Five courses to help you get ahead in your career

Continuing professional development courses provide opportunities for professionals looking for a new challenge or to add skills to their repertoire. Here are five courses that can help you get ahead in your career.

Accounting

Every type of business needs people who can manage money. The City of Westminster College offers accounting courses from level one to seven, starting with basic bookkeeping and progressing to VAT, accounts reconciliation and professional behaviour through the industry-recognised AAT (Association of Accounting Technician) and ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accounting) qualifications.

"It's important for jobseekers to do courses that are recognised by the industry. It's what the employers want," says Louise Reynolds, head of business and financial services.

The first accounting levels open up basic accounting positions, as an assistant accountant, ledger clerk, or a role in reconciliation. The higher level courses enable students to gain work in the finance department of a company. "One of our students went from being a night receptionist in a hotel to an assistant accountant at a branch of the Hilton," says Reynolds. "Many students become self-employed, starting their own companies or accountancy practices."

Find out more about the City of Westminster College's accounting courses here.

Medical decision making

Understanding ethics is important for most jobs and for those working in healthcare a course can be beneficial as a refresher or to fine-tune existing skills. The University of Manchester offers an online course in medical decision to deepen understanding of ethical and legal problems medical professionals may face.

While increasing familiarity with various guidelines and statutes "we also want participants to start thinking more critically about their own divisions on a day-to-day level", says Dr Iain Brassington, senior lecturer in bioethics.

Past students say that the course has made a significant different to their careers. Having started out as medics some are now working towards a more legal career and others work on ethics committees.

"The course adds depth to a CV and makes people better suited to the type of jobs out there." says Brassington. "I think it makes jobseekers that little bit more shiny to potential employers."

Find out more about the University of Manchester's online course in medical decision making here.

Effective communications

"When you're working day-to-day, sending emails and writing copy, it's easy to forget that writing is difficult," says Emma Cummins, programme coordinator of Guardian Masterclasses.

For those who have to write as part of their job but aren't natural writers, a one-day Guardian masterclass in effective communications helps to develop the skills to write clearly; constructing emails, writing engaging subject lines, and compiling information into an accessible document or report.

In the interactive course, the tutor sets practical exercises for the group to reinforce learning. "There are people who are really effective public speakers but can't always communicate well in writing. Even if people wanted to write a clear CV that emphasises their skills, this course would help," says Cummins.

The course could also provide a stepping stone into a variety of communications-based roles; copywriting, marketing, PR or civil service positions where writing reports is a large part of the work.

Find out more about the Guardian Masterclass in effective communications here.

Applied Behavioural Analysis

The Applied Behavioural Analysis programme at the University of Kent's Tizard Centre is about understanding why people behave in the way they do, with a focus on intellectual or developmental disabilities, and autism.

"The course is ideal if you're in a position where you can immediately apply what you're learning on the course," says Peter McGill, co-director and professor of clinical psychology of learning disability. The course is suited to a range of careers but is particularly relevant to professionals working with people who have intellectual disabilities, such as teachers, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and others working in health and social care.

The course provides the skills to teach a child with autism how to do some of the things they might not learn automatically, or to assess the behaviour of an adult with learning disabilities whose behaviour is challenging or difficult to manage.

For teachers, this course can provide promotion or specialisation opportunities, and for recent graduates "it opens up the potential to get jobs in health, social care and education that they otherwise wouldn't be able to get, as a teaching assistant, a tutor for young children with autism, or in a behaviour support role for adults with disabilities", says McGill.

Find out more about the Tizard Centre's postgraduate courses here.

Build your own website

Gaining an internet presence and marketing yourself, your business or your skills can provide a huge career boost. The website building course offered by Ravensbourne is particularly popular with freelancers, sole traders and those creating a business as a sideline to their day job.

"It's a quick and dirty course," says James Ward, associate dean for further education and community engagement. "It really demystifies what the internet is for people." The tutor introduces and demonstrates the tools for using WordPress and students develop their website to fit them, in the class and at home.

Some use the course to build a business while others use it as a taster for a degree, or to add basic web skills to their CV. Students will also learn to thinking creatively about how to enhance their website and social media presence.

One of the biggest advantages of the course, says Ward, is building confidence to use those skills. Jennie Stewart, head of marketing and communications, says: "It's really about getting them to practice on WordPress without feeling that they're going to break it every time they change something."

Find out more about the website building course at Ravensbourne here.

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Content provided by Guardian Jobs