Workplace Wellbeing: Going back to school to future-proof your career  

Professional development doesn’t end when you graduate and get a job. Further training is essential to keep your skills and knowledge up to date

“Ignoring all that is changing around you will only mean you miss out on opportunities. You can’t stop progress, so it’s better to engage with it, find out what it’s all about, and then decide whether it’s of benefit to you or not.”

It doesn’t matter how long ago you left school. Whether it was last year or decades ago, September nearly always evokes that back-to-school feeling. That sense of a new beginning could motivate you to learn a new skill or upskill.

Doing so can help us to remain relevant in the workforce, says guidance counsellor Aisling Falvey.

“Your education and professional development don’t end when you graduate and get a job,” Falvey says. “Continuing professional development (CPD), in the form of further training, is paramount for keeping up to date, honing your professional skills and competencies, boosting your confidence, and empowering you to tackle workplace challenges. It can also pave the way for progression and promotion.”

Dr Mary Quirke, a career guidance counsellor and a research fellow at the School of Education at Trinity College, believes the workplace transformation makes CPD more important than ever.

“The pace of change has accelerated since covid, what with hybrid work, innovations in technology, and the changing nature and focus of some jobs,” Quirke says. “We need to up our skillset if we want to keep up with change in the workplace.”

Róisín Kelleher, a guidance counsellor

However, the prospect of returning to education can deter people. “Some fear all this talk of Chat GPT and new technology,” says Róisín Kelleher, a guidance counsellor. “They worry the rapid pace of change will leave them behind and do them out of their jobs.”

People should shift their perspective. “Taking on a new challenge can be exciting, and you might learn up-to-date skills and gain knowledge that could be useful to you,” Kelleher says. “Ignoring all that is changing around you will only mean you miss out on opportunities. You can’t stop progress, so it’s better to engage with it, find out what it’s all about, and then decide whether it’s of benefit to you or not.”

New knowledge, new confidence

Quirke has seen how learning new skills can rekindle people’s professional ambitions.

“If you graduated 10 or 20 years ago, you’re now working off outdated knowledge. That can affect your confidence when you’re going up against people who are more familiar with the latest research, theories, and technology. I’ve seen how this can hold people back from going for promotion. But when they re-engage with education, they meet new people, gain a whole new network, learn new knowledge and rebuild their confidence. It can transform how they see themselves and how they are seen in the workplace.”

Quirke wants to reassure people who are concerned about their previous level of education:

“If you didn’t like school and are worried about going back to education, you need to know that things have changed. It’s all different now.”

As an adult, you will have more autonomy in the classroom. “You’re choosing to follow your interests and improve your ability,” she says. “There’s a lot more in your power to control than there was the last time you were a student.”

The opportunities are different, too. “People can change careers now in a way they weren’t able to before,” she says. “People are now deciding to become teachers, nurses, or engineers in their 40s.”

Some courses didn’t exist years ago. “You can get a degree as a social influencer,” says Kelleher, giving an example.

Guidance counsellor Aisling Falvey.

Human skills in a digital world

To futureproof your career, Falvey recommends building on your digital literacy skills. “We live in a digital world and if there’s a way that modern technology can help you in your job or enhance your performance, I’d recommend that you embrace it,” Falvey says.

She also encourages employees to join their professional body. “Most sectors have bodies that keep up to date with research and provide training in the latest developments and newest technologies,” she says. “This ensures that their members continue to have the skills required to do their jobs at a high level.”

While digital skills are critical, interpersonal skills are always in demand. “Empathy, listening, and communication skills, and the ability to work in a team and to adapt to change, will always be needed, no matter what the workplace,” says Kelleher. “These interpersonal skills will never go out of date.”

Falvey agrees. “We should stay abreast of new and emerging technology, but we shouldn’t forget our human skills,” she says. “Creativity, problem-solving, strategic thinking, leadership, and conflict resolution are skills computers and technology cannot provide.”

There’s a growing value attached to such skills in the workplace. “Employers want well-rounded people who can interact, communicate well, articulate themselves and demonstrate critical thinking,” she says. “They are looking at people’s CVs, and while they definitely appreciate qualifications and commitment to CPD, they also pay attention to things like mastering new skills and abilities outside of the workplace, perhaps in a volunteer capacity or as part of a hobby.”

Dr Mary Quirke, a career guidance counsellor and a research fellow at the School of Education at Trinity College

Free and subsidised courses

If you’re considering signing up for a course this September, Kelleher recommends checking:

• springboardcourses.ie, which offers free or subsidised courses at a range of levels
• skillnetireland.ie, which delivers upskilling programmes

“There’s also the National Skills Bulletin, which is published annually and in which the government identifies the areas where there is potential for growth in the labour market now and in the future,” says Kelleher. “There are further education and training colleges in towns nationwide, offering everything from QQI accredited courses to apprenticeship courses, which allow you to earn while you learn.

“Universities are increasingly offering part-time courses, many at night. There are so many options out there for anyone who wants to add to their skill set.”

It may be hard to choose from the wide range of courses available, says Quirke. “Take time over your decision,” she says. “Explore the course you’re considering beyond its title. What will you be learning? Will you be learning it in person or online? Who will teach you? How will you be assessed? Is the course accredited and is that accreditation recognised in Ireland? The answers to these questions will help you choose the right course.”

Quirke encourages all employees to consider their careers and professional development to be an ever-evolving process.

“It’s like buying your first car,” she says. “You put so much thought in to it, but you’re not going to drive it for the rest of your life. Work and learning are the same. Most of us don’t get a job and stay in that job, doing the same tasks until we retire. We go on a journey, developing and improving our core competencies, abilities, and interests as we go.

“There are times when we either choose or are forced to take stock of where we are and what we are doing, and often those are the times when it makes sense to upskill, reskill, or retrain to move in to the next stage of our working lives.”