These are the professions and the short courses they should be focused on in order to get a good job this year. Read on below to see what course you should be on the lookout for to impress employers in 2016.
1. Accounting professionals
While we featured this in the previous article, I thought it wise we look at it in greater depth. If you are in Accounting, most jobs will demand that you have CPA qualifications with most needing up to section 6 or otherwise known as CPA (K). An alternative to this would be ACCA. You can also pursue an Accounting Technicians Certificate; this is more basic and enables one carryout basic accounting functions.
There are also other jobs that will require job seekers to have certifications in various Accounting package, including Sage, Quickbooks, Pastel, etc. Being a member of ICPAK will also come in handy, especially in government jobs. And depending on the industry you are in, you might want to take up a different course to help you fit in.
2. Procurement Professionals
Now, for you to rise in ranks as a Procurement professional and work in top employers across the country, you will need to have post graduate qualifications. A Degree or Diploma will not be enough. For starters, the CIPS certification is becoming a requirement in most jobs. Some jobs will also require that you are a full member of KISM (Kenya Institute of Supplies Management) and possess working knowledge of SAP software and ERP. This will always be an added advantage giving you a head start in any job.
3. IT Professionals
With IT professionals, the courses are extensive and we could not mention enough. However, there is the usual CISCO and Microsoft required certifications that include CCNA, CCNP, MCSE, MCITP, MCTS and MCSA, or the CompTIA certifications that include A+, Linux, etc., VMware courses, Citrix or Project Management courses. The paths of an IT professional will vary on what area of specialization they are headed.
For example, those in Information Systems will require CISA, CISM, CGEIT or CRISC while those in software development will need to be knowledgeable in Visual Basic 6 , Visual Basic .Net , C#, ASP.NET, SQL Server 2008 or equivalent.
4. Banking Professionals
To work in the Banking sector, your graduate qualifications could vary depending on the field of study. You could be in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Statistics or equivalent. That is the good part. However, for you to actually get the job you will need added professional qualifications, the most basic being the banking certification.
For example if you are joining the Credit or Risk department, related qualifications or CA, CPA, ACCA, CIMA will come in handy. For Analysts it will be more of Prince2, PMP, CBAP, ITIL and ITSM or equivalent and if it’s Trading you will need an ACI dealing certificate in addition. The professional qualification you pursue will depend on the position you want to hold.
When looking for a professional course in your area, think about the position you want to fill. You cannot move forward if you are not sure where you want to go. So instead of asking what professional courses you should pursue in your profession, think of a particular post you want then ask what course you will need to pursue to get the job. This way it gets easier.
