Want to Boost Your Career? Free Advice Sessions Coming to Truro Leisure Centre This January

Free Career Guidance at Truro Leisure Centre

Truro Leisure Centre is set to host free career advice sessions on 29th January, offering valuable guidance to help people develop their personal and professional skills. Running from 9.30am to 1pm, the sessions are part of the Department for Education’s Skills for Life campaign, aimed at empowering individuals to focus on personal growth alongside health and fitness goals this January.

Truro is one of ten centres across the UK selected for this programme, which is supported by GLL, the not-for-profit social enterprise that operates Truro Leisure Centre under the Better brand on behalf of Cornwall Council.

What Does the Research Say?

The campaign follows research conducted by 3gem between 23rd and 27th November 2024. Commissioned by the Skills for Life campaign and Kindred, the study surveyed 2,000 adults in England, revealing key insights:

• 96% of adults want to achieve some form of personal growth in 2025.
• 57% are planning professional goals like earning a promotion, switching jobs, or securing a pay rise.
• Over two-thirds (67%) said they find physical goals, such as exercising, easier to commit to than learning new skills. Reasons included a perception that physical goals are “more attainable” (35%) and concerns about the cost of learning (23%).

A Multi-Faceted Campaign

The Skills for Life campaign is part of the government’s Plan for Change, which seeks to provide opportunities for people of all backgrounds by creating a skills system that supports secure, well-paid employment. This in turn helps businesses build a skilled workforce, fostering economic growth.

The campaign promotes various skills programmes, including apprenticeships, T Levels, Skills Bootcamps, Higher Technical Qualifications, and Free Courses for Jobs. These initiatives focus on essential skills such as English, maths, and digital literacy, while also offering support through the National Careers Service.

Supporting Personal Growth in Cornwall

Joseph Rham, GLL’s Customer and Communities Director, highlighted the importance of the campaign:
“Prioritising our physical, mental and learning health are all things we should be focussing on in 2025. At Better, we aim to support as many people as possible to get active and experience the huge benefits of improved health and wellbeing. Likewise, learning a new skill can not only be empowering but also offer real opportunities for employment and career development.

“We are therefore delighted to be supporting Skills for Life with several of our leisure centres and gyms across the country hosting free personal development – or ‘PD’ sessions – with career advisers from the National Careers Service.”

Advice from the Experts

Steve Hanley, a careers adviser with the National Careers Service, emphasised the benefits of setting professional goals:
“There’s no better time to take stock and review your skillset than at the start of a new year. But taking that first step can sometimes feel really daunting.

“I know from my experience as a careers adviser that there are lots of reasons why people can put off learning new skills – whether that’s the perceived cost of courses or people simply thinking they’re too old to learn something new. But we would encourage people to look again. Learning new skills doesn’t always mean you have to spend money and is for everyone.

“We hope this exciting partnership with Better will inspire people across the country, while kickstarting their fitness health goals, to also think about their learning health this January. With so many free and flexible training opportunities available, it’s never been easier to get started. Search Skills for Life to find out more.”

Explore Skills for Life

For anyone interested in exploring the variety of government-funded courses and programmes, Skills for Life offers detailed information on opportunities including Skills Bootcamps, Higher Technical Qualifications, and more. Visit the Skills for Life website for details on how to take the first step towards your goals.