Employment for your students; funding for the school

Is there really a way of improving every student’s chance of getting a job and earning the school an income at the same time?

We have known for quite a few years that there are employers who complain about what they perceive as a lack of preparedness on the part of young people for the world of work.

However, the latest research comes as a bit of a shock. Employers aren’t just having a moan about spelling or lack of mathematical ability. They are actually refusing to employ students who lack one specific skill.

A survey by Microsoft (which quite possibly was set up to show that employers want staff who are used to using Microsoft Office) actually found that one third of the employers said that they would not even consider hiring someone who could not touch type.

When the figure includes students who have at least “good typing skills”, over three quarters of employers said that this skill was crucial for anyone even to be “considered” for a job.

The problem, of course, is that most schools don’t teach touch typing – and the timetable is now full.

Now I know that some schools and colleges have tried to tackle this issue by using free on-line sites but mostly, it seems, without success. Unfortunately the free sites have a very limited range of exercises (and practice is essential for the muscle memory to kick in) and distracting adverts alongside the lessons (to pay for the “free” site).

But there is another way forward. To provide touch typing tuition without impinging on the timetable we have launched a new scheme: ‘Practise at Home’. For this we simply ask you to send a note to parents inviting them to order Typequick – one of the world’s most successful typing training programs – at a discounted rate by going online and using their credit card.

We will deal with the orders and enrol the students and they will learn to type at home, at their own pace, and in their own time. We even provide a sample letter that many other schools have sent to parents, although, of course, you can write your own version if you prefer.

Then, for every order we receive for one of your students, we will pay the school a donation of £5. (The course is suitable for all ages from 11 upwards, and indeed the younger the students are when they learn to touch type, the greater the benefit they will have.)

To find out more please email us at enquiries@typeandtest.com and write TYPEQUICK in the subject line or call us 01480 861867.

Here’s some feedback we’ve received from Cothill House School: “It’s a great scheme, and what a bonus to get some cash back!” John Carver, ICT Teacher