Guest Blogger - Arnab Datta

Arnab has been writing excellent articles for the GRB News Feed so I'd like to give him some exposure on my blog as a guest blogger. Hope you like...

DISCOVERING THE TRUE VALUE OF TRAINING

There are many types of graduate jobs available in the market place and so choosing a career path is inevitably difficult. Still, you need to consider whether you want to join a graduate training programme or if you just want to go straight into the world of work.

A recent survey by an international accountancy firm discovered that graduates value training and development over remuneration. This suggests that people want to join a company where they will get the opportunity to improve their overall skill set, so they can do higher quality work in the future. This may still mean that the salary is an important factor but a long-term career path based on a solid training programme appeals to a considerable amount of graduates.

Many accountancy firms offer three year graduate training schemes to become a Chartered Accountant. These programmes are quite challenging since you need to carefully balance studying for exams with the commitment and responsibility required at work. However, there are real benefits upon qualification since you can work in industry or progress through the ranks at accountancy firms. Other careers that have postgraduate training schemes include Law and Engineering, so if you want to become a professional, this is definitely the best route to take.

Some careers may have a Graduate Training Scheme, but no professional exams are required. These are still beneficial, since you will gradually understand more about how the business works and then see if it is the right career for you. In most careers, you will have a buddy or mentor who can offer guidance since they have had similar experiences. Also, you might have an Appraisal Manager with whom you can discuss your long-term career plans at a more formal level.

However, in this difficult climate you may need to have a better paid job, at least for a few years. If so, then you should probably take a job even if there is no clearly defined training scheme. This is because all companies will train you and offer guidance so that you can do your job as effectively as possible. Indeed, training does not stop in the first few years, as you will have to keep attending courses throughout your career, to stay in tune with the latest developments in your field.

Overall, it is worth valuing training more than your salary to an extent, depending on your personal circumstances. Some key advantages with training schemes are that they are well regarded in the market place and can act as a springboard for further achievement in your career. Still, if you think that a starting salary will make your life more comfortable, then take that job initially and perhaps consider pursuing some sort of training scheme further down the line.