Blog
14th February 2010
Book NOW! 2010 Sage Payroll course
If you want to learn about all of the latest changes to Payroll procedures from the last December budget, contact any Pitman Training centre in Ireland NOW! You can start your course any day with our self-paced learning programme covering both Manual and Computerised (Sage QuickPay) processes and get both Pitman Training and FETAC certification (additional fee applies). Call your nearest Pitman Training Centre for free - ring 1800-532632
29th October 2009
Budget Call for Training
Director of Pitman Training calls for additional support for career-based training in December’s budget.
Representatives from the largest independent network of training centres in Ireland met last week in Portlaoise at the annual Pitman Training Conference, to formulate a strategy to tackle the growing unemployment problem.
Following the two-day conference, Director of Pitman Training Ireland, Derek Smith, was keen to emphasise the need for investment in training programmes that can deliver highly practical, career-based skills, which employers are demanding during these challenging times.
“It is critical that practical training is promoted by the government as this is what employers want…employers are telling us every day that new employees must have practical skills allowing them to be productive from day one. Therefore, we are calling for a range of supporting measures in the forthcoming budget to assist those seeking employment who are ready and willing to train in a practical, hands-on way to meet this demand”
According to the central Statistics Office, the national unemployment rate now stands at 12.6% with this figure expected to rise well into 2010. Furthermore, the numbers now participating in full and part-time training programmes is at the highest level in over a decade, with many courses offered by FÁS and state institutions oversubscribed months in advance of start-dates, capacity is clearly an issue.
Tomás Finneran, Director of the Cork and Kerry Pitman Training centres believes that there is a growing void for skills-based, practical training.
“There has been far too much emphasis during the Celtic Tiger years on the knowledge economy, with thousands of students graduating each year from our third level institutions lacking real, employable skill-sets. The real requirements of employers are now more apparent than ever with the onset of the down-turn. Employers can no longer afford the resources to offer practical, real-world training on site, and it is clear that prospective employees now need practical, demonstrable skills for most of the positions currently advertised in what is an increasingly competitive jobs market”
The Pitman Training name has been synonymous with quality training for generations starting out with one shorthand school in 1870. Today, Pitman Training is unique in being not only the oldest and longest running independent training company, but also for having the largest independent Irish network of training centres. There are more than 90 Pitman Training Centres all over the UK, Ireland and the Middle East, training 50,000 people every year.
In fact, Pitman Training is now the largest independent training network in Ireland offering local solutions to businesses and individuals alike. The organisation offers a choice of training options including full and part-time courses both at their centre and from home using their unique home-study system.
There are currently 15 Pitman Training centres across Ireland in towns such as Dundalk, Galway, Gorey, Mullingar, Sligo, Cork and Wexford. In 1992, Pitman Training launched a programme to expand its training network given the demand for highly practical career-based skills, a sector that the Institutes of Technology and Universities were struggling to address. Since then, Pitman Training has grown steadily to a network of 90 locations throughout Ireland and the UK with the first Pitman Training Centre in Ireland opening its doors in Dublin in 1994.
As well as an ever-expanding range of courses for business, ICT and professionals, Pitman Training have developed their services further with FETAC government accreditation for all Pitman Training Diplomas. Another expanding market for Pitman Training is the move towards online and home-study training with more and more Pitman Training courses available online. Training Centres can therefore continue to deliver courses to individuals no matter where they are located. The centre in Cork was established in January 2008 and since the start of 2009 has been Cork’s fastest growing training institution.
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14th July 2009
Tracy got the job!
Pitman Swords helps Tracy change her future....
Take a look at the Irish Times for 14th July and find out how Tracy Doyle changed her approach!
“Tracy noticed quite a few of the administrative vacancies were in the health area, as a medical secretary, and the money seemed good. However, experience was emphasised in every case. She went back to the web, searching for a suitable course that would give her the experience she required. She found that Pitman offered a diploma in medical secretarial skills, and that there was a Pitman College in Swords, north Dublin, which was easy to travel to from her new home in Ratoath, Co Meath.
She applied and was accepted but then became pregnant. She was still studying when her daughter was born in November 2007. She returned to Pitman two months later in January 2008 and completed the diploma. “I was due back to work in July 2008 so I did up my CV, and I saw a job on the internet for a position in Santry, Dublin,” she says. She applied and received a phone call about a week later for an interview. With no time to brush up on interview skills, she was in a state of nerves. “There were three people on the interview panel and my mouth was so dry,” she says. It was also the shortest interview she had ever completed.
Two days later, to her pleasant surprise, the phone rang and she was offered the post. She handed in her notice, leaving the property and financial world behind her. She has been working as secretary to an orthopaedic surgeon in a sports injury clinic ever since.
“It’s never easy to make a decision to change, and it was really only instinct that told me I wasn’t comfortable with what I was doing.” she says. “I suppose in hindsight I can see that one of the difficulties was that we weren’t meeting the sales targets – the housing market had begun to slow down a bit – but no one really noticed it back then.
“And to think that if I had stayed where I was, I would probably be redundant now. As it is, I am well equipped for the years ahead.”
Why not take a leaf out of Tracy’s book and change YOUR life! Call Pitman Training for free on 1800 532 632.
6th July 2009
Top Training Courses in 2009
Your top choices for Pitman Training Diplomas in 2009, based on enrolments from January to June:
Introduction to Office Skills Diploma – learn core skills, fast
Medical Secretary Diploma – many opportunities in hospitals, surgeries etc
Exec PA and Secretarial Diplomas – acquire top level IT and Office skills
Advanced Accounts Diploma - become a hot shot with numbers in finance
Business IT Diploma – a great all round programme to get you started
Microsoft Office PLUS Diploma – gain the expert skills employers demand
6th July 2009
LinkedIn CV latest
Paper CVs are passé?? The latest news is that recruiters want evidence that prospective employees are comfortable in a digital world, according to Business Week of 6th July. Having a profile on LinkedIn, the professional networking site, is essential; a blog is a bonus.
Recruiters are also using social media websites such as LinkedIn to recruit "passive" candidates and save money. Monsters share of job listings has fallen, while one recruiter described LinkedIn as a "goldmine" of untapped talent.
BE WARY THOUGH! Applicants should avoid using cute or joint husband and wife email addresses in their professional profiles.
1st May 2009
Under 25's urged by Government to Retrain
More than 50,000 young people signing on the Live Register are being urged to improve their education. The Department of Social and Family Affairs has sent letters to all 18 to 25-year-olds on Jobseeker’s Allowance advising them to look at the options for up-skilling and retraining.
Roy Lalor at Pitman Training in Swords comments, “With the announcement earlier this year of the cut in jobseeker’s allowance payment rates for 18 and 19-year-olds, we have seen a huge trend of under 25’s contacting us for advice. Within our area of computer, office and secretarial skills training, Pitman Training can offer a wide range of tailored solutions that give people immediate results and up-skill them for the jobs that are available, including temp work. From a Business I.T. Diploma through to an Executive PA Diploma, we have the courses available. Our approach has always been to give people the skills they need at the times they can learn. This flexibility gives us many advantages over the current state-aided approach to retraining”.
The training courses provided by Pitman Training range from touch typing to their prestigious legal, medical, accounts and secretarial diplomas. Roy continues, “Every day we talk to people who have just lost their jobs and want to retrain, the biggest obstacle they face is financial. We are currently helping potential learners identify if they qualify for any fee reductions through allowances as this means we help a lot more people develop the skills they need for a new career”.
Pitman Training has been successfully providing training to both the corporate and private markets across Ireland for over 15 years and is one of the world’s leading office skills and computer training organisations. With more and more employers focused on specific business type qualifications and skills, Pitman Training provides internationally recognised business certification as well as legal and medical qualifications. Learning with Pitman Training is undertaken with a flexible training model, whereby individual students choose their days and times to train. There is also a wide range of classroom courses including seminars such as CV Preparation, Job-search Skills and Job Interview Techniques.
Social Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin said improving skills will be the key to economic recovery, “Young people should not see signing on the Live Register as their future – they should look to see what supports and opportunities are available for them throughout the country. We know that people of all skill levels are losing their jobs. Young people who may have opted out of the formal education and training opportunities, when the draw of high wages during the boom years was irresistible, are now more likely to remain unemployed if they are not actively up-skilling and gaining new expertise.”
With fifteen training centres throughout the country, Pitman Training is one of the top retraining and up-skilling networks in Ireland. The centres offer top quality computer training courses, secretarial training courses and IT skills training to individuals and organisations.
