Updating your skills

Keeping in touch with changes in your field of work can be difficult while on a career break, but an increasing number of colleges are offering courses to help women return to the workforce equipped with essential skills and in a position to make the most of the skills they learnt while away from the workplace. Companies are also doing more to help women on maternity leave or longer career breaks to keep in touch, by running in-house programmes.

A refresher course can help boost morale as well as updating skills and introducing new ways of working.

According to Jenny Daisley, chief executive of the Springboard Consultancy, Internet access can be a vital tool in your efforts to keep in touch and update your skills.

'You have to allocate yourself some time each week, in the same way that you might allocate time for other responsibilities,' says Daisley. 'Plan in some time to update your knowledge - for instance, plan to spend an hour on the Internet finding out about your specialism.'

Coaching sessions are another good idea. 'These used to be face-to-face, but you can often sign up for coaching sessions that are conducted over the phone,' says Daisley. 'Arrange a coaching session at intervals during your career break, allowing you to key into someone objective who can help you go through your capabilities and help you find out where you need further assistance.'

For those without access to the Internet, she recommends reading industry journals and magazines, to keep in touch with the trends and issues affecting your sector.

You can also use totaljobs.com to research potential employers and search for jobs with them.

As well as industry-specific refresher courses, a number of further education colleges run general courses for those returning to work, designed to bring them up to date with general IT skills and to boost their self-confidence.

Where can I find a course?

The Industrial Society runs courses for jobseekers and employees to boost confidence, improve communications skills and gain leadership experience. There's also a helpline 0870 400 1000.

City of Westminster College runs courses in computing, IT, business skills and sector-based courses such as accountancy, secretarial and marketing. Call 020 7723 8826.

The Open University site is another useful resource for anybody looking to further develop their skill set.

Meeting the costs
There are lots of resources available for those wanting to re-train and a number of employers are willing to help subsidise re-training, particularly in fields such as nursing and teaching. The Government also funds learning through initiatives such as career development loans (CDLs).

CDLs are loans provided by commercial banks for vocational training. The Department for Education and Employment pays the interest on the loan during the training and for a month afterwards, but the banks involved make the lending decision. For more information visit www.lifelonglearning.co.uk The site also has other useful information on sourcing financial support for learning.

Potential employers are another source of support. They may have in-house refresher courses or schemes that can bring skills, such as IT, up-to-date. Discuss options with employers and see if an individual solution can be worked out.

Web resources
For information on personal and professional development, including publications and a list of trainers across the UK, visit www.springboardconsultancy.com.

The National Organisation for Adult Learning, at http://www.niace.org.uk, has a list of journals, news on activities across the country, information about funding and also has a mirror site in Welsh.

More on returning to work