Busting the education and training myth

Education and training is BIG business. So big, that millions is spent on television advertising to entice new clients and millions more is spent on newspaper advertisements.

But do you really need additional education and training to succeed in today’s job market?

Well the answer is yes, no and maybe.

While a lot of emphasis is placed by educational institutions on what a course potentially offers you in terms of career advancement, most educational institutions fail to outline success and performance in relation to today’s job market, or how many graduates, actually achieve their career goals as a result of completing the relevant education and training.

The reality is that the success of education and training depends on your individual circumstances. Before you enrol for a course, it is important to assess your own goals, as well as specific job requirements, before embarking on a new course or study.

If you have no skills and training, then in order to tap into the new jobs, with an emphasis on productivity and technology, then skilling in these areas will become vital. All work places of the future will have a focus on technology and information, so unless you keep abreast with new technology, there is a danger that you will become left behind. So obtaining skills and undertaking education and training will be vital.

For those that already have general specialist skills, additional education and training, might not be necessary for entering or advancing within the current job market. You may for example, simply need to develop more effective job search strategies, or relocate. Or you might find that a particular employer is hiring people on the basis of their overall level of intelligence and ability to learn, rather than a completion of a Diploma in Business Administration.

The point I’m making is that education and training is not always the answer to succeeding. Make sure you do your homework and find out whether that degree program or new diploma is really going to assist you to become the skilled worker that employer’s want to hire.