Shopping for new learning opportunities

If you are about to leave school, are thinking about retraining for a new career, or perhaps facing the threat of redundancy, why not pop into Carnegie College’s New Row Access Centre on Saturday morning to discover what choices are available to help you prepare for the future? As the economic downturn continues to bite, it is important that both unemployed and employed people ensure that when the economy recovers, they are in a prime position to take advantage. One way of doing this is through learning and training, either by retraining for a new career, or by updating current skills, and as an unprecedented number of enquiries and applications received at Carnegie College indicates, this is the route many people are choosing to follow. However, don’t wait too long to make your application. As college Marketing and PR Manager, Anthony Winney, reports, ”Applications for next session’s courses began as early as January, and are already up by 65% on last year. Telephone enquiries and attendances at our Information Events have been very encouraging, and with the recent launch of our summer recruitment campaign, I envisage our full-time courses will fill up earlier than ever.” Assistant Head of School for Access & Communities, Rose Duncan commented, “In order to deal with these increased enquiries, the college has decided to open its New Row Access Centre in Dunfermline on Saturday mornings, 10 – 12, from 16 May to make it easier for people to access information on coming to college. Staff will be on hand to give expert advice on choosing the right course and information on funding, as well as guidance for anyone who may be facing redundancy. For those people who may be thinking of starting their own business, advice will also be available from our specialist advisors.” Anthony added, “Although employment in Scotland has fallen, 75.5% of the eligible workforce* is still in paid employment, a figure higher than the rest of the UK and most European countries. It is generally accepted that for small to medium enterprises to survive the downturn, they must invest for the upturn, and it is important that they invest in their staff. Research** shows that training increases productivity, and in the short term employers who don’t train are 2.5 times more likely to fail than those who do. We can deliver the right courses that will meet the needs of local and national employers so that they find themselves in a position to emerge from this recession in a stronger position to take advantage of new opportunities. “Learners are attracted to our courses, most of which have vocational elements to them, along with the progression route to universities, such as Edinburgh Napier, that many of our HN programmes have. Part-time Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and accredited courses ensure those in work keep their skills up-to-date and relevant.”