Keeping a job is almost as hard as finding them right now. While companies are struggling to bring in money the workforce is being depleted and many of my friends have ended up out of work. I have been working in the construction industry and while work has been pretty much constant we have noticed that our firm have had to let people go lately. With rising costs companies have to tighten their purse strings and a few of the labourers have lost their jobs, and it’s not only happening in my firm.
Watching the developments around me made me feel a little anxious about the security of my own job. I decided rather than wait for the inevitable I would make myself a real asset to the company. While I have a lot of experience I haven’t really done anything to advance my skills in a couple of years. Sure experience helps but having formal qualifications can really improve what you know and back up your experience with proof of your abilities. Plus I figured that if I was to lose my job it would look better on my CV if I had some formal certificates.
Tips on Finding a Suitable Course
- The first thing I did was look online for qualifications which were affordable and that could be passed in a short period of time. As I had to study outside of work I wanted to try and improve my CV in the shortest timeframe possible. It had also been a long time since I had been on any kind of course so I did want to ease myself into training rather than jump in head first.
- Look at the industry you’re in and figure out what skills are the most valuable. As I am in the construction industry health and safety training is a must. I had received some when I started working in the trade but we are talking a good few years. My firm are very good on providing health and safety talks and they are very strict when it comes to risk assessments but I don’t have a recent qualification in that area. I decided to go down the route of health and safety for that reason. Also it can open up many new doors in the future such as supervising and managing sites.
- Look at the job market and try and establish what the common qualifications are. I wanted to make sure I would be able to potentially walk into any construction firm and be hired on the spot. Checking the classified ads showed me that almost all of the jobs on construction sites asked for one particular qualification. This was a card which proved that the holder had received some onsite health and safety training. I didn’t have the card so that’s where I started.
- Look for a training centre near you so you don’t have far to travel. There are many excellent training courses for the construction industry and a lot of them can be completed at home in your own time. However, you may need to receive practical training or sit the assessment under exam conditions. I found that the card I required had test centres all over and my nearest one was just a ten minute drive away.
- Think about how the qualification will benefit your employer. While training is ideal for personal development it’s important to make sure it will also benefit your employer and help to secure your current position. Health and safety in construction is a must and therefore receiving any kind of certificate in this area will only serve to help your employers who have a legal duty to ensure safety onsite
CSCS tests can be booked and completed within days, it’s a great way to become valuable within your industry and secure more work in the future.
