Transferable skills: your ticket to a better job

With more than 20 professional external certificates, professional training and designation programmes, and 100 online courses to offer, Bermuda College’s Athora Division of Professional and Career Education can help you prepare for your next promotion, or secure a new job.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to the way we work. One trend that was already manifesting in the workplace, prepandemic — greater flexibility shown by employers and employees — has accelerated even faster due to the jolt in the way companies manage staff as they emerge from the disruption of the last few years.

At the Athora Division of Professional and Career Education at Bermuda College, experienced industry professionals say it’s becoming increasingly critical for those seeking to retain their jobs in an increasingly competitive marketplace, or who are wanting to move up in their organisation, or who are looking for an entirely new profession, to improve their skill set – more specifically, transferable professional skill sets, that can easily be a deal breaker to a potential employer gaining a critical competitive edge.

Adaptability and flexibility are two skill sets more important than ever. You’ll need such skills to pivot you into a new role or change fields, seamlessly. A data analytics course will help you identify and interpret statistics that may bring new or additional insight into business operations. Employees who have such skills will find that they can transition with greater ease and confidence because they are more marketable.

Other examples of transferable skill sets include project management, team leadership, workplace communications, and the full gamut of IT and computer competencies.

Medical billing and coding, and the medical administrative assistant have become high-in-demand healthcare specialists because of a global shortage of those trained in this vital industry.

APACE courses vary in length, and are offered with flexibility in mind, with regard to course start dates, times and instructional platforms.

So, who is the typical APACE programme student? “The average age of students that take APACE courses through Bermuda College at the moment is 35”, says APACE Director, Tawana Flood. “But since the pandemic, we’re seeing more and more registrations from those in the 18- to 25-year-old age group. Sometimes, a high school student might want to take a gap year before going overseas to university. Some just don’t feel they want to continue with weighty academic studies. These courses are great gateways to short-term workforce, or longer, professional certification opportunities for employment. We also have those who are looking to explore and connect with the emergent ESG (environmental, sustainable and governance) model in their career searches; or those who are content where they are, but want to keep abreast of latest trends in their fields – whether its technical mastery and practical skills, or latest trends in social media marketing, or discovering the latest trends in anti-money laundering.

Importantly, Government funding is available for these courses to those that qualify. For any Bermudians with a desire to learn, but who may need some additional funds to assist them in their journey of discovery, there’s a financial aid office on campus at Bermuda College to help them navigate their way through.

For full details on available programmes and courses check www.college.bm/pace. Or email: info@college.bm