Make Your Skills Count

There’s no mistaking that the employment market has hit a volatile patch affecting many families up and down the country, yet this uncertainty also brings fresh opportunity and a chance to follow a new career direction.  In the current climate, some parents may be facing redundancy, or have been made redundant; many others may be looking for a career change or simply want to return to work after a period of raising the children at home.  If this scenario sounds familiar to you, then what is available to help you make the next move?

New Deal

The Government led New Deal scheme aims to help an individual find work if he or she is unemployed. The scheme provides the opportunity to train, learn and sample some work experience to enable an individual to become more confident, acquire new skills, and ultimately to find and stay in work.  Depending on your circumstances, you may have to take part in New Deal. To find out more go to www.direct.gov.uk and follow the links to the ‘Employment section’.

Next Step

The Government backed scheme Next Step offers free and impartial careers and skills advice and is available online, over the telephone on 0800 100 900 and face-to-face with a local adviser.  The service gives advice to help people achieve their ambitions and move forward in work and life, taking control of their own destiny and setting them on the road to future success.

Everyone can register online with ‘My Next Step’, a secure, personal online space where they can save CVs and action plans, assess their skills, find a suitable course and discover what other support, including financial assistance, could be available.

This new Government scheme aims to help people realise they already possess many transferable skills that are valuable to potential employers.  Consequently, this is a great source of confidence that is often so lacking in people who are returning to work. Next Step’s job is to help guide the individual in the right direction - whether they are looking at getting into work, changing career or moving up the career ladder.

Petra Crichton, a mother of three, contacted Next Step after finding herself out of work for the first time ever. After leaving school she worked as a nurse for 17 years but then decided to move into pharmaceutical sales. Her job involved a great deal of travelling but she wanted to spend more time at home with her family. She applied for 40 jobs while she was unemployed but didn’t manage to get a single interview. Her CV did not reflect the skills she had and needed adapting. But after receiving help with her CV from her Next Step adviser, she got the second job she applied for. “Changing career can be scary,” Petra said. “I have worked all my life and was really daunted by the prospect of signing on, never having been unemployed, but thanks to the help I received from Next Step, everything has worked out for me.”

Since it was introduced in August 2010, Next Step has helped some 350,000 people explore their options and prepare for their futures.

To find out how Next Step can help you can:

·        search online at nextstep.direct.gov.uk

·        call 0800 100 900 between 8am - 10pm, 7 days a week, for telephone advice or to make a face-to-face appointment at a location near you.

Return to study

The opportunity to learn something new can be as easy and as straightforward as a click away.  With a massive choice of courses available, individuals are now able to study in a flexible and fluid manner, working when and where it suits: whether it's at the weekend, in the evening or by e-learning online. Individuals can learn in bite-sized chunks and benefit from back-up online or telephone support whenever it is needed.

There are almost a million courses available in the UK, so there's bound to be one that suits your needs. These days you can learn exactly what you want, where and when you want. And you can get expert advice to help you decide what course to take. Many courses are aimed at complete beginners and have no entry requirements whilst others are designed to help individuals build on existing skills, or can lead to qualifications. Take a look at what your local college or learning provider has to offer by asking for a prospectus. Many colleges also have open days allowing you the chance to take a look around.

If you anticipate childcare demands or finances to be a barrier take a look at www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning for information about possible support available.

For more free help and advice contact a learning advisor on 0800 100 900.

Adult Learners Week

Adult Learners' Week has been created to celebrate learning and learners in all their diversity!  From 14th to 20th May, adults will be encouraged to ‘Try Something New’, in this week-long initiative that promotes the benefits of learning, whether it is just for fun or leading to a qualification. During this festival of learning, a series of events will take place in colleges, workplaces, libraries, cafes and museums across the country, with an aim to motivate adults of all ages and backgrounds to take up new activities. For more details or to take a look at the online Events Diary, go to www.alw.org.uk to find out what's happening in your area.

City and Guilds qualifications

City and Guilds offers over 500 qualifications across 28 industries. Qualifications vary from the likes of interior design to sport development; from health and social care to energy efficiency; animal care to personnel management. There are thousands of City and Guilds approved colleges and training providers across the UK - to find your nearest centre, go to the website - www.cityandguilds.com.  Simply type in the qualification you are interested in attaining and your postcode.  You’ll then be able to see which centre offers a course nearest to you.

Many courses are paid for by the government. If not, prices vary depending on the qualification and the centre, but financial support may also be available.  Many courses offer flexible arrangements to accommodate those in work who want to re-train. Some centres offer evening and weekend classes that easily fit around working life. The City and Guilds website also offers some great career ideas – take a look at www.cityandguilds.com/myperfectjob.  

So, despite the fluctuating employment market, there are also many opportunities out there, so whatever you want to achieve in your working life, now’s a great time to do something about it!

Kirsty Woodgate