People from the Ross and Cromarty and Inverness and Nairn areas are being urged to 'Get Real Guidance' about careers and training opportunities.

A new all-age careers initiative, 'Get Real Guidance' was officially launched this morning (Wednesday, 28 March, 2001) at a business breakfast held at the Inverness Caledonian Thistle stadium.

The corner-stone of the new service is a network of 12 community-based centres in the Inverness and Nairn and Ross and Cromarty areas. Each centre is strategically located to appeal to as wide an audience as possible and provides a variety of careers information and professional guidance.

The initiative has been jointly developed by Inverness and Nairn Enterprise (INE), Ross and Cromarty Enterprise (RACE), the Highland Careers Service and Inverness College. The project is also being funded through the European Social Fund, and is one of the first projects to be approved under the new EU Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme.

Sandy Cumming, chief executive of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) launched the initiative at the breakfast which was attended by key staff involved in careers and skills development in Ross-shire and the Inverness and Nairn area.

He said: "'Get Real Guidance' encourages a better informed and active labour market as it is available right at the heart of local communities. Careers advice is something that most people would only have associated with school leavers and young people just a few years ago. However, with a much greater emphasis on lifelong learning, information and advice about careers needs to be readily available and accessible for everyone.

"These centres will help enhance the area's excellent reputation of having a multi-skilled and adaptable workforce. This is one factor in particular which helps make the Highlands and Islands so competitive when it comes to attracting new business."

The free service is available to anyone between the ages of 16 and 64 who is seeking work or wishing to access learning opportunities.

At the breakfast, head of skills development at INE Ian Fraser explained that 'Get Real Guidance' can help a wide range of people and their particular circumstances. He said: "It doesn't matter whether you are employed, unemployed, looking to return to work after a break, or facing redundancy - 'Get Real Guidance' can help.

Skills development manager at RACE, Donald McKernie added to these sentiments. He said: "Advice can be provided about changing career, learning new skills, updating existing skills, or finding out about funding for education or training. The new service is provided at three different levels which are all geared at pointing people in the right direction."

The first of these levels focuses on providing information from a wide range of sources including a comprehensive careers library. Factsheets are available which explain career planning, job seeking and work opportunities, and access to the internet is provided to enable on-line research of training, learning and education providers. Information on locally delivered courses covering CV preparation, interview techniques and how to complete an application form is also on offer.

The next level provides advice on developing key skills such as IT, numeracy and customer care. Advice is also available on a wide range of training opportunities across sectors to suit most people.

Finally, 'Get Real Guidance' offers access to qualified guidance advisors. This is interview based and designed to identify ways of meeting the aspirations of those using the service. Part of this process involves the use of a computer program which is designed to assist adults with their career planning. A 'Get Real Guidance' action plan is then produced which becomes a blueprint for achieving real career success.

For further information on the nearest centre, or to arrange an appointment with a professional advisor contact Margaret McPhail if you live in the Inverness and Nairn area on 01463 273217 or Sheila Copham on 01349 864914 if you live in Ross-shire.