UKC

I'm growing a little tired of spending each day applying for jobs so to break up the monotony I was thinking about courses I could take. So any suggestions for 'useful' courses would be great. I really don't want any suggestions like flower arranging(Sorry Hannah, not my thing) or painting etc. More something that would be attractive to a prospective employer.

Cheers in advance,

JSA.

In reply to JSA:

What sort of jobs are you looking for?

You should be able to access all sorts of NVQ 2/3 stuff for free.

In reply to JSA:

IT courses are probably a good bet, something that demonstrates general ability rather than something specialist may be a good start if you don't have any existing IT qualifications. ECDL?

In reply to Reach>Talent:

Cheers,

I'm doing the ECDL at the moment and keep going through the disc so I don't forget what I've learned by lack of use.I just need to find an examination centre to take the test.

In reply to The New NickB:

I'm looking for mainly Joinery work but applying for those vacancies have applied for anything and everything regardless of experience/qualifications needed.

As things stand I'm niched with Joinery so would like to remove some eggs from my basket and put them in other baskets. So really any courses that are vocational.

In reply to JSA: I learnt to touch type when I was on the dole and I've found it useful. Don't think it's ever helped me get a job though.

In reply to nastyned:

I tried that using the Alison online course, and I have to say i did find that difficult!

In reply to JSA: I think I have suggested to you before, Citizens Advice, should have a list of courses that are free... Go down to the most local, have a look at their list and see if any suit....

In reply to JSA:

What about some sort of basic working with scumbags type qualification. With your practical skills you might good supervising a community payback scheme or similar.

With the sort of stuff Ken Clarke / David Cameron are saying it might be a growth area in the future.

In reply to The New NickB:

Good point, why doesn't the OP just opt out of the working for pay merry-go-round and give his labour and skills FREE and join Cameron's 'Big Society'

(And his 'spare time' he can beg for food, when he is rewarded by a cut in his benefits )

Seriously, good luck in his finding something rewarding to do, hopefully leading to a paid work.

In reply to JSA:

I did a bookkeeping course when I was last out of work. I'm one of the few people who don't snigger when I hear the phrase "double entry" now. They also make you do training courses in Word and Excel (generally useful for people signed up to the course but a bit pointless for me since I did web and VBA development which they would have known had they looked at the CV they had in their records).

In reply to JSA: I would suggest you get some careers advice. It really depends what sort of skills you want to develop, what area you are aiming to get employed in, what barriers you have that are affecting you getting into work etc I'm a career coach if you want to contact me with a bit more information about your situation I would be happy to help.

In terms of access to free courses, that will depend on your eligibility. This will be linked to how long you have been unemployed, and the level of qualifications you already have. Currently if you do not have a level 2 qualification (equivalent to 5 gcse's a-c) you are entilted to get one for free through a further education college. This is called the level 2 entiltlement

Leo

In reply to JSA: Finding work is tough, but all the advice I have heard is that you should try and focus yourself towards specific roles rather than just sandblasting the market place with a generic CV in the hope of getting any old job. Attending a random course will probably have the same result. Focus and direction are key.

The very best of luck!

In reply to JSA:
First aid? Health & safety?

i asked at my job centre & learn direct? office..they said only basic english and maths were free, i would have to pay for anything else, incl IT.
Can anyone tell me how they managed to get on other courses, please?

In reply to thin bob: Can you get Adult learning evening classes for free / at discount if you are unemployed? Check local collage websites for more info.

In reply to EeeByGum: Ta pal . will give it a spin

In reply to The New NickB:

Yep, then you could do it as a volunteer.