One in two Australians are likely to either change their career or look to professional training in 2011 according to a new study released today by Upskilled.
More than 14 percent of Australians want a complete change of career and despite 29 percent seeing professional training as the solution to improving their career progression, one in four Australians have never been offered the chance to undertake training by their workplace.
The gender divide is still showing no signs of improvement with males making up a majority of those who have participated in paid training by employers.
For a large proportion of Australians, training is seen as unaffordable with 46 percent of respondents citing this as the main barrier to enrollment, in addition to longer working hours (21%) and course locations being too inaccessible (15%).
But the majority of individuals are unaware that they could be eligible for a new Government scheme that provides funding of up to $4,000 towards training for thousands of Australians.
“It’s not surprising to see the significant growth of employees looking to further their career with professional training,” comments Managing Director of Upskilled, Joel Gage, “but what’s worrying is how many see training as unattainable. Many organisations are oblivious to the fact that they could equip their employees with valuable skills for next-to-nothing via the government-funded scheme.
Our courses not only allow businesses and individuals to benefit from this, but they’re also held in regional as well as metro locations and online making them more accessible for all.”
According to the study, Sydneysiders are the most ambitious with 39 percent seeking training to further their careers. On the other side of the border, nearly a quarter of Victorians living in regional areas would like to completely change their career in 2011 compared to residents of regional South Australia were 70 percent would like to stay put in their current job.
The research also revealed:
· Almost 1 in 5 women (17%) are looking for a complete career change in 2011 compared to only 10 percent of men
· Nearly one in three ACT workers (28%) said they don’t have time for professional training
· 25-34 year olds are the most time-poor with 35 percent admitted to not having time to enroll in a course
· Over half of Queensland workers (59%) have never been offered external training as part of their career
· 14 percent of Australians surveyed would never consider training to further their career
· Only one in four Australians said their work organises training for them internally
