Course of action: the recession creates an opportunity to upskill
Interest in night courses has soared in the past year as the recession has left a lot of us with more time on our hands, less money to spend and a need to upskill, writes Carissa Casey
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Tuesday September 01 2009
FOR decades agony aunts have recommended night classes as a cure for a broken heart. Find a hobby, meet new people, learn new skills and soon all your problems will be history, they tell us.
These days, our problems are a little less romantic, involving broke bank accounts, torn-up credit cards and the prospect of long, winter evenings stressing about job security.
For those out of work, it's all the more depressing. Can a night class bring some financial magic into our lives, or at least make the recession more bearable?
Searches on the website Night Courses (www.nightcourses.ie) have risen 20pc since the start of the year. It features more than 40,000 different courses on offer throughout the country. There's also a guidance forum, where people can get advice from experts about which course to choose.
According to Kevin Branigan, managing director, the top search this month is for photography classes. It's a subject that generally features in the top five.
"Hobbies are making a come-back," he says.
Stress
"During the boom years we had our expensive holidays, our big weddings, dinners out -- that sort of thing. Now people want a pastime that they can enjoy and that doesn't cost a fortune."
Leisure courses like photography cost as little as €100 a term. "It's very good value for money," says Mr Branigan.
"Instead of going to the pub for the night and maybe spending the best part of €100, you go to classes for five or six weeks and learn something new."
Research shows that an enjoyable hobby is one of the best stress relievers available.
One study of 30 female heart patients reported in the 'Journal of the American Medical Association' showed a significant decrease in heart rate, blood pressure, and perspiration rate while the subjects completed a simple craft project.
Psychologists say that a skill like photography trains people to focus on the beauty in the world -- a valuable tool when dealing with a barrage of negative economic news.
So, for an initial outlay of €100 or so, an evening class to learn a new hobby or rekindle an interest in an old one can pay huge dividends in terms of avoiding unhealthy stress relievers such as alcohol and fend off future health problems.
But there are more practical benefits. Old-school crafts like knitting and dressmaking are back in fashion. These skills can potentially save money, as can courses on car maintenance or DIY.
According to Mr Branigan, it's quite likely that people will start using such skills to make things they would otherwise buy, or carry out repairs for which they would normally pay.
This winter most colleges are putting on extra courses -- many of them work related. These are generally more expensive.
Serious business and computing courses start at about €1,000 and rise to about €3,000-€4,000 a year for degrees. A masters in business administration will cost as much as €20,000-€30,000.
It's expensive but worth it, according to Richard Ward of the National College of Ireland (www.ncirl.ie), which runs a range of part-time degree and diploma courses.
"Learning a new skill is the single most important thing you can do in this recession.
"It's important for people who are looking for a job and for those who are in a job.
"Every report into this recession shows that people who have lost jobs and have few qualifications will find it harder to get another job. It's all about up-skilling. Those who are in jobs want to hang on to them so you need to find new skills that your employers want and value."
Unfortunately, for those out of work, part-time courses aren't grant-aided, although full-time courses are. Under a new government scheme, there are also a number of free places available on business courses for people who have been made redundant.
People in employment can offset course fees against tax.
But how practical is it for someone who has worked as, say, a brick-layer, to retrain in computers for example?
"First of all, a lot of people who study with us haven't studied since they left school," says Mr Ward.
"But many have lots of skills that they've learned over the years. The first step is in assessing those skills and which might be useful in employment in the future."
In the week starting August 31, the National College of Ireland will be holding a careers bootcamp at their headquarters in Dublin's IFSC.
"There will be interview workshops, CV clinics, seminars on how to transfer skills to help people find a way forward.
"For example, someone who has managed a family for years certainly knows the basics of project management. Maybe that's an area they could look into," says Mr Ward.
He also points to emerging areas. "You might have a tradesman who could look into new ways of insulating houses, maybe set up their own business. There are still plenty of opportunities out there."
