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Singapore, 28 April 2003
A Monday in month of March Get up from the bunk bed that is housed in the deck level section of the oil rig that I'm housed in. I've enjoyed a good four hours of sleep. I grab some quick breakfast before heading down to the survey area. I clock into the system that records our presence and helps to keep tabs on where we are in the event of an emergency. Late Morning 10:50am The weather gets hotter and hotter as the sun rises higher melting the mist that hovered over the oil rig. I enjoy the sun beating down on the rig as it warms up the balmy air that had surrounded us for the past few days. Today is my turn at standby while my colleague dives down to a depth of 200m to inspect riggings below the platform. Time to suit up as I put on the various diving gear as I need to react in an instant if trouble breaks out below the surface.
The sun is getting hotter and hotter as the platform surface heats up. Below deck I am in my diving gear with the exception of the helmet. Since I am waiting, I might as well make full use of my time by logging on to the PurpleTrain classes. That is what I love about PurpleTrain courses. They offer so much flexibility for everybody such that one can choose when they want to study or where they want to study. Afternoon 3pm I get out of my diving gear as my shift to standby duty is over. All this while, I have completed a chat session with 8 other course mates from 8 different countries. We managed to complete an extremely fruitful discussion and I learnt a lot from some of the knowledgeable course mates that I have. With this interaction, I find that I do not miss much from the traditional ways of teaching and attending classes. Evening 5pm It's the end of the workday for me. I retire to my cabin and log in to check on my assignment where it is posted online on PurpleTrain's website. In a few clicks, I'm downloading it to my PC and will spend tonight working on it. I spend a few hours surfing the web for information needed as part of my research for the assignment. It takes me about 3 hours to find it and I start to put it together to answer the questions on my assignment. The weather is starting to turn foul as a storm is brewing outside. Boy, am I glad to be in the safety of my bunk right now! However, I'm a bit concerned as the connection via satellite link to the Internet gets cut off if the winds and rain outside reaches gale force levels. But for most instances, I'm able to maintain the connection and study online anytime, anywhere even in a storm! Time and time again, the flexibility of learning anytime, anywhere has been proven to me as I value the ability to obtain a higher education even at inaccessible places. It just goes to show that you can be a student located in remote places. All you need is the will to further your education and you actually can! To find out more about the Advanced
Diploma in Computing course, simply visit www.purpletrain.com
to find out how e-Learning can fulfil your higher education needs no matter
which ends of the earth you are at!
ABOUT PURPLETRAIN.COM By combining innovative technology with world-class training content, PurpleTrain.com offers companies and individuals a high value, quality and effective on-line training solution. Over 700 on-line courses are available, offering masters, degrees, diplomas and certificates in business and IT programs. Our online learning community now stands at over 67,000 users. PurpleTrain.com is a 100%-owned venture of Informatics Holdings Limited, a leading training and education provider listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. Informatics Holdings Limited is a world class institute for quality lifelong learning services and made the ranking among Forbes Global's 200 Best Small Companies in the world. ABOUT INFORMATICS GROUP The Informatics Group, established in 1983, is a multinational corporation providing training and educational services in information technology and business management. Through its international franchising programme and strategic acquisitions, Informatics presently has a global network of more than 550 centres spanning over 45 countries. The company presently offers six franchise products: Informatics Computer School, Thames Business School, Informatics Professional Development Centre, CAL Computer Training Centre, Cambridge Child Development Centre and RACC. For more information, please visit http://www.informaticsgroup.com. For more information, please contact : Boey Taik Boon All trademarks and registered trademarks are property of
their respective owners. Certain of the statements in this press release
are forward-looking in nature and, accordingly, are subject to risks and
uncertainties. The actual results may differ from those described or contemplated. |
Somewhere
in the middle of the Atlantic, PurpleTrain.com e-Learner Erik
Atchison begins on another seemingly regular day at his workplace
- an oil rig miles away from any land that the naked eye can see. He is
enrolled in the Advanced Diploma in Computing
course. Let's check in with Erik on what goes on in his not-so-typical
day in class. 
Midday
12 noon