Training is available in all shapes and sizes these days. Government initiatives, Open University, mature education, night-school, short courses… the list goes on. If you want to expand your horizons and give your career a much needed boost, or if you feel like a change of direction altogether, it’s never to late to sort your life out and get training.
For anyone interested in developing their IT skills, there are a plethora of options available to you. The government has several schemes designed to get the adult generation online. The National Learning Centre offers fast track courses which could potentially lead to a new job. New Horizons offer advanced training for anyone who knows where to find the On button but not much else. If you want to earn big bucks whilst sitting relatively still, train in IT.
If, however, you would like something a bit more manual, perhaps an NVQ is for you. Aimed at a younger crowd NVQs are designed for early school leavers to get a practical education with a focus on apprenticeships over certificates. Career Electrician are the leading gateway to a career as an electrician and you don’t need a degree to know that’s a nice little earner.
Job training is a sure-fire crucial factor in almost any career. It can take on the form of university degrees, college courses, apprenticeships, seminars and even on-the-job training.
It is important to be well-informed of the type of training that is required for the career that you want to pursue. It may be that there are pre-requisites such as formal qualifications or perhaps an apprenticeship or first-hand experience is desired.
A good starting point when researching job training is Directgov. Click on the Training tab, type in or select the industry or type of job that interests you, and read about all the different training options. You can search for any type of job, from construction to marketing to medical careers and more.
If you are looking specifically for tertiary courses then visit the Guardian’s University Guide. Here, you can research the different types of university courses and degrees available and the types of careers they can lead to. There is also an Advice section, articles on student life and lots more information about the road to university.
If it is an apprenticeship that you are searching for, check out Apprenticeshipswebsite. Not only can you search for apprenticeship vacancies but you can also read up on loads of information about the benefits of this type of job training and subscribe to newsletters so you can keep up-to-date with what’s happening in the world of apprenticeships.
Another great site is Jobs Word. You can find all sorts of short courses in a variety of industries. This includes online, at-home and onsite courses from basic to advanced levels.
It may be that you want to enhance the job skills that you already have, or that you want to learn something completely new. Either way, there are a variety of ways that you can train. Most companies offer on the job training and development so if you are already in a job that you enjoy and want to develop further, why not go and speak to your Line Manager.
It may however be that you are bored of the job that you are in and the area no longer interests you, or that you have been made redundant and therefore want to train up in something different. You could investigate local colleges and see what courses are on their syllabus: it is an ideal time to sign up for the new academic year starting in September. You could also have a look online to find a correspondence course that suits your needs.
If home learning via correspondence is something that appeals to you, a good place to start your investigations is homelearningcourses.com. With a huge variety of different courses and the flexibility to work around your time commitments, it is very likely that you will find something suitable for your needs. If it is a more vocational course such as plumbing for example, you could try career-change.co.uk.
It has never been so easy to sign up for training in whichever area you so wish. The training world is your oyster!
