knowledgeable and effective teams , providing opportunities for lifelong learning can help retain valuable employees .
What are those in the First Coast region doing now , and what can they do in the future ? For 29 years , Tom Cooke , president and founder of Learning Resource Group in Ormond Beach , has built and operated a company focused on in-person training
Tom Cooke and education for legacy sales professionals and sales managers . “ Until 23 months ago , almost all of our business was live , and 90 % of that was in-house at our customer ’ s facility .” Two years ago this June , Tom ’ s company had to pivot to deliver these programs virtually .
“ This business we are in can never be effectively done digitally and virtually ,” said Tom . While his company was able to provide value to their clients during the pandemic , he and his team have seen an increased demand for in-person training for sales managers and these high-level salespeople . His company is again pivoting , this time with pleasure , as they are starting to offer in-person training once again . Still , he recognizes the value of other modalities for the right situation and team . “ The major players in my company are self-educating . They read , they study , and they learn from co-workers and from clients .” As Tom put it , “ We are really talking about leadership . A fundamental tenet of leadership is a commitment to lifelong learning .”
Amylin Castro of Onyx University , Inc . would agree with that . But the modality she is working toward offering is not located near the First Coast . Onyx University is in the metaverse , located only online at
https :// onyx . university / feed .
Amylin Castro
Onyx Founder and CEO Chris Kelly ( known as CK ) believes the Web 3.0 experience can provide decentralized learning access . Onyx University is as much about access as it is about education . Said Amylin , “ CK is about giving accessible learning from everyone to everyone . He calls it being aware . Being aware that opportunities exist and then making them available to everyone .”
Currently , Onyx does not offer courses , but they do welcome learners , teachers , leaders and the curious to join them on campus to learn , share and collaborate while they are building the curriculum . Amylin is clear that Onyx is now in the building stage . In the future , Onyx expects to provide courses in career development and is building a way to create and hold curriculum for people who seek a self-paced education in any field .
“ We can certainly offer education that provides an industry
certification ,” said Amylin . “ We can also present courses that are stand-alone .” Onyx plans to offer both peer-reviewed courses , as well as seminars and classes from consultants , such as Russ Barnes of the Purposefully Profitable Podcast .
While participants in Onyx will meet and collaborate in the virtual campus , not all classes will be taught there . When asked , Amylin said , “ We are all discovering this stuff . We are making it up as we go along and following and learning from each other .” Classes aren ’ t being offered yet , but they expect to upload curriculum and have prototypes working around August . “ We aren ’ t charging for classes at the start . We are building our community and gathering the people , so we have all the tools we need .”
Many of the next generation are already comfortable in the metaverse . ( So much so that Ralph Lauren now sells digital clothing for avatars .) Is Onyx University the future of education ? CK of Onyx believes that Web 3.0 can be used to create accessible educational opportunities for people from all over the world . There is no reason some of them can ’ t be from Florida ’ s First Coast .
Echoing both Margaret and Tom , Amylin says , “ We will be learning forever .”
Originally from Maine , Barbara Hart lived on her sailboat and cruised extensively for more than five years . Now in St . Augustine , she writes for VisitStAugustine . com and continues to enjoy living where there is no chance of snow .
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