Australian government forces Telstra deal to upgrade broadband network
Australia's biggest telecoms firm agrees to convert old copper-wire network to superfast optic fibre and lease it to the state's broadband company The Australian government and the country's biggest telecoms company yesterday agreed a US$37bn (£25bn) deal to build a national superfast broadband network. Under the deal, Telstra agreed to convert its old copper-wire network into a superfast web of ...

If you thought developing work skills was exclusively for young whippersnappers, think again. You don't even have to be looking for a new job to want to build your skills. You may be a successful, established professional over 40, but there's no reason why you shouldn't continue developing skills. Here are three scenarios in which people like you might be interested in skills development:

Chasing promotion

You think it's time you were promoted, but what can you do to catch the boss' eye? Developing skills relevant to the role you're aiming for is a start. If you're planning to move up to management, or some other type of authoritative role, it's a great idea to develop good leadership skills. Not only can you develop new skills specific to your desired job role, you can also build up skills that will help you through the actual process of getting a promotion. Improving your negotiation skills, learning to project yourself properly and communicating your strengths all increase the likelihood of you landing that dream promotion.

Getting out of a rut

Even if you're not looking for a formal promotion, you feel like you and your current role are in a rut. You're doing the same old tasks day in, day out, but you would really like to diversify your job specification. You feel bored because you're no longer challenged by your duties, but you need new skills to be able to take on new duties. How can you get out of this Catch 22? Don't be afraid to talk to your employer about what you want to do. They could help you build upon your work skills by sending you on training courses or allowing you to shadow a colleague that's doing the kind of work you're interested in. You can also take matters into your own hands by signing up for evening or weekend classes or taking on a few hours of voluntary work a week. All of these options will help you expand your portfolio of skills if you're committed enough.

Furthering personal and professional development

It could be that you're happy with both the title and the specifics of your role, but you just want to do your job better. You believe that furthering your personal and professional development by developing new work skills will leave you feeling more confident both in the office and at home. If this is the case, there's no end to the skills you can choose to explore in order to give yourself a boost. You can gain self-confidence by building work skills around areas like presentations, networking and managing your work relationships. These are not just work skills, but can also be transferred to your personal life. More confidence in giving presentations will help you deliver speeches at weddings or other types of social occasions; networking at industry events could lead to you working the room at parties; and learning to manage your work relationships can only enhance your personal relationships.

So you've recognised yourself in one of the above scenarios and you'd like to give skills development a go. No idea how to go about it? The examples above are just generic scenarios and we know that, in reality, each situation is unique to each individual. So start by dropping us a line about your specific reasons for wanting to develop work skills and we'll take it from there.

Simon North is the founder of Position Ignition - a modern day, very personal careers advisory service for professionals. Simon is a career and transition expert with over 25 years experience in helping individuals with their careers. He uses his unique approach to help individuals with their personal and professional development.

http://www.positionignition.com