Complete career change

[tigwig]

My husband has worked in construction all his life (is a trained bricklayer) and has had enough. He's barely worked for the last 18 months and has decided enough is enough and he wants out! He's 34, did ok at school, has an NVQ 3 in brickwork and a HNC in Building Studies but unfortunately with the recession this has not been able to get him a permanent secure position. He fancies training to do something completely different maybe something in computers? Can anyone offer any advice on what career path he could now take? Are there good jobs available in computing at the moment (or likely to be in a few years when he's done training?)

[tamborine]

I feel there's a lot of competion in IT, especially with graduates & Middle/Far East lower incomes.

Would he consider building in Australia; Melbourne/Victoria

http://www.workpermit.../skills_in_demand.htm

[dothawkes31]

with an HNC he could apply to colleges to tutor in vocational course in the building industry, it is an equivalent to a degree apparently, this is not just an idle thought it has actually happened to my friend and they did a whole term at a local college reaching 16-18 year olds the basics of joinery and he had been a site joiner for 30 years.

[boxtops]

tigwig, my husband worked in IT support for several years (getting good qualifications as he did so) but when he moved down here 8 years ago, he had to go back to driving in order to pay the bills, there was no work at his level available within a reasonable travelling area. He's just started his MCSE qualifications again with a view to getting back in (having had enough of being on the road), but we are under no illusions that it's an easy ride. Don't be fooled by the IT training adverts in the paper saying "we will train you, jobs are easy to find", they are not, unless you are very lucky - for instance, (my employers) the NHS - which was always recruiting for IT support posts in the past - now has a freeze on employment across the county here, so that's one valuable market not recruiting. IT skills are however useful skills to have and would make your husband marketable if he went into an office job or some other type of admin support. We are even considering that when he has his fresh exams under his belt, he may have to work abroad - good IT jobs here! https://www.jobsindub....asp?lstIndustryID=25
All I can suggest is that he explores the market, takes advice from a careers counsellor - who are these days more and more used to advising more mature people in the current jobs market - and takes it from there. I wish him luck - I've changed tack three times in my working life, and I was 50 before I found my current line of work, which I am really happy with.

[tigwig]

thank you for the advice. He is looking into apprenticeships now too apparently some of them appear to guarantee you a job at the end of it. I always thought he was too old but it says not so fingers crossed!