Re-tooling Might Mean Schooling

Re-tooling Might Mean Schooling When was the last time you sat in a classroom?   That long?   Perhaps its time to upgrade your skills. The first step is to determine which skills are in-demand or that you might be lacking.   Go to indeed.com and enter your desired job title, also remove the location search criteria because you will want to read a lot of job postings for this type of job.   As you review the postings, what are the skills and technology that appear most often.   Do you have them?   Are you confident about your abilities in those areas?   If not, you are ready for the next step. The second step is to research which schools or education providers in your area offer classes/courses on these lacking skills.   Start by looking at the community colleges and expand from there.   On-line training providers might be an option, but look at them later and Ill explain why.   On-line training typically wont qualify for the grant money mentioned below. The third step is to meet with someone (face to face is best) from the school and talk about their classes/courses. Remember that their motivation is to sell you the classes, so be a little wary of the information they provide. The fourth step is to speak with people in your occupation about the importance of these skills and try and validate some of the information the school/training provider told you about. If all is lining up and you receive confirmation that these skills are in demand, then visit you local one-stop.   They are designed to provide a full range of assistance to job seekers under one roof. The centers offer training referrals, career counseling, job listings, and similar employment-related services. Customers can visit a center in person or connect to the centers information through PC. There are training grants (free money) for people who have determined the training they will need.   There are numerous requirements and restrictions on how the money can be spent and who will qualify, but heck, it is free! The grant money is a one time, use it all or lose it deal.   You will want to identify ALL the training/classes/courses that would help you in re-tooling before you meet with the one-stop staff member. In most or all cases, you will need to register with the one stop to meet with a staff member. The grant money is federal money and right now, in Rochester, the amount available for someone who has been laid off from their job is as high as $7,500. It is worth investigating!