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New College Durham University Centre Addresses Three Common Barriers to Career Progression

New College Durham University Centre has a range of courses and flexible study options that can help you overcome three of the most common obstacles that prevent workers from taking their careers to the next level.

If you want to progress in your career, but there is something holding you back, you are not alone. A knowledge or skills gap, lack of time and money are often cited as the most common barriers to career progression.

A course or qualification is the perfect way to get the knowledge and skills you need to move forward. NCD’s University Centre offers a wide variety of courses including a range of professional qualifications.

Alison Maynard, Deputy Principal at New College Durham said:

“Professional qualifications are a great way to help you progress to the next stage of your career as they are designed to develop relevant skills for a particular industry. They ensure that everyone employed in a particular job meets the minimum required standards of professional expertise. Therefore acting as a quality mark for employers who know candidates with these qualifications will have a certain standard of professional expertise.”

New College Durham currently work with awarding bodies such as AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians), the CIH (Chartered Institute of Housing), CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development) and CMI (Chartered Management Institution) to offers a range of high-quality professional qualifications in accounting, housing, human resources and management.

Charys Urwin found her CIPD Level 3 in Human Resource Practice the perfect way to progress her career in human resources.

“The course content was very informative and allowed me to link it with my current job role. I was able to put things into practice that I learnt from the course.”

When you are constantly juggling working life with family and other commitments, time can be at a premium. The flexible study options and part time courses at New College Durham’s University Centre are designed to fit in with today’s busy lives.

Laura Jackson was able to study a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies as the course at New College fit around her family and working life. She said:

“The college is close to home and the hours fit around my family life and work commitments.”

Laura was also impressed by the outstanding facilities at the college.

“The campus is great. It’s easy to get to and has a wide range of facilities, providing everything I needed to complete my course.”

However, it was the college’s high quality teaching staff that left the biggest impression on Laura.

“I never thought I would pass a degree, it’s down to the support tutors at New College that I have achieved this.”

For many, money is the greatest obstacle. When looking to change career, the thought of giving up a job to study a degree full time can be daunting. Higher apprenticeship programmes give you the opportunity to get the degree you want without the student debt usually associated with university level study.

Sharon Bennett, Director of Apprenticeships and Partnerships at New College Durham said:

“If you are aiming for a highly skilled career, a higher apprenticeship can be the perfect stepping stone. You can study a degree level qualification while working in a real job for an actual employer. Your employer pays your tuition fees and, as you are earning a wage, you can wave goodbye to student loans. You also get to apply your learning to real world projects and gain in-depth workplace experience which can prove invaluable when it comes to applying for graduate jobs.”

Devon Lawton found that New College Durham’s CMI L5 Operations or Departmental Manager higher apprenticeship was the perfect fit for her new role. She said:

“When I started a new job in emergency planning and coordination, I needed to learn the skills and knowledge for managing groups and teams. Doing an apprenticeship allowed me to develop the knowledge I needed to carry out the job while still working.”

New College Durham University Centre offers higher apprenticeships in accountancy, business, management, human resources, computing, housing, construction and civil engineering.

The New College Durham apprenticeship team can also work with employers who would like to use apprenticeship programmes to upskill their current workforce or plug any skills gaps they may have. To find out more contact the Apprenticeship Team on 0191 375 4040 or email apprenticeships@newdur.ac.uk.

If you are ready to take your career to the next level, you can find further details of New College Durham University Centre and their full range of courses at https://www.newcollegedurham.ac.uk/a-degree-with-a-difference

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