offers a Foundation in Hardware for those seeking an insight into the basics of architectural ironmongery, and CPD to keep those already qualified up to date.
To sign up for any courses, go to https://educationhub.gai.org.uk/.
