Are you considering a change in career? Looking to get back into the job market? Or perhaps you’re looking to learn new skills? Did you know you can access funded courses through The Education and Skills Partnership? As Alison Spratley reports, there’s plenty of support and information available to improve your chances of getting your dream job
It’s not easy searching for, and securing, the right job. Often, job searching can feel like a full-time job, and it is an extremely competitive time to be looking for work. But there are ways you can make yourself more attractive to potential employers.
The best way to improve your employability is to improve and learn new transferable skills. Help is available for new graduates, to those looking to retrain and change jobs at any age, and those taking the dive into setting up their own business. If you have the drive to learn, there will always be a way to improve your skills.
What Level 3 courses are available?
We offer several funded and non-funded Level 3 training courses:
• An Education and Training Award provides an introduction into inclusive teaching and learning. You will also learn how to facilitate learning and development of individuals or groups.
• Specialist Support for teaching and Learning in Schools Level 3 Diploma. This course will enable you to apply for teaching assistant positions within any primary or secondary school, and work with children between the ages of 5-18 years of age across the UK.
• Professional Competence for IT and Telecoms Professionals Level 3 Diploma is aimed at learners who are working, or want to work, in the IT and telecommunications industry. It could lead to employment as a business analyst, computer games designer or technical support person, computer hardware engineer or service technician, internet professional, telecommunications technician, IT product developer, IT technical sales specialist or IT trainer.
• Principles of Leadership and Management Level 3 Diploma course is designed to help people develop their abilities to lead, motivate and inspire a team. This is done through an understanding of how teams work, effective decision-making, how to effectively motivate, and how to best communicate with team members.
You can also explore the following Level 3 apprenticeships available to people who are already employed, as employers can access apprenticeship levy funding to support their staff onto these courses:
• Business Administrator
• Content Creator
• Customer Service Specialist
• Digital Marketer
• Improvement Technician
• Information Communication Technician
• Learning and Development Practitioner
• Network Cable Installer
• Retail Team Leader
• Supply Chain Practitioner (FMCG)
• Team Leader
After completing a course, people who have Level 3 qualifications can demonstrate a range of knowledge and skills, including detailed knowledge of a particular area of study or industry. With Level 3 qualifications, people can work independently and confidently in their chosen roles in their chosen sector.
Level 3 isn’t just for school leavers
Level 3 qualifications are most often undertaken by students who wish to bridge the gap between GCSEs and university. However, it’s important to note that they are not exclusively for this age group, although some come with pre-requisites.
You have to be at least 16 to take a Level 3 qualification, although you only receive funding for a course if you are aged 19 or above. The government offers a lot of options and assistance for adult education with the aim of educating and training people who perhaps don’t have qualifications, to give them the tools to advance in their careers.
What if I’m currently unemployed?
If you’re seeking out your local Job Centre, they can provide invaluable support in your job search. There are resources available to help you, like ESP’s partnership that gives you access to our free training courses and programmes that will help you gain the skills you need.
Anyone who is eligible aged 19 or older can access a Level 3 qualification, and some even qualify to have their studies covered for free. Level 3 qualifications are equivalent to an advanced technical certificate or diploma, or A Levels. Acquiring these qualifications allows you to gain the skills that employers value, which can improve your job prospects and even the ability to earn a higher wage.
Eligibility criteria to access fully funded Level 3 courses:
• If you are aged 19 or over and do not already have a Level 3 qualification.
• If you already have a Level 3 qualification, you can qualify if you earn below the National Living Wage annually.
• You are a UK citizen and have been living in the UK for the past three years.
• You already have a Level 3 qualification or higher but are unemployed.
It’s important to check with your designated ESP training mentor as some areas have different eligibility criteria.
Boost your skills if you’re over 50
Over 3.5 million people over the age of 50 are unemployed and unsure how to go about getting back to work. While this set of workers comes with years of experience and knowledge, if you find yourself in this position, the best way to stay relevant and attractive to employers is to hone and improve your transferable skill set.
If you are in the later stage of your career, you might like to focus on coaching, project management or leadership training – or perhaps developing your social media skills so you can keep up with a changing workplace, and compete with the younger generation!
If you’re not sure where to start, that’s where we come in. We facilitate the courses, help with training funding advice, and do all the heavy lifting to make it easy for you to get the training you need. All you need to do is get down to the Job Centre and find out what support is available.
How do I find new opportunities?
Depending on what area in the country you live, there are specific programmes to help people out of work get the skills they need and the jobs they deserve.
How we can help move you forward
The Education and Skills Partnership is a multi-award-winning national training and education provider, specialising in apprenticeships and government-funded support for a range of sectors. We have region-specific partners that allow us to help our learners reach their full potential, progress in their chosen industry, and meet their individual career development goals.
We are passionate about developing apprenticeship programmes and qualifications that help businesses and individuals alike. In fact, we’re trusted by some of the largest brands in the UK and have achieved a ‘Good’ rating by Ofsted.
From pre-employment and apprenticeships to short courses and learner recruitment, we are involved in each step of the process, delivering training that is tailored to suit the needs of each learner and employer.
The ‘Coast-to-Capital’ and ‘Bounce-Back-London’ range of courses
These courses are, in fact, totally FREE, as they are fully funded by the European Social Fund. Any employed individual can access 25 hours of FREE training in any of the seven different disciplines:
1 Introduction to Coaching – for those looking to consult, learning and development, train sport, teach in education.
2 Introduction to Customer Service – front line receptionists, retail, telemarketing, customer facing roles.
3 Introduction to Social Media – anyone wishing to get a basic understanding of social media platforms to marketing and promote their services and products.
4 Introduction to Teaching – those wishing to move into teaching as a career.
5 Delivering a Project – project management is a skill required at all levels in an organisation, no matter which department or which industry you work in.
6 Managing a Team – another leadership and management skill to add to your list as your advance in your job role.
7 Managing Change – change is inevitable and requires discipline and use of this specialist knowledge to manage effectively in a company.
Currently these introductory courses are only being offered to businesses and their employees in Greater London, and regions in the South of England such as Brighton, Hove, East Surrey, West Sussex, and qualifying postal codes within these areas.
Invest just 25 hours of your time to take on a free online remote training course. After all, there’s always time to invest in you.
To find out how we can help you on your journey to return to work, get in touch with us today.
enquiries@esp-ac.uk
https://esp-ac.uk/contact-us
