It’s a competitive job market out there, and whether you’re already employed and desire a promotion, or you’re a job seeker hoping to land a regular paying position, improving your skills through training also improves your chances of landing that job you really want.
Let’s take a look at some options for improving your skills and attaining new ones that will give you that all-important edge over the competition.
#1 – Start Your Search Online
Once you’ve determined what type of job you want, you can search online for ways to acquire the necessary skills to land the role. The internet is not only a gold mine of ideas, but there are also so many courses and training programs you can access online, allowing you to do all your learning and study remotely in many cases.
Often sites like Udemy offer some amazing courses at extremely low prices. While many of the courses may not be officially recognised by education departments, they still arm students with the skills and knowledge to perform certain roles.
People can complete officially recognised courses online as well if a certain certificate or qualification is required to land the kind of job you’re chasing.
When it comes to many forms of training and learning, the online world is a job seeker’s and business owner’s best friend. It’s also a fantastic option to arm yourself with the necessary skills and knowledge if you plan on being self-employed or starting a business.
#2 – Visit Your Local TAFE
TAFE Colleges are everywhere in Australia, and they offer everything from simple one-day courses to fully-fledged career training modules. To learn more about study options, dates, duration and pricing, it’s easiest to drop into your nearest TAFE College and have a discussion with admin staff.
Depending on the industry and course content, even many TAFE courses can be completed online at home, either in part or in full. TAFE quite probably offers the most diverse range of training and learning in the entire country, so it’s definitely an option that should be on the list of anyone serious about increasing their skill set.
#3 – Find a Mentor
This is not always easy to achieve, and it could also cost you money in fees for their time, but if you have aspirations to be successful in a certain field, then the best way to attain that knowledge, skills and possible industry secrets is to be mentored by somebody who is already successful at what you want to do.
One potential way of finding the right mentor is to join some groups related to your area of interest. Let’s say you have aspirations of being an entrepreneur. Well, there are entrepreneur clubs you can join in most of the major cities in Australia.
It’s not easy finding a mentor, but it can be done with some research, patience and persistence. It really depends on your area of interest as well, how likely you will be able to find willing mentors.
#4 – Knowledge and Experience As Well As Training
Official training and doing courses aren’t the only ways to arm yourself with employable skills. Knowledge is extremely powerful, so even if you never took a single course in your life, but studied and read up on a particular subject until you were an expert on it, then that’s extremely valuable.
It’s the same with having genuine experience in something. We can only learn so much from books and courses. Hands-on experience and life skills are sought after traits.
#5 – Seek Training Assistance Through a Jobactive Provider
If you’re unemployed and eligible to become a member of a Jobactive Provider, you might even be able to acquire the skills you need to land a job at no cost to you. Jobactive providers are companies that help match up employers with job seekers. They are an Australian Government initiative that also takes advantage of skills training Australia; which means they can enrol you in courses that the government will pay for.
This is an option for training and advancing your skills that you should definitely look into if you’re currently out of a job.
