Hi! I’m Andrea Lekic, an energetic, open minded, self-motivated and engaging Adult Educator and Instructional Designer. I strongly believe that an engaged learner is one that will find learning enjoyable and will develop a desire to learn more. I also believe that “mandatory” training can be fun (yes, fun!) if it is designed properly with the learner kept in mind throughout the entire design process.
Although I am relatively new to the Instructional Design field, I have been working on my knowledge, skills, and abilities in Adult Education for a number of years, both professionally and academically. I love teaching others and watching people develop their knowledge, skills, abilities and confidence through well planned and engaging learning experiences.
So what are my credentials?
I started my post secondary education at the University of Waterloo, shortly after graduating high school, without a clue in the world as to what I wanted to be when I grew up. I flip flopped between majors, from English to Economics to Sociology, to finally end up reaching my final year and deciding I would combine each and graduate with a Liberal Studies Degree with a Minor in Human Resources Management. I got to apply my HR knowledge while working part-time at Food Basics, assisting our Head Cashier with all HR related duties, such as payroll, recruitment, and training. It was here that my passion for teaching others started to develop.
Upon graduation, I started working at Sun Life Financial as a Client Services Representative in their Group Retirement Services department. Aside from knowing what an RRSP was, I knew very little about retirement products, but, I learned quickly, and after a couple of months, I was asked by my manager to assist with on-the-job-training of new employees. This fueled my fire even more to want to teach others, so I began my research and found a Bachelor of Education in Adult Education program at Brock University which I enrolled in and graduated from, all while being employed full time. During this time, I also transitioned into a new role in the Human Resources Department at Sun Life Financial to work as a Pension Consultant. This role really got the fire going as I got to educate staff on their pension plans through live webinars, one on one conversations, and our intranet site. As this was a contract position, I took the opportunity to take time off from the working world and go back to school.
I enrolled myself into the Master of Arts in Integrated Studies program at Athabasca University and finished a double major in Adult Education and Work, Organization and Leadership. I decided to go the online route for my graduate degree for two reasons: 1. To learn in a new environment than what I was used to (all online) and 2. To give myself the opportunity to travel and teach abroad. I spent a year and a half teaching English to children and adults in Serbia and South Korea. They were both amazing learning opportunities for me, and I loved working with different cultures, but Canada is home and with my degree coming to an end, I decided it was time to go back.
A month after my return I was hired as an Employer Engagement Project Coordinator at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority where I was responsible for the design, development and implementation of human resources training materials designed for HR professionals, managers, and senior executives to help them hire and retain more newcomer professionals in the field of engineering and environmental sciences. It is here where I got to wear many hats, some of them being that of an Instructional Designer, Facilitator, and Training Coordinator. Throughout the project and upon its completion, I knew that I had found my calling. This was also a contract position which happened to come to an end near the due date of my first child, allowing me to start my maternity leave a few weeks early.
Oh, before I forget, I have a couple of certifications worth noting. I completed an e-Learning Certificate program at University of Toronto, and am a Certified Joint Health and Safety Committee Member (health and safety is important to me and I take it very seriously).
Now that you got to know me, take a look around my portfolio and services page, and feel free to contact me.
Thanks for stopping by!
Andrea
Andrea Lekic, MA 