There’s no doubt about it. The job market is tough and every day at Pitman Training, we get calls from people who are worried about their future.
Even people working some of our most respected institutions and the professions are worried and the situation is clearly worse for those over 45.
So we usually recommend, as a kind of insurance policy, that a mature individual should learn to type properly and take a Word course as the bare minimum.
Word is particularly interesting as most people are self-taught or have been to short classes or in-house training courses and therefore believe they know how to use the programme effectively.
In our experience, an individual with this type of Word training will have achieved the average level of competence in the subject, creating only limited opportunities to add value for their employer and opening them up to the risk of redundancy.
When we assess their Word skills, we usually find they score around 45% for effectiveness and so, by taking a very practically focused Word course, they have the opportunity to double their ability and productivity.
So the message is really that if you’re trying to protect your job, it’s worth investing a few hundred pounds in doubling your skills and making yourself indispensable in the office.
To be frank, there’s just no point being an average Word user, particularly if you’re in the older age group.
You’ve got to be really good and have the certificate to prove it.
And of course, it always impresses the boss when an older employee bothers to develop their workplace skills to an international standard at their own expense.
It shows motivation and lets the boss know that you’re not past it!
But there is an interesting dynamic at work here because we often find experienced office workers and more mature people in particular, are reluctant to invest in their own education, possibly because they have always expected the state or their employer to do so for them.
This contrasts with people arriving from other countries who are often quite prepared to pay to get the skills they need and who apply themselves diligently to their training.
This may in part explain the success of so many immigrants in finding jobs in the UK.
The success of these students must as a consequence put pressure on incumbent employees who have less skill or skills that are out of date.
Again, using Word as an example, many people were trained in the 2003 version during the boom years and with the onset of recession, companies were slow to take up the 2007 version.
Now, however, Microsoft has more or less forced companies to upgrade and it is the more recently arrived students who have already had to master the new version ahead of their more experienced colleagues at work – another compelling reason for mature workers to get trained up.
At Pitman Training in London (Notting Hill and High Holborn) and Central Manchester, we like to assess peoples’ skills before recommending a course, which is probably why we have such a good reputation – and we intend to keep it that way!
A short diagnostic test enables us to determine a prospective student’s level and from there we can discuss the best way forward.
Sometimes we even have to admit that we’re unable to develop someone’s skills any further.
In conclusion, if you’re worried about protecting your future employment, do get in touch with our Course Advisors to see whether they can help.
You can reach them at:
Notting Hill – 020 7792 5214
Holborn – 020 7025 4700
Manchester - 0161 923 6814
Or contact us by email. They’ll be pleased to help.
