Training for Work is a training funding scheme funded by Skills Development Scotland to help unemployed people acquire new skills which will help them get back into employment. It’s usually a full time programme run over a period of months. YouTrain’s programmes are fairly intensive and run between 4 and 13 weeks depending on the course. The objective of the Training for Work scheme is very much geared towards getting people back into employment.

The main programmes YouTrain offer under TFW are:

• our 6-13 week technical course (for IT professionals)
• our 4-13 week Office user course (for users of Office applications)

Who’s eligible?
You must be at least 18, and be seeking employment. You must be registered with Job Centre Plus as seeking employment, and have been unemployed for at least 3 months. BUT there are some personal circumstances which can make you eligible sooner – e.g if you have recently been made redundant, or live in certain postcode areas, or have a disability, or recently left Services, etc.  Note – some unemployed people (e.g people who have recently left full time education) do not register with Job Centre Plus, but you must do so to be able to come on a TFW course.

You have to be accepted on to the course by both Job Centre Plus and ourselves. (The reason we have to approve it, is that we need to be sure you can handle the course, and also to be sure you are genuinely seeking employment. This is not training for the sake of training, it’s training to help you get a job.

Note – currently we only have contracts to deliver course under Training for Work funding in Forth Valley areas and Lanarkshire, but we suggest that if you’re not working, and are interested in the course, and live somewhere in central Scotland, call us for a discussion or come in to see us to see if we can help.

How much is available?
If you are accepted on to a course with Training for Work funding, the full cost of the course is covered.   (The funding goes from Skills Development Scotland direct to YouTrain, so you won’t be involved in having to pay and reclaim). If you are on Job Seekers Allowance of benefits you can stay on these, and you get a further £10 per week, plus you get assistance with your travel to come to the course.

ALSO, once you get into employment your new employer can often qualify for some assistance with your wages, and/or assistance with further costs of training required. This can be a help to you when you are speaking to potential employers.

What courses can I do through Training for Work with Youtrain?
YouTrain run programmes which lead to IT certifications. So you will know you have learned a lot on one of our courses – both for yourself and for prospective employers.

Microsoft Office programme (MOS) – usually 4 – 8 weeks, leads to Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification in Outlook, and also in at least one other office application (Excel, Word, PowerPoint or Access). These are the Office applications which are used in 90% of businesses in the UK – having provable good skills can really enhance your job prospects! There is NO previous knowledge required, although familiarity with keyboards is an advantage. We run training in the most up to date Office Suite (currently Office 2010) but you also spend some time on earlier versions which may be used by potential employers.

Microsoft technical programmes (MCTS) – usually 6-13 weeks, leads to Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS) in Windows 7 and at least one other – Active Directory, Network Infrastructure, Desktop Support, Server 2008). This training is useful for either people who have already been IT professionals, and need skills updated, OR to people who are trying to get into IT professional work as a career.

Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) (on demand) – usually 6-13 weeks, leads to CIW certification and also includes some training in Flash, HTML, or other tools as agreed with the delegate.

Format of above courses is a combination of “classroom” or “trainer-led” training with one of our Microsoft Certified Trainers (or MOS trainers) as well as time in our Supported Open Learning Centre. The CIW course is usually more biased to Supported Open Learning than the others.

How do I apply?
You can either ask the Job Centre directly about coming on one of our courses. Or you can contact us.  Before you get accepted on to a YouTrain course have to say to the Job Centre that you would like to do one of our courses. If you want to speak to us beforehand please do.

Want more information?
Call us on 01786 460531 or email us on enquiries@youtrain.co.uk