| One of the best ways to survive the recession is | | | | study. Make sure you choose a skill which is |
| to gain new skills, and to choose those which are | | | | needed in the marketplace and which will help you |
| in high demand. But if you are threatened with job | | | | get another job. IT skills are a good choice and |
| loss, how can you afford to study? There are | | | | you should also look at what is most needed in |
| many different ways in which you can gain new | | | | your own career field. |
| skills and knowledge and they don't all have to | | | | Another way to learn something new is to set up |
| cost a fortune. The best ways to study can | | | | a skills exchange. Depending on what you want to |
| sometimes be free. | | | | learn, this could be something you do with |
| The first thing you should do is to talk to your | | | | co-workers or with someone you don't know, |
| boss about training. A recent report based on | | | | such as a student at your local college. A good |
| research in the UK came to the conclusion that | | | | example is language learning where you find a |
| rather than cutting their training budgets during | | | | native speaker of the language you want to learn |
| the recession, employers would be well advised to | | | | and exchange conversation in both languages. |
| invest in training for their staff, as this increases | | | | Alternatively, you can offer college students a |
| retention rates. (timesonline.co.uk, 2 Nov 2008) | | | | home cooked meal or use of your washing |
| This cuts down on expensive recruitment costs | | | | machine. A very good source of skills exchange is |
| and can make staff more efficient so that they | | | | a LETS which stands for Local Exchange Trading |
| actually save the company money. So unless the | | | | Systems or Schemes, which offer a wide variety |
| organization you work for is in imminent danger | | | | of skills and have the advantage that you don't |
| of closure or bankruptcy, it could be worth talking | | | | have to teach the person from whom you learn. |
| to your employer. Do some background research | | | | This makes life a lot easier as you don't have to |
| first to build a good case for yourself. | | | | find someone who can offer what you want and |
| If you can't get funding from your boss, think | | | | wants what you can offer! |
| about online learning. Distance learning has changed | | | | High school students have a good grasp of IT, |
| many lives for the better and has become a | | | | having grown up with computers. So your own |
| great deal easier with the arrival of the internet. | | | | children or those of friends may be happy to |
| Students can take part in a huge range of | | | | teach you for very reasonable rates. |
| courses irrespective of where they live and you | | | | Learning new skills will help you survive the |
| can start out with something small and | | | | recession and the best ways to learn are not |
| inexpensive to see how well you like this form of | | | | always the most expensive. |