Have you ever stopped to consider the skills you could have learnt at school compared to the skills you actually learnt?

A recent study commissioned by Able Skills has shown the type of skills we wish we had learnt at school instead of learning Maths, Geography, Drama and French etc.

With some very basic life skills not being taught to us at school we are left contemplating whether the lessons we did take have actually helped us in our careers. The study has shown many different skills that people wished they had learnt whilst at school and a large chunk of these skills were very much construction based.

However, the good news is that it is never too late to learn these skills and retrain in a completely different sector.

Able Skills Director Gary Measures believes that it is never too late to make a change in your career. He advised: “During your school years, the likelihood is that there will have been lessons you loved and lessons you loathed. But what many people worry about when they’re adults is whether the lessons they did take have actually helped them with their career. So many people start climbing the ladder in one sector then get to a point where they want to try something new simply because their interests have changed. But those who do feel this way should know that it doesn’t matter what age they are, there are ways to retrain – it’s never too late.”

Able Skills Managing Director, Gary Measures

Able Skills Director, Gary Measures

There are so many options out there to begin a new career or to gain some skills that will help you in later life and that can prove very useful. Here are just a few of the things that Able Skills can help you with that the survey revealed:

  • How to wire a plug
  • How to put up a shelf
  • How to plaster a wall
  • How to turn the water off in the house
  • How to change taps
  • How to tile a room
  • How to unblock a toilet
  • How to strip wallpaper without damaging the wall
  • How to unblock a plug
  • How to grout
  • How to use a drill
  • How to put up a fence
  • How to build a wall
  • How to change a lightbulb

The survey also showed that four in ten adults felt that school didn’t provide them with the right skills for later in life.

After taking a certain route in school, six in ten people have said that they regret it, and many of the people have since retrained. These figures just show that it is never too late to change your career.

It doesn’t matter what age or what skill set you have, you can make a change and start afresh with a new career.

According to the survey, of the people that have made the decision to re-train later in adult life, many of these are said to be Electricians, Carpenters and Engineers.

Able Skills can provide you with the opportunity to re-train to consider a new and changed career but equally, we also offer individuals the chance to attend basic skills courses, introductions to various subjects so that you can gain the skills you need and want but were never taught in school.