Have you ever considered upskilling?
Upskilling is simple. It means adding to your existing knowledge and skill set. In doing so, you can keep up with the industry and ensure you don’t have skill gaps.
Skill gaps may not seem like a big deal if you’re already in a job, but not gaining new skills could be the difference between a promotion or staying where you are.
And if you ever seek employment elsewhere, having an extensive skill set will set you apart from the rest.
Why Upskill?
Though jobs in the trades are relatively stable – there’s always a demand for electricians and engineers – you can never be 100% sure what’s around the corner. There may be times when work is quieter than you’d like. Being skilled in more than one trade could make all the difference, providing you with work all year round. Upskilling will allow you to offer more than one service to your customers. Or, if you’d prefer to, move into a new role altogether.
Does a company employ you? Without employees, businesses wouldn’t function, so why not make yourself invaluable? Not only does upskilling display determination and commitment, but you’ll be indispensable if the skills you acquire can benefit the company. And it could result in promotions sooner than you think.
Upskilling will provide new skills and knowledge, but you may also uncover a new passion. You never know until you try, but you may soon find that your new trade provides better job satisfaction.
How Long Does It Take?
How long it takes to upskill will vary depending on what you’re upskilling to and your previous experience.
For instance, if you’re a plumber looking to become a gas safe engineer, your previous experience is a huge benefit. A portion of gas training includes essential pipework skills, so you’ll be able to skip past this. By cutting down the duration of your training, you’ll be able to become gas safe sooner.
If you’re looking to upskill in a trade with little relation to your current one, you will have to learn all the skills from scratch. However, your on-site experience, knowledge of health and safety regulations, etc., will benefit your training.
When Can I Start?
When you can start will depend on which route you’re taking to upskill. We recognise that you may have existing commitments, so you will need to train around them. Because of this, we offer monthly start dates throughout the year, so you’ll never have to wait long to start one of our training courses.
Need more flexibility? Our courses are available on both a full and part-time basis.
Where Can I Train?
Again, if you train with Options Skills, you have four fully-equipped training centres to choose from.
We serve the Midlands and North, thanks to excellent transport links with city-centre locations in Birmingham and Manchester.
If you live in the South, we have two training centres in London from which you can train. Both are just a short walk away from Purley and Wembley’s tube and train stations.
Who Has Upskilled With Us?
Trainees at Options Skills come from all kinds of different career backgrounds. It’s not uncommon to have people who’ve just come out of education train with us while, at the same time, experienced tradespeople join us after years in the industry to improve their career prospects.
Rondel, a recent candidate, wanted to get back into the industry after some years out. Macwil, an electrician from India, needed to gain qualifications to work in the UK. Both students could call upon their experience to help them through the NVQ Electrical course, and they’re both working as electricians as they build their NVQ portfolio.
Matthew previously gained his DEI and 18th Edition, so he could move straight onto the installation and commercial section when he enrolled on our electrical course.
Numerous plumbers have joined us for domestic gas training, allowing them to increase their services to customers. In contrast, some tradespeople have opted to learn a new trade altogether.
Upskilling With Options Skills
If you’re interested in expanding your skillset and want to learn more, contact our course advisors today at 0800 802 1306.
