Here at The Employable, our all encompassing goal is to help get you employed. Everyone is familiar with the ‘can’t get experience unless you employ me; can’t get employed unless you’ve experience’ problem. There is a solution which is often overlooked by many here in the UK. It can be summed up in two words; Vocational skills.

In the UK though, vocational courses are often forgotten despite the demonstrable and arguably obvious benefits that being trained in a profession offers when looking for full time employment afterwards. City & Guilds is one such institution, and is an established charity, which dedicates itself to helping young people gain the skills they need to get into whichever area of work that interests them. The link above takes you to the section of their website that provides a list of the courses on offer. Their goal is simple and imitates the basic foundation of vocational training; provide the experience, education and resources in the exact field of work that people want to get into.

In Germany, which currently holds the enviable position of having one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, more than two thirds of young people undertake vocational studies. An obvious trend continues of having low levels of unemployment in countries that place a higher precedent on vocational courses; Austria and the Netherlands being two other examples.

One of the courses offered by City & Guilds is actually, appropriately enough, exactly the type of course we mentioned in our recent article on how to become a midwife. The range of courses are available  throughout the UK in an impressive number of locations (my own, absolute middle of nowhere abode is only about 30 minutes away from a course I’d consider taking.) It’s worthwhile having a look at their website to check the availability of any courses you may be interested in doing.

Even if you are lucky enough to be already working, these types of courses offer official qualifications that can help advance your career path. Alternatively it could lead to a career change. Perhaps you’ve always thought that you’d like to work as an engineer, but just didn’t have the necessary grades to study it at university. Better news still; the courses may be free, depending on who you go to for them and your current situation.

One of the best things about these types of courses is that they can get you out of a rut. Starting a course has the benefit of opening your mind to learning again and the whole process could lead to somewhere you’d have never previously considered possible. A large proportion of people who attend community colleges go on to become entrepreneurs in their relevant fields and it all starts with the desire to improve yourself.

If you’ve been on JobSeekers allowance for an extended period of time and nothing seems to be changing, check if you can be funded to do these types of courses. The worst that could happen is you try something new and decide you don’t like it. The best, is almost limitless.