This month we're checking out Skillshare, an online community that helps professionals learn and share unique skills.

Cost: $12 month (special offer – GB clients get their first three months for 99 cents, just use the code gbskillshare when signing up)

Versions: Available online and for iOS and Android

Website: http://www.skillshare.com

Learn anything, from anyone, anywhere

As  we all know, roles in risk, OHS and workers’ compensation are some of the most diverse jobs you can find – in addition to your day job sometimes you’re expected to be an office manager, a risk manager, a teacher, a trainer, a nurse, a writer and a graphic designer… all in the same day!

And while most of us love this diversity, it can be a challenge keeping your skills up to date across so many different specialisations. There are lots of great resources to help you keep your OHS skills up to date (shameless plug for our own myGBed), but where do you go when you need to learn how to write a killer email, design a poster or give an inspiring presentation?

Where do risk professionals go when they need to learn how to write a killer email, design a poster or give an inspiring presentation?

In search of the answer, this month I took a look at Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community where you can take classes, watch video lessons, create projects and even contribute a class yourself.

With more than 1 million enrollments, Skillshare is fast becoming the go-to website for busy professionals who want to learn a new skills.

Master a new skill in twenty minutes

The first thing you’ll notice when you log in to Skillshare is the diversity of courses on offer – in the month I spent reviewing Skillshare the courses I took spanned everything from writing persuasive emails, to using video blogging as a staff education tool, to how to create beautiful word art in Photoshop and even a short course in cooking the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

Energised by my outstanding grilled cheese I dug deeper, and a few things began to jump out at me about why Skillshare is so popular for professionals.

Firstly – the teachers are often practicing industry professionals. I learned email marketing from a MailChimp employee, design from an Artysy graphic designer and got blogging tips from entrepreneurs who had put these skills to practice in the workplace. This gave the majority of the courses a “real world” feel – everything I learned passed the “can I apply this in the workplace?” test.

This gave the majority of the courses a “real world” feel – everything I learned passed the “can I apply this in the workplace?” test.

Secondly – much like my grilled cheese – the courses were delivered in perfectly digestible proportions. The courses I completed usually spanned from 12-30 minutes, so they’re ideal for a working person to slot in when they get a spare twenty minutes.

Now – make no mistake – you’re not getting a masterclass here. As the name suggests, Skillshare is all about sharing simple, practical skills, so don’t expect to walk away with the sort of knowledge you’d get from completing an in-depth course. But, for a busy professional looking to learn how to do something new, and do it really well, Skillshare is a great resource.

For a busy professional looking to learn how to do something new, and do it really well, Skillshare is a great resource

As a special bonus – GB clients can get a three month premium membership to Skillshare for only 99 cents – just use the discount count gbskillshare when you sign up.

Each month we spotlight apps and websites that help health and safety professionals stay ahead of the game. If you have an app or resource you think your peers or colleagues need to know about send us a suggestion.