New Year… new skills

Happy New Year! January is always a time for reflection and resolutions – as we continue to adapt to change, this year also brings us more opportunities to upskill, retrain and develop your career.

The move to an increasingly online working world has opened up many new flexible learning opportunities. With more funding available, and with so much change in the air, it is a really good time to add to your work skills.

Lochaber Chamber of Commerce’s specially designed ‘One Lochaber leadership course’ will once again give new or existing managers the chance to work towards a Chartered Management Institute qualification in leadership skills, working online together with others from local businesses. It is a great chance to develop your leadership and gain CMI accreditation for your management skills while working in a supportive online community of other students who are studying part-time through their work.

There’s also many short courses, webinars, and training events available through agencies like Business Gateway, Scottish Enterprise, and the University of Highlands and Islands that offer insights, practical training, and inspiration for your working life.

If you are not sure of your direction or need some help with motivation, life and work, coaching can offer a personalised approach to help you (re)discover your purpose and create a work life that you love.

One of our newest chamber members, ‘Change Your World Events’, is offering online daily coaching to help you take action to transform your life. Change Your World is offering a free 30-day trail throughout January so now is a good time to take the plunge!

Retrain

If you would like to find out if there is help available for you to retrain, or if you are an employer who would like to offer skills training to your team, the Scottish Government’s Flexible Workforce Development Fund could offer just the help you need. The Scottish Government has doubled the budget available in this fund to help businesses develop their workforce for 2020/2021.

The fund is flexible and gives employers the flexibility to choose the training they need. Employers can use the fund to address priority skills gaps and access training in high-quality learning environments available in Scotland’s colleges.

The fund offers the chance for employers to engage and motivate existing employees by offering high quality training to bring the greatest benefits to your organisation.

Contact West Highland College UHI to discuss how they can help to meet your training needs.

Whether you are looking for in-depth leadership skills, technical training to fill a skills gap, or to discover something completely different, now is a great time to explore the range of online learning opportunities available to help you and your business.

For more training opportunities and to chat to someone about the One Lochaber Leadership Programme, visit www.lochaberchamber. co.uk or email membership@ lochaberchamber.co.uk SUBSCRIBE