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Learn new skills
 In our section on training and education opportunities you can start to discover how to give your existing skills a spring clean, or pick up some new skills. If you haven't explored the training courses and educational options on offer for a while you could be pleasantly surprised by what's available these days.
Learning is for life
"People cannot be expected to learn one expertise and just apply it routinely in a job. Your expertise is in steadily renewing your knowledge base and extending it to new areas. That lifelong cycle of learning really is the foundation of the new information organization and economy." George Gilder
When people want to get promoted, or if they've been made redundant, they often wish they'd spent more time developing themselves and getting more recognised qualifications than they have. Being on the internal or external job market without certain skills can make getting an interview, let alone an offer, very tough indeed! So, learning really needs to be an ongoing process and you're never too old to pick up a few new tricks.
How can training affect my chances of getting a better job?
- Demonstrate your continuing commitment to your professional or technical development (CPD, CTD) can make a big difference when it comes to getting a new job offer or holding on to the one you’ve already got.
- If your current employer won't develop you, go work for someone else who will - the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Recruitment, Retention and Turnover Survey revealed that 37% of their sample of job leavers cited the lack of training, development or career opportunities as their reason for leaving. The all-party commons Public Accounts Committee reported a couple of years ago that there were between 700,000 and one million over-50s who wanted to work but were unable to find jobs.
- Don't leave the door open for discrimination - many over-50's and under 25's may be discriminated against because they lack the skills needed by employers who can rule them out when sifting through job applications and selecting candidates for interview. So if that's you..........read on!
- Creating a new life might also involve embarking on a completely new career direction or setting up your own business. If you've worked for big corporates all your life you may well find that that doesn't necessarily equip you to run a start-up venture. Either way, you should check out the advice and ideas throughout the site on how to acquire and put those skills to work.
- Anything's possible - look for ways to fit training in with your lifestyle? Could distance or online learning work for you? Completing our What's my learning style? test is a good place to start if you don't know, and don't forget to check out our book choices for some essential reading tips.
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