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A fraction of the working population in Great Britain are happy with what they do for a living. Naturally most will just stay there. You’ve reached this paragraph, which at a minimum indicates that you’re considering or may be ready for a change.

Prior to considering individual training courses, find an expert who can talk you through the right type of training for you. A person who will get to know your personality, and discover what job role you’ll be most comfortable with:

* Do you want to interact with other people? If so, do you want a team or is meeting new people important to you? Maybe you’d rather be left alone to get on with things?

* Have you given much thought to which sector you choose to work in? (With the economic downturn, it’s even more crucial to be selective.)

* Having completed your retraining, would you like your skills to take you through to retirement?

* Do you have the assurance that your chosen retraining is commercially viable, and will provide the facility to work right up to retirement age?

A predominant industry in this country to tick all of the above boxes is the IT sector. There’s a demand for more qualified workers in IT, – take a look at any jobsite and you’ll discover what we mean. Don’t let people tell you it’s all nerdy people staring at theirscreens the whole time – there are many more roles than that. Large numbers of staff in IT are people of average intelligence, with jobs they enjoy and better than average salaries.

Often, trainers provide mainly work-books and reference manuals. It’s not a very interesting way to learn and not really conducive to achieving retention.

If we’re able to get all of our senses involved in our learning, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.

The latest home-based training features interactive CD and DVD ROM’s. Instructor-led tutorials will mean you’ll find things easier to remember by way of their teaching and demonstrations. You can then test yourself by interacting with the software and practicing yourself.

Always insist on a look at some courseware examples from any training college. You should ask for slide-shows, instructor-led videos and virtual practice lab’s for your new skills.

It’s folly to opt for on-line only training. Connection quality and reliability varies hugely across your average broadband company, ensure that you have access to disc based courseware (On CD or DVD).

The way a programme is physically sent to you isn’t always given the appropriate level of importance. How many parts is the training broken down into? And in what order and what control do you have at what pace it arrives?

The majority of training companies will set up a program spread over 1-3 years, and send out each piece as you complete each section or exam. This sounds reasonable until you consider the following:

What would their reaction be if you find it difficult to do each element at the proposed pace? Sometimes their preference of study order doesn’t come as naturally as some other structure would for you.

For maximum flexibility and safety, it’s not unusual for students to insist that all study materials are sent immediately, and not in a piecemeal fashion. It’s then up to you how fast or slow and in what order you want to go.

Commencing with the idea that we have to choose the employment that excites us first and foremost, before we can consider which educational program fulfils our needs, how can we choose the way that suits us?

Since having no commercial skills in the IT industry, in what way could we be expected to understand what any job actually involves?

The key to answering this dilemma correctly stems from an in-depth conversation around several areas:

* Your hobbies and interests – these often define what things will give you the most reward.

* What length of time can you allocate for retraining?

* Any personal or home requirements that guide you?

* Many students don’t properly consider the amount of work needed to achieve their goals.

* The level of commitment and effort you’ll have available to set aside for getting qualified.

To completely side-step the confusing industry jargon, and discover the most viable option for your success, have an in-depth discussion with an advisor with years of experience; someone that can impart the commercial reality whilst covering all the qualifications.

Beware of putting too much emphasis, as many people do, on the accreditation program. Your training isn’t about getting a plaque on your wall; you should be geared towards the actual job at the end of it. You need to remain focused on where you want to go.

It’s a sad testimony to the sales skills of many companies, but a large percentage of students start out on programs that sound spectacular from the sales literature, but which gets us a career that doesn’t fulfil at all. Try talking to typical college students for a real eye-opener.

Make sure you investigate how you feel about earning potential, career development, and how ambitious you are. It’s vital to know what industry expects from you, what particular qualifications they want you to have and where you’ll pick-up experience from.

It’s worth seeking help from a professional that can best explain the industry you think may suit you, and is able to give you ‘A day in the life of’ type of explanation for that career-path. These things are incredibly important because you need to know whether or not you’ve chosen correctly.

Written by Scott Edwards. Go to Graphic Design Courses or Click HERE.

If you’re thinking about a future in supporting networks then the Microsoft MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) course is the ideal one for you. So if you want to get going or have previous knowledge but no certificate, a range of courses exist to help you either way.

To qualify for an MCSA it’s necessary to achieve pass marks in four MCP’s (Microsoft Certified Professional exams). If this is your first entry into computing exams, it’s likely you’ll be required to have some coaching prior to studying for all four MCP’s. Find a company that has industry experts who can guide you towards the right way to tackle your goal and who will get you started in the right place.

We’re regularly asked to explain why traditional academic studies are being overtaken by more qualifications from the commercial sector?

Industry is now aware that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, certified accreditation from the likes of CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA is closer to the mark commercially – saving time and money.

Many degrees, for instance, often get bogged down in a lot of loosely associated study – and much too wide a syllabus. This prevents a student from learning the core essentials in sufficient depth.

Just like the advert used to say: ‘It does what it says on the label’. Employers simply need to know what they need doing, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. They’ll know then that all applicants can do what they need.

There is no way of over emphasising this: You absolutely must have proper 24×7 professional support from mentors and instructors. Later, you’ll kick yourself if you don’t adhere to this.

Locate training schools where you can receive help at any time you choose (even if it’s early hours on Sunday morning!) You’ll need 24×7 direct access to mentors and instructors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages – so you’re constantly waiting for a call-back when it’s convenient for them.

Be on the lookout for colleges that have multiple support offices across multiple time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to give a single entry point together with access round-the-clock, when you need it, with no hassle.

Unless you insist on support round-the-clock, you’ll very quickly realise that you’ve made a mistake. You may not need it during the night, but you’re bound to use weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.

Lately, do you find yourself questioning how safe your job is? For most people, this isn’t an issue until we experience a knock-back. But in today’s marketplace, the reality is that our job security simply doesn’t exist anymore, for nearly everyone now.

We’re able though to reveal market-level security, by digging for high demand areas, coupled with a shortage of skilled staff.

Looking at the computing industry, a key e-Skills investigation demonstrated a 26 percent shortage in trained professionals. Alternatively, you could say, this clearly demonstrates that the UK can only find three properly accredited workers for each four job positions existing now.

This single reality alone shows why the United Kingdom desperately needs so many more people to enter the IT sector.

In reality, acquiring professional IT skills throughout the next year or two is almost definitely the safest career direction you could choose.

It’s not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees – this always means exams have to be paid for upfront, at the start of your training. However, prior to embracing the chance of a guarantee, be aware of the facts:

Clearly it’s not free – you are paying for it – it’s just been included in your package price.

For those who want to pass in one, then the most successful route is to avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, give it the priority it deserves and give the task sufficient application.

Do your exams somewhere local and look for the very best offer you can at the time.

Many so-called credible training colleges net huge profits by charging for all the exam fees up-front and cashing in if they’re not all taken.

It’s worth noting, with most ‘Exam Guarantees’ – the company controls how often and when you are allowed to do a re-take. Subsequent exam attempts are only authorised at the company’s say so.

Exam fees averaged approximately 112 pounds in the last 12 months via Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So what’s the point of paying maybe a thousand pounds extra to get ‘Exam Guarantees’, when it’s no secret that the most successful method is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.

(C) S. Edwards 2009. Look at MCTS Course or Click HERE.

The figures explaining how much Plumbers can earn is often talked about in the papers. Within the UK, the figures of 30-70k p.a. are typical of Plumbers, mainly down to their low numbers. So, are we being told a story or is this the genuine picture? For the competent and correctly skilled person, this level of salary is realistic. Those taking the more conventional ways to work will find it hard to reach the incomes of 70-100k p.a. that are sometimes achieved by the self-employed.

However, working for regular employers often results in the typical hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Furthermore from a UK employer, the usual perks are holiday pay and sickness allowance, as well as salaries of between 15k and 30k p.a. Whilst the ability to earn more than through normal means exists, the self-employed plumber usually has to consider working longer hours. This is more common in the domestic market where self employed plumbers often have to work evenings and weekends to suit those clients that work during the week.

On a personal level remains the issue self-employment, something that does not become everybody. This can include getting to grips with advertising & marketing, getting your own cost-per-hour correct and the need to learn and use good ‘business’ sense. Furthermore, additional costs such as materials and transport, along with legal and accountancy fees will need to be paid. Whilst it is expected that the benefits will be high, the costs can mount up though they should always remain a small part of the income overall. Certainly the downsides are virtually always beaten by the income!

Firstly, it is the ordinary employer who covers most of the needs and teaching prospects that Student Entrants are interested in. Alternatively, the Self Employed Entrant needs to quickly establish those certificates that they will rely on in industry. Having said that, the majority of self-employed workers do not join the business sector but focus on the ‘domestic’ market. (At least most of them do)

The certification units, needed by each part of the industry keeps a similarity in terms of Plumbing education. A key debate however comes into play when considering the issue of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland.)

To begin with, the Student Entrant appears to rely more heavily on the NVQ structure than the Self Employed Entrant. In trying to meet their client’s needs many Self Employed Entrants will employ a wider range of qualifications. To satisfy their typical household-based client base many self-employed persons will need to quickly focus on the relative domestic skill sets. It is within the workplace – where the NVQ element can be appraised that many Student Entrants carry on with their apprenticeship after having covered the key fundamentals through a college scheme. Considering that it is a cheaper way to study then the Student can make practical savings from the start. It is often by gaining certifications faster, by being motivated by a more commercial standpoint that the Self Employed Entrant will achieve considerable financial benefits before a Student Entrant.

Clearly this illustrates the need for a careers discussion that covers certifications and study alongside those of financial returns. It is extremely difficult for adults with a family to look after and needing 20kp.a. to consider going back to college and spending 3 years on low paid-apprenticeship work. Normally, self-employed students to pay for their courses themselves whereas the younger Student Entrants have the majority of their courses paid for them as part of their apprenticeships. For self-employed people these costs are set by the course structure and the level of certification sought and can end up between 3k-10k+.

Whilst the Self Employed Entrant can consider a wider range of education forms including private colleges the Student Entrant is limited to known further-education colleges. It is the lead into familiar skill-sets and qualifications that commercially fixed plumbing course companies offer as part of their training paths. This method offers key advantages to Self Employed Students, allowing them to train evenings, part-time or on self-study classes thereby continuing with their existing jobs and maintaining their financial situation. With the high number of colleges it makes sense to gather as much technical data as you can. We have provided adverts and links from several to allow you to come back and review your options, so why not book mark this page (CTRL-D).

To increase their ‘marketability’ many plumbing students will go on to utilise extra courses. These courses can provide a range of additional certifications in areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical. Forming part of the common domestic and commercial heating system, Plumbers have often opted for Gas Training.

Gas Training, with subjects followed by a focus on NVQ’s is recognised as an accurate and exact training program. For those who trained as a plumber first and are now looking at extra skills this also offers many options for their on-going development. It is from this position that many believe the mix of Plumbing/Gas Training is more apt to the mature student. For the Mature Student the emphasis appears to be reducing the NVQ elements and focussing on the core subjects.

The self-employed professional appears to benefit from this distinct training mixture. The opportunity to learn a wider range of perceived skill-sets (whilst earning money from them) becomes the attraction. Instead of having to rely upon third parties to complete certain skill-sets, this adds to their commercial viability. Whilst sub-contracting can reduce the earning of a particular job perhaps more important is the deterioration of the value in a customer’s eye as they have to wait for jobs to be handled by others before completion of the overall task. To be fair the more talent a Plumber has in their own job then the more they have to offer their client base.

In retrospect, the Self Employed Entrant has the potential to achieve a much higher and more readily available income stream than Student Entrant, but to do so they need to develop both their business skills and achieve a broader range of certifications. Note: The above information is solely relative to the UK market, industry requirements and policies.

(C) 2009 – S. Edwards. Navigate to Click HERE or Plumber Courses.

The press have often expressed how much Plumbers can earn in the UK. It is this need for trained Plumbers that has led to salaries of 30-70k p.a. being advertised. So, is this really the position or is this basically untrue? Certainly this level of payment is both possible and achievable for the correctly qualified Plumber. In fact, earnings in excess of 70 – 100k p.a. are achievable – but that is solely for those who work within the self-employed market-place, rather than those who work within established employment routes.

If you are working for a traditional company within the UK, then the hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm are normal. From UK companies comes the standard reward such as holiday pay and sickness allowance and a potential wage of between 15k and 30k p.a. The self-employed person can generally achieve higher incomes than those available from the traditional approach, but would need to consider working ‘out of hours’ – and probably longer than the typical 9am-6pm Mon-Fri model. Without a doubt in the domestic market many clients require evening and weekend visits and self employed plumbers have to meet that need.

Around which is the question of self employment which appears to fit some people. The inclusion of key elements such as utilising good ‘business sense’, covering areas such as advertising and marketing and getting your own cost-per-hour correct is integral to the picture. There are additional charges levied to people who work for themselves including legal and accountancy fees as well as those relating to materials and transport. These charges should always remain a small proportion of the overall income so that any profits created always outweigh them. And the downsides are nearly always outweighed by the proceeds!

Without a doubt Student Entrants are looking for companies who can offer them regular employment and thereby teach them from experience. As quickly as possible the Self Employed Entrant needs to increase their list of accreditations that they will rely upon. Having said that, we should bear in mind that the majority of self-employed workers tend to migrate towards the narrower ‘domestic’ market, rather than the commercial sector. (Whilst not everyone does the majority do!)

In terms of plumbing education, there appears to be some similarity between the certification modules required by each path into the industry. There does remain considerable question when the factor of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland) is realised.

From the outset, it is clear that the Self Employed Entrant does not depend as much upon the NVQ’s as the Student Entrant. The Self Employed Entrant will often call upon a wider range of certifications right from the outset; in order to satisfy their perceived client’s requirements. Certainly, it is the qualifications aimed at meeting the needs of the typical household-based client base that self-employed persons need to focus upon. Having covered off the key elements of training within the college, the Student Entrant usually then enters the apprenticeship stage within the workplace – where the NVQ element can be assessed. The Student Entrant can also make financial savings at the start, as it is a cheaper form of study overall. However, in relation to the Student Entrant the Self Employed Entrant will gain certifications faster and therefore achieve substantial financial gains in the long term.

To be sure the financial returns required is the result of clear careers discussions covering certification and the overall study requirements. For adults with demands of say a 20kp.a and a family to look after, the prospect of going back to college and spending a further 3 years in low-paid apprenticeship work can be very daunting. It should also be remembered that many younger Student Entrants are entering an apprenticeship and thereby have their courses paid for them whereas the mature self-employed students do not. Depending on the level of certification sought and the course itself the costs for people can run into 3k to 10k+.

For the most part the private colleges are the domain of the Self Employed Entrant whereas the Student Entrant is required to study at recognised further-education colleges. Often through the use of established training schemes many commercially oriented plumbing courses are now able to deliver the necessary skill-sets and qualifications. The situation whereby Self Employed Entrants can continue with their current job and maintain their financial position remains one of the core advantages of training in evening, part-time or self study classes. Considering so many options on hand it is clever to gather data from as many sources as one can. Having provided an option for you to come back and review the links and adverts from several sites, why not book mark this page (CTRL-D).

Many plumbing students will go on to consider additional courses to increase their ‘marketability’. Areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical training can offer additional qualifications to Plumbers. As part of the commercial and domestic heating procedures, Gas training continues to be popular with Plumbers.

Gas Training is considered a dedicated training program with key subjects followed by important NVQ’s. It is the ability to add extra skills to the fore, along with the features that on-going training offers that continue to be attractive to those who trained as a plumber. From this stance, the mature student is often more suited to a cross of Plumbing/Gas training. It is by centring on these core elements and dropping the NVQ elements that the Mature Student appears to settle.

It is this blend of training that would appear to satisfy the needs of the self-employed professional. There is a great empathy for earning money whilst learning a wider range of work skill sets. This further enhances their commercial offering, instead of sub-contracting key skills to a third party. Sub-contraction needs to be handled carefully as the erosion of customer satisfaction by having to wait for key work to be completed by third parties can result in a serious reduction in potential earnings. To have a higher value within their client base a Plumber needs to consider their relative skill sets that they offer.

Whilst the Student Entrant has the chance to develop through an established employer a Self Employed Entrant can utilise their skill levels through business skills and develop a broader range of certifications to achieve a higher income stream. Note: This information deals with industry requirements and policies for the UK market alone.

(C) S. Edwards 2009. Hop over to www.NewCareerOpportunities.co.uk/NCOppF.html or Apprenticeships In Plumbing.

For many people, a career within the electrical industry remains an interesting and varied choice. From here on we will use the phrase of Electrical Industry to explain the more accurate term of “Electro-Mechanical Engineering”. Furthermore, we will focus on the UK market and the domestic and commercial elements rather than those from elsewhere around the world. Due to the huge list of opportunities available for a career in the electrical industry, we have to begin by focusing on the main areas and look at the ‘add-ons’ later on.

We consider that there are two ways to enter the electrical market. Along with apprenticeships for school leavers, students entering the field at a later phase in their life now have an alternative to more traditional amateur routes. To begin with we have the ‘Junior Entrants’ and then we have the ‘Mature Entrants’.

Many Mature Entrants enter the market so they don’t have to rely on others, especially when they can work on their own building ideas and not have to pay for anyone else to help them. Whereas the ‘Junior Entrants’ train alongside regular electrical employment to pick up practical work place skills as they gain their qualifications. Upon leaving school many apprenticeships provide a fast learning curve for young adults looking to boost their auxiliary skills.

The two different ways into the industry have two separate methods of preparation. In essence, the Junior Entrants follow an NVQ syllabus, or SVQ syllabus in Scotland. The core syllabus is similar to non NVQ commercial training, but the certification is compulsory. New employees gain the necessary course work and testing elements through an apprenticeship or some form of suitable work program.

By opting to work on a freelance basis, many Mature Entrants appear to focus on those areas that provide profitable and practical solutions other than NVQ’s. Such as obtaining documentation that gives them the best chance to gain from their training endeavours and thereby the best financial rewards. Whilst this may seem to reduce the overall qualification set, this meets the trade requirements for the areas involved, and thus provides a quicker and more direct commercial route to the market.

With regard to regular earning potential we have two clear paths – one for employees and the other for the self-employed. Whilst we will focus on full time employment, there exists the issue as to whether self-employed people are doing this full time or part time. Salary options are often affected both by the know- how and the knack for doing things as well as any perceived formal levels of understanding.

Basic salary for Junior Entrants can start at around 12 thousand per annum, often going above 35 thousand after several years in industry. ‘Mature Entrants’ salaries though are often more difficult to work out, but can rise to 70.000 and above as reported in UK newspapers. However, it should be borne in mind that a self-employed person must meet their own costs for tools, clothes and vehicles (including insurance and petrol.) Self employed people also have to allow for added expenses. Aside from that, the current skills shortage within the UK still means that there’s lots of high value work out there. Therefore, working seven days a week (if a student wanted) is a possibility for most. It should be noted that figures of 70-100k p.a. advertised are not necessarily easy to come by and would require some long working hours to obtain them.

There is often a considerable differential between the working expectations of Mature or Junior Entrants. Electricians who are ‘Junior Entrants’ would work a simple 40 hour working week. That aside the Mature market is equally affected by when their clients are available – this is especially so within the domestic sector, where evening and weekend work predominates. This alters quite a bit, with lots of self employed electricians gaining much of their income from small office work, which is predominantly Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.

A Junior Entrant that has chosen to adopt a career within the electrical trade is more than likely to gain follow up expertise within the particular field they fall into, often dictated by the main business activities of their employer. However, many mature entrants gain extra skills by learning those trades such as gas and plumbing work. If they are working mostly in the domestic market, this makes it easier for them to take on larger jobs across a range of disciplines (without having to sub-contract.)

An up to the minute angle – involving a new level of skills – is that of the so called ‘Green Engineer’. With expected growth through new employment contracts and business options, this new entity is extremely attractive to many Junior and Mature Electricians, especially when considering the UK and EEC support overall.

Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Visit Electrical Careers or Electrical Certifications.