About our training
What do we provide?
We provide training in publishing skills and have done for more than 25 years. As publishing encompasses a wide variety of tasks, it requires a breadth of creative, business and technical skills.
Go to our Training course list for more details of current courses and to book online. Get in touch with our Training and Information Manager if you have any suggestions for courses.
Why do we do it?
There is a need for publishing training in Scotland. Our training programme was set up to overcome the distance, cost and time issues involved in accessing training based in London. With online delivery making training more widely accessible, we have an important role in providing training that is more tailored to Scottish publishing and of course, face-to-face when that is possible.
Who is it for?
Publishing in its broadest sense is defined as ‘making public’ and the explosion of social media (from websites to Twitter), means more content is being published than ever before. Many of our courses (like proofreading, writing digital content and business writing skills) are just as valuable to people who work outside the traditional book publishing industry.
How do we do it?
We constantly monitor developments and consult extensively (with members and others) to commission the right publishing training for people in Scotland.
Who are the trainers?
We work with a variety of tutors to suit the situation. Most are acknowledged experts and good links with specialist publishing training providers assist us in bringing world-class training to Scotland. Some tutors are Publishing Scotland members who generously share their hard-earned knowledge and expertise with their peers, often creating supportive networks in the process.
How is the training delivered?
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, our training is currently being delivered online. Prior to that our most popular training format was the face-to-face one-day course. Both formats are generally tutor-led with discussions and exercises (eg proofreading and writing digital content), or practical workshops (eg using InDesign and practising presentation skills). Most courses have accompanying materials to take away for reference and some have the option for follow-up practice.
Face-to-face training mainly takes place in central Edinburgh at Scott House where Publishing Scotland is based. The feedback on the training rooms and facilities is excellent.
In-house training is also available for all of our courses. Bespoke courses can also be provided.
How much does it cost?
Our fees are great value and compare well with other reputable providers. See individual courses for the course fees.
For groups, in-house training can be more cost-effective as well as allowing for tailoring to your organisation’s particular needs. For more information contact, Joan Lyle, our Training and Information Manager.
Other training providers and skills organisation
We have good links with other publishing training providers and are always happy to work with them to bring training to Scotland. See our page featuring other publishing training providers. We also have a list of online training providers and sources of training funding.