Training for Work

Getting back into the workplace can be a bit daunting – that’s why there are programmes like Training for Work.

The idea is that you gain work experience with one of our Training Providers or directly with an employer.

With a Training Provider you will also work to gain a qualification; your Training Provider may be willing to give a reference as well as organise real work experience with an employer; so you should have good credentials to put forward when you apply for jobs.

Interested? Talk to our colleagues at Jobcentre Plus (Wick 01955 673200 or Thurso 01847 864000) to see if you are eligible, or visit www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

The Training for Work programme can last for a minimum of two weeks up to six months – you continue on benefit, and get £10 on top of that while you are training. If you have travel costs, we can help with that too.

People have used Training for Work to gain a forklift truck qualification, catering qualification, information technology qualification and others.

You can also get information and advice from Careers Scotland, from advisers who work specifically with adults.

You can also consider some of the following information to help you in your job search.

A 2002 employer survey across Scotland tells us that:

  • it would appear that attitude is a more common shortage than skills; almost 70% of workplaces in the Highlands and Islands area stated that issues such as poor attitude, motivation, or personality are more of a problem than a lack of skills (58%), qualifications (23%) or experience (47%).

  • In the Highlands and Islands area, at the time of the survey, there were approximately 6,200 job vacancies. This accounted for 4% of all employment in the area. Around 3,500 of these vacancies were hard to fill, representing 2.2% of all employment. Further, almost 800 were hard to fill due to skill shortages – accounting for 0.5% of all employment in the area.

  • In the Highlands and Islands area, skill shortages (relative to all employees) were most likely to occur in: the skilled trades, and elementary occupations; hotels and restaurants, and construction sectors; companies employing less than 10 people
  • The key skills job applicants appear to be lacking are: customer handling skills; problem solving; planning and organising; and oral communication.

  • Skill gaps (relative to all employees) in the Highlands and Islands area are most likely to occur in: the skilled trades, and process, plant & machine operatives occupations; high labour turnover workplaces; the construction, and hotels & restaurants sectors; and the LEC areas of Caithness and Sutherland; Lochaber, MBSE, and AIE.

  • The skills that employees lack were overwhelmingly ‘soft’ skills (e.g. team working; communication; customer handling; planning, organising and problem solving); followed by IT related/or other technical/job specific skills such as strategic management; with literacy & numeracy skills less of an issue.

  • Over the next 2-3 years, 22% of businesses in the Highlands and Islands area anticipate recruitment difficulties; attracting appropriately skilled staff is the second highest ranking challenge that businesses believe they will face in the next 12 months; and 23% of businesses expect their employment levels to grow over the next year.

(Survey commissioned by Futureskills Scotland 2002)