By STEWART MULLIGAN
A NEW website offering last-minute bookings for standby course placements opened this month. The brainchild of Mt Gravatt East resident George Galanos and co-founder Richard Brooks, the website startnextweek.com.au lists course places available within the following 28 days in a growing list of educational organisations throughout Australia. Mr Galanos said discounts of up to 50 per cent were available for some courses.

The website is modelled on the successful wotif.com formula, which allows clients to compare, book and buy training courses at the click of a mouse. "There's a huge variety of courses available for business and leisure customers, from rally car driving and sailing to business management and Cisco routing," Mr Galanos said. The idea for the website came after the pair identified a need to make track- ing down training opportunities easier for business operators and the public.

"The emergence of the internet offered the perfect platform to simplify, streamline and automate the process of comparing, booking and buying training," Mr Galanos said. "Richard's training background and my experience in sales and management provided the perfect formula t o convert startnextweek.com.au from an idea to reality." The site was designed around customer convenience to make the whole process, from browsing to booking and buying, as simple as possible. "

While HR managers will use the site most frequently, it is also a great place to gain new skills, pursue hobbies or find the perfect gift for a friend or loved one," Mr Galanos said. The website, based in Brisbane and 100 per cent Australian owned, has grown to include more than 400 training providers nationwide.