Author: Tariq Bitar

One of the most useful things I learned in training courses over many years as a government worker was to get on with the task as soon as the email instruction arrived.  I was always in bother at school with homework for procrastination to the point that it was always done on the bus on the way to school – never a good idea.  This directly affected my chances of getting useable exam results and it took me a few years at real work to appreciate my methodology was rubbish.

So thereafter I have always taken training of any sort quite seriously.  Be it a first aid sampler, a customer service refresher, mandatory anti-fraud training.  I have read the instructions, read the purpose of the course and each element of each topic.  Once the point of the exercise is known, getting down to the learning is a doddle.  And often very rewarding.

A guiding hand when it comes to choosing careers, or just getting to grips with catching up on lost learning opportunities, that would be very helpful to just about everybody.  There are so many courses out there and it can be a bewildering exercise sifting through to find the exact combination of course material, helpful presentation and company expertise in helping  you use your newly gained skills to raise your game.

Knowing how best you sutdy also helps.  Some folk do like the sitting down with text book, note pad, endless sticky page markers etc. and they laboriously listen and note everything down.  This usually stores the relevant info in correct parts of their brain.  Whereas I much prefer the demonstration approach – the handbook for me is just another printed object – bring on the demonstrator to describe and show me how to do it, what happens if we don’t do it that way and how best to achieve my goals.

Knowing your whys from your wherefors can be one of those phrases that ancient relative toss at you when you’re desperately trying to extricate yourself from a pile of undone homework and are making rather a poor show of it!  There’s nothing more important in a child’s life than education – to parents and grandparents, this means the dull stuff that sometimes gets overlooked at school.  Some children absolutely love history and never have difficulty imagining themselves back in a particular period of time – Arthur and his Round Table is a good one for the lads.  The more romantic side of the Victorian era can often be the catalyst for lasses to get involved in the subject.

English language and literature were two of my absolute favourite subjects – the latter of course expanded on my growing appreciation of the former.  Using these skills in later life to understand everything in current affairs, necessary work instructions etc. can all form part of the whys and the wherefors.

When we think of Everyman we have to include absolutely everyone on this planet.  That of course is a generalisation but effectively true.  When we think of education and what is so abundantly available to every child from any background and any creed in this country, it seems almost obscene that some children cannot be bothered to go to school to take up this life enhancing opportunity.

However, sometimes when they reach early adulthood, youngsters to look back and regret those hourse spent idling with chums.  Really ruing the fact they messed up and cannot now get any kind of a job.    Getting educated is the one thing that has absolutely no detractors – it will assist us for the rest of our lives, whether in helping to get that job or keeping it when we’ve got it.  Learning isn’t all boring rote stuff.  There are the social skills too.

For the average family the expectancy is that each child will go to school, whether keenly or reluctantly doesn’t matter here, the fact they can go is the relevant issue.  Then we trust that the teachers will instill as much knowledge as possible into the brains of the children and that they will come out of school at the end of the conveyor belt as balanced, worthy and nice human beings!

some might do so well that they become teachers and lecturers themselves, or doctors, surgeons, bankers etc.  On the other hand, schools are able to see the potential in some children and get them streamed for great sporting careers or in the arts as singers, musicians etc.  Any child who faulters is picked up and helped along.  The same goes for those who missed out – online learning is a fantastic tool to help reinstate those years when effort didn’t come first.

A Covering letter is a document which is sent along with your CV to the company you want to work for when they advertise a job vacancy.  It is a great opportunity to sell yourself along with the skills you hold, but many people make basic errors when they write their covering letter.  Here are our top tips for making your covering letter work for you.

1. Make sure it is no longer than 2 sides of A4.  Any longer than this and you are likely to be waffling!  Stick to the point you are making and make sure your letter stays nice an short.
2. Make it neat.  Keep your font size to around a 10-12, in a sensible font such as Ariel or Times New Roman.  These are clear and easy to read as well as look professional.
3. Tailor your letter to the job – make sure you explain exactly why you suit that particular job!  Lots of people make their cover letter vague and able to use with all job applications, but since this letter could make the difference between the CV being read or not, it is always worth tailoring it to each and every job.