Kerry; you’re in the middle of a massive international tour at the moment. How’s life on the road?

“I’m so excited to be out with this show, talking to audiences. I was overwhelmed by the response last year as I love being in peoples’ hometowns. Meeting everyone and hearing their connections with me and their local theatres is always a joy. I’m enjoying every second of it.”

Apparently, Keith Richards eats shepherd’s pie before every performance with The Rolling Stones. Do you have any weird and wonderful pre-show rituals?

“Not really. I try not to have routines as I think they can influence your performance. That said, when I’m on tour, I do try and look after myself. I try to get to the gym, get as much sleep as possible, and eat as well as I can so that I’m ready for the show. The nice thing is that, when I’m on the road, I only have one thing to think about. Doing the show!”

That must a nice change for a busy mum of two. How do you manage to balance your schedule with family life?

“Our life is always upside down, but I am very lucky to have an amazing husband and supportive family who help the balance. They say it takes a village to raise a family – and it certainly does! This industry can be difficult, and it can only happen if you are supported by everyone around you. I do and they all inspire me every day.”

You bagged your first role as a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz aged nine, and then trained at Laine Theatre Arts for three years. Was your heart always set on the stage?

“Absolutely. I feel fortunate that I knew so early. I know so many people don’t have a clear view of where they want to be, but I knew where my heart was from the start. I knew what I wanted to chase. And chase, I did.”

It must have been quite a journey – and you’re now hailed as the First Lady of the West End! How does that feel?

“I’m not sure that’s completely accurate: I definitely think Elaine Paige is the first lady – or certainly the first lady that I look up to. She was my inspiration growing up and still is to this day. I love how she continues to grow and develop and stays current.”

You were Meat in the original cast of We Will Rock you and have continued to work with Queen’s Brian May over the years. Can you tell us a little about your relationship with him?

“Lovely Brian has been incredible to me, not only as a mentor, but as a friend. He’s taught me so much and I’m forever grateful for his kindness. Still to this day, we talk quite a bit about all sorts of things from performing and music to life in general. I’m so happy to have him in my life.”

You perform beautifully together. Do you have any Freddie Mercury qualities?

“I don’t know about that, but Brian would say that I shared certain likenesses, such as passion for music, just like Freddie. Sadly, I never got to meet him but I really I wish I had.”

We hear you are also busy writing your autobiography. Can we expect you to spill some showbiz scandals?

“No – but I do tell people how it is, just like I do on the tour. I’m very open and honest and tell people the real stories, as in what really happened. My Podcast is called Keep Calm and Kerry On and that is exactly the advice I’d give to my younger self.”

Finally, when the tour’s complete and you get a chance to relax, what’s next?

“I’m not sure you’d call it relaxing but I have lots of exciting projects on the go. Being part of the new show, Lady M The Musical is amazing as I’ve just come back from doing a version of the show in Shanghai. We are working on an album to release this year – and with a new album comes more touring and more challenges. I also run my own online course, How to Succeed in Musical Theatre as an Artist, which is open to everybody. I’ll teach you everything you need to know about musical theatre. There may be a star in you yet!”

Get tickets for Kerry’s Queen of the West End tour are on sale here. For details on her course visit www.kerryellis.com.

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Going through lockdown led many people to reconsider their lives and careers. Reassessing a work-life balance, getting used to working from home or being made redundant are just some of the factors that may have prompted a rethink. 

A survey of more than 5,000 people found that nearly 9 in ten of us were looking for a new job and career security is a big concern for many. Jobs board Totaljobs, which carried out the research, found that more than a third of UK workers were looking for a fresh start and 52% are keen to relocate within Britain. Around 30% of people are estimated to have picked up new skills or qualifications during the lockdowns of the last 18 months but even if you didn’t, there’s plenty you can do to find a new career.

Adzuna, another job site, found that men are more likely to be looking for a career change, with 10.4% claiming they were actively seeking out new opportunities, compared with 4% for women.

That may be linked to the fact that sectors predominantly staffed by women, such as charity, voluntary, hospitality and catering, have seen a reverse in recruitment since Covid hit.

Changing careers can be life-changing and it is important to be prepared in advance. Make time to research to see if you’ll need to retrain, gain new qualifications or move location. And you’ll no doubt need to make long-term plans if a significant drop in salary is likely.

“Career change takes time, and big journeys are much easier with a team of supporters,” advised Natasha Stanley, Careershifters head coach.

“Surrounding yourself with other career changers, trusted family and friends, experts and mentors can inspire you, help you find solutions to obstacles and stay accountable.”

Some online career quizzes – even the jokey ones – can get you thinking about different directions you might want to consider.

Many skills are transferable between different sectors even if you don’t have much hands-on experience. Managing staff, controlling budgets or training junior colleagues, for example, are all valuable achievements worth highlighting, regardless of whether they were officially in your job description.

Think about all the different skills involved in the roles you have had and how they could apply to other roles. Also, accept that things may have changed since you were last actively seeking work.

If you’ve been settled for some time you may not have an online professional profile. There’s plenty of help online to help you put together something effective.

Even if you are already on all the job and careers sites, make sure you update them with relevant skills and experience and let employers know what you’re looking for.

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

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1. Reed

Jobs and recruitment company Reed have tens of thousands of courses available to help you improve your employment opportunities. There is a mixture of free courses; discount courses and university courses listed on the site. Subjects include food hygiene, child psychology, digital marketing and job interview masterclasses.

Find out more at reed.co.uk/courses

2. Degreed

Degreed is an online upskilling platform that consolidates all learning, formal and informal, into one place so you can track everything that you’ve learned.

It covers everything from coding and data science, to leadership and communicating with others. Because it can consolidate existing learning resources online, new courses and learning pathways can be set up quickly – for example, when the first lockdown happened, pathways on remote working and mental health were set up within days.

Find out more at degreed.com

3. Google Analytics Academy

A range of free online courses are run by the tech giant’s academy. Get to grips with the fundamentals with Google Analytics for Beginners, then move on to Advanced Google Analytics, which teaches learners to customise, segment and leverage data. This resource aims to equip learners to be ready for digital graduate jobs and also offers recognised qualifications.

Find out more at analytics.google.com

4. The Skills Network

The Skills Network is the UK’s largest online learning provider, having supported over 1.6 million individuals reach their training and development goals. With more than 100 online courses on offer – many of them fully funded – individuals can choose when and where to study, achieving new qualifications with the support of an assigned tutor and a learner support advisor. Subject areas include accounting and finance, children and education, retail and hospitality and health and fitness.

Find out more at theskillsnetwork.com

5. My Learning

The My Learning offering from Hays provides the latest insights into the skills in demand and career trends. 

From here, professionals have direct access to free courses that enable them to reskill and upskill – putting them on the path to secure new opportunities in a constantly evolving world of work.

Courses include change management, customer service, project management, coding and programming, and communications – all of which are highly sought after by employers.

Find out more at hays.co.uk/online-learning/skills-development

6. General Assembly

Workshops from locations all over the world teach users to upskill in a number of areas such as tech, data, design and business.

Using video tutorials and live-streamed lessons GA offers award-winning curriculums and expert instructors as well as a global, professional community of more than 40,000 full and part-time alumni.

Courses range from short-term to part-time or full-time.

Find out more at generalassemb.ly 

7. CoursesOnline

This course comparison website offers up-skilling opportunities to individuals and workforce teams who are looking to enhance their skills.

The courses cover everything from cyber security to floristry, with options for both newcomers and those who already have experience within the field. 

Each course comes with its own respective cost, which gives a user access to teaching from top educational institutions in the UK and the vast majority can be studied at the learner’s leisure from home.

Find out more at coursesonline.co.uk

8. CourseBuffet

Discover a catalogue for free online college courses from all the providers out there put in one place.

Listings include those from Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) such as Coursera, Udacity, edX, etc, and providers such as the OpenCourseWare consortium, Saylor, and others.

Each course is classified by subject and level, with information on video, audio or textbook learning included.

Find out more at coursebuffet.com

9. Duolingo

Check out free, bite-sized language lessons, designed to be as much fun as playing a game on your phone or computer. The website and app currently offers more than 105 different courses in 40 languages.

Users develop vocabulary and grammar through practising reading, writing, listening and speaking through a mixture of implicit and explicit learning.

More than 300 million learners are said to be picking up new languages with the platform.

Find out more at duolingo.com

10. Futurelearn

See a diverse selection of courses from leading universities and cultural institutions from around the world.

Futurelearn believes learning should be an enjoyable, social experience and so offers the opportunity to discuss what you’re learning with others as you go. Users can unlock new opportunities with unlimited access to hundreds of online short courses through a subscription, though many courses are free to join.

Find out more at futurelearn.com

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It doesn’t have to be a traditional educational route, either – you can study flexibly and online, whether you want to land a dream job and increase your prospects with new qualifications or take on a new challenge. 

Here are a few possibilities to get your learning journey started.

1. CAPSLOCK

It’s easier to switch careers than you might think thanks to CAPSLOCK. This groundbreaking, government-backed education institution reskills adults into cyber professionals in as little as four months, with no up-front costs. And no, you don’t need existing cyber knowledge to apply.

The CAPSLOCK course focuses on retraining people via a revolutionary curriculum designed by former cyber security lecturers. It features over 400 hours of live tuition in an online classroom, over a period of either 16 weeks (full-time) or 26 weeks (part-time). It also includes four industry recognised cyber qualifications.

The idea is to combine the rigour of a master’s degree with the speed of a boot camp, whilst tackling one of the UK’s most urgent skills gaps. It is estimated that the cyber sector will need an additional 3.5 million qualified professionals by 2023, so it’s a great time to make a career switch to this future-proof industry.

Find out more at capslock.ac

2. Babbel 

Found anything useful at home lately? That mug you forgot about at the back of the cupboard? Pennies behind the sofa? How about an exciting new language and culture? 

With the language learning app Babbel, you get lessons crafted by a team of over 150 language experts. But you also get to uncover and enjoy a new culture every day. Because from food to phrases and dancing to dialects, language and culture are inseparable. 

Lessons are based on real-life conversations to get you speaking ASAP and, before you know it, you’ll be using your new skills and knowledge. Maybe cooking a delicious new dish, like a regional speciality, whilst proudly showing your loved ones on the phone what you’ve learned so far! 

Babbel’s experts also customise content for native English speakers. In-context grammar tips, ‘false friends’ lessons, and more offer a more tailored, relatable and effective language learning experience. 

Find out more at babbel.com

3. The Art Institute 

The Art Institute’s online art appreciation course is a comprehensive and flexible art history course delivered in a supportive learning atmosphere. The course will help students think critically and become art savvy. The focus is to develop a deep knowledge and to expand the student’s horizons to enjoy art with confidence either as a hobby or to support certain career options.

Course curator Hilary Kay, best known for her appearances on the BBC’s ‘Antiques Roadshow’ programme, has brought together 12 remarkable authors presenting the students with an engaging course to study at home, whenever it suits. Students can enrol every day of the year. 

A tutor will be allocated to the student upon enrolment, who will guide the student through each module of the course, while giving constructive feedback on all submitted work. Benefit from 24 hours’ support for all levels.

Find out more at theartinstitute.co.uk

4. Oxbridge Content 

Now is the best time to launch a business. Oxbridge Content’s business plan writing service provides the highest level of support for writing the best plans for your pitch. Preparing to pitch your start-up or company to shareholders or investors is almost always a daunting prospect, no matter at what stage of seed or funding you find yourself. Where an ill-conceived or poorly communicated business plan can halt many ventures before they’ve even gotten started, a well-written document can mean the start of a truly successful company. 

At Oxbridge Content, they have taken lengths to develop their own bespoke business plans service, combining excellent copywriters with a multitude of business and industry experts, aiming to write a plan, and continued support, that will help launch your new chapter. Their business plan writing services include expertly crafted business plan writing, expert business plan help and a tailored service, based on your needs.

Find out more at oxbridgecontent.com

5. ITonlinelearning 

ITonlinelearning specialises in providing training and career placement to individuals looking to switch careers and move into the lucrative project sector. 

They use bespoke, accredited training material to ensure that you earn UK-relevant qualifications in project management, change management and business analysis while fully supporting you with their team of mentors, tutors and recruitment consultants. 

They’re so confident in the effectiveness of their programme that, if they don’t place you, they offer a money-back guarantee! 

Once you complete the training programme and are then suitably qualified, their recruitment team will work with you to help secure your first job in this exciting field. Students who have completed their programme will work as junior project managers, project support officers, project administrators, co‑ordinators, analysts, senior administrators and account managers. 

The aim of the programme is to empower you with accredited qualifications, a professional CV and career skills, helping you to stand out in the job market. 

Find out more at itonlinelearning.com

6. Benslow Music 

Do you love the sound of strings and wish you’d had the chance to learn?

Benslow Music is launching ‘Late Starter Strings’, offering adult music lovers the opportunity to have a go at learning a violin, viola, cello or double bass. Classes will be informal and fun, with the opportunity to have friendly, inspirational lessons individually, in pairs or groups. This is for everyone – regardless of ability! 

There’ll also be some informal play alongside sessions, where Benslow Late Starters will get the chance to work with other local string players, to experience the joy and fun of playing together.

Taking the leap as an adult to learn an instrument can feel a bit lonely. However, Benslow Music is creating a fun and supportive environment to learn, and quickly get to play with others – which is what music’s about.

Find out more at benslowmusic.org

7. Enginuity 

Enginuity are passionate in their belief that, given the opportunity, one engineer can change the world. However, for far too long, too many young people have been denied the opportunity to put their engineering talents to use. The next George Stephenson or Ada Lovelace could be going through the school system right now – but they need to be inspired by what engineering is and excited about what a career in engineering could look like.

That’s why in 2019, Enginuity launched their award-winning Skills Miner game. Based on the record-breaking popular Minecraft game, Skills Miner helps young people to discover engineering through gamification while embedding the digital skills that are becoming ever more important to engineering careers.

Skills Miner really came into its own during the Covid lockdowns and has become a powerful learning tool for parents and teachers alike to use in the home and remotely

Find out more at enginuity.org

8. Future Connect 

Covid-19 has taught us many lessons and has affected our personal and professional life. If you are planning a career change, looking for a stable job and one which is future-proof, you should consider becoming an accountant.

Accountancy is a demanding profession. It requires more than just ambition to be an accountant, it requires your full attention and complete command of subjective knowledge and technical skills. This is where Future Connect Training’s winning formula of blended AAT qualification with hands-on practical experience can help you kick start your accounting career. 

AAT, a global body of accountants, offers a qualification that many employers admire and is a CV booster.  At Future Connect Training, not only do they provide you with quality AAT tuition but their courses also combine theory and practical aspects. This includes accounting work experience at bookkeeping, accounts assistant, management and accountant levels. 

Courses are available nationwide. 

Find out more at fctraining.org

9. Learning People 

Have you been made redundant, furloughed, or faced career uncertainty? Retraining in tech is one of the most accessible ways to secure your future in an innovative, sustainable and growing industry.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 1.58 million tech roles available in the last quarter of 2020. The tech industry has remained resilient and has continued to grow through the digital transformation which has been accelerated over the past year.

Since 2010, Learning People have built career pathways for the tech and project management industries. 

Their award-winning StudentCare™ team can help you every step of the way, including direct access to career support to help you navigate the jobs market and secure employment.

Compared to traditional education like university, Learning People’s full-service career pathways offer flexible training to your schedule, 360 careers support and an integrated alumni community to build connections.

Find out more at learningpeople.com 

10. Point Blank Music School

Established in London in 1994, Point Blank Music School has since taught over 50,000 aspiring artists, musicians, DJs, producers, managers and music industry professionals worldwide.

For students looking for a fully funded, hands-on degree from a top-ranked music school in the heart of East London’s creative hub, then Point Blank might just be the place.

Whether you want to study in-person, online, or a combination of both, Point Blank are open for clearing and have limited places remaining on their fully funded, hands-on Music Production, Sound Engineering, DJing and Music Industry degrees. With standard three-year and accelerated two-year options available, their industry expert lecturers, state-of-the-art studios and extensive industry connections will enable you to succeed in the ever-changing music industry. 

Can’t make it to London? Point Blank offers a range of incredible online courses that can be studied from home.

Find out more at pointblankmusicschool.com

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

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Learning a new language may improve your life in unexpected ways. Children seem to pick up new languages very easily, but if you’re a little older, learning a new language is generally more difficult. With these go-anywhere language courses, you can finally say goodbye to Google Translate. Although we are closer than ever before, there is still one major barrier preventing us from openly communicating, language hurdles. Further your career and enrich your life.

If you’re considering accepting a position in a non-speaking English country, or simply knowing enough of a language to have a conversation, foreign languages provide professional and career advantages or perhaps give you more social and global skills.

More than half the world’s population is now bilingual. According to the European Commission, 62% of people surveyed in the UK can’t speak any other language apart from English. 38% of Britons speak at least one foreign language, 18% speak two, and only 6% of the population speak three or more. 

Expand your vocabulary easily successfully through apps or courses online. Whenever and wherever you want. To help you further towards that success, we’ve got you covered with a list of the best services for achieving your language learning goals. It can be expensive, so we have provided you with some free options too.

Duolingo

Duolingo is a free science-based language learning programme that has naturally grown in popularity as the most popular way to learn languages online. The app has 120 million users around the world and currently teaches 19 distinct languages. This service offers applications for iOS, Windows Phone, and Android that adopt a game-like approach to learning. Getting started is easy, create a profile and choose between starting with a beginner’s course or taking a test to progress to a more advanced class. 

Babbel 

Babbel, the industry leader in online language learning, is a global success with over one million active subscribers and is ranked as the world’s number one innovative company in education. Babbel is a German subscription-based language learning app and e-learning platform that has been available in 13 different languages since January 2008. The app offers conversational practice and cultural immersion in its classes.  Within five hours of using Babbel, 73% of participants said they could hold a brief, simple conversation in their new language. 92% of Babbel users improve their language proficiency in just two months.

FutureLearn

FutureLearn is the leading social learning platform future learn offers language courses from Chinese to Irish to Norwegian.  Most of which learners can enroll for free. A series of courses designed to help you specialise your skills. Start a free seven-day trial, subscribe to keep learning at your own pace, and cancel your subscription whenever you like. Some of the short courses take as little as three weeks to complete, but learners can complete all the courses at a pace that suits them. Learners also have the option to purchase an upgrade, which gains them a Certificate of Achievement to demonstrate their completion of the course once eligible as well as continued access to the course for as long as it’s on the platform.

Open study college 

Open Study College offers a diverse range of language courses at both beginner and advanced levels for those looking to learn from home. They recognise how busy life can get which is why they offer home learning courses, all of which are tailored to fit your present job and family obligations. People are becoming more interested in languages, and businesses are looking for employees who can speak more than one language. With home learning courses ranging from Spanish to French and German, you may expand your linguistic horizons and stand out from the crowd. Pricewise these courses tend to cost somewhere between £12-18 a month. Start a free seven-day trial, subscribe to keep learning at your own pace and cancel your subscription whenever you like.

Busuu

Busuu offers free language courses. The language courses available are in-depth and informative. There are 12 language courses currently offered: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, and Arabic. Busuu is great for those who are learning a language from scratch. The service also offers a premium subscription where subscribers will get official certificates and the ability to practice with native speakers.

How many languages can you speak? 

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email laura@hurstmediacompany.co.uk or editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

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Apprenticeships, which are becoming more popular as a study choice, are a wonderful opportunity to get hands-on experience while studying, gaining a qualification, and earning money. They’re offered in a variety of fields, including accounting, business, and law, as well as construction, engineering, and transportation.

Apprenticeships have been designed to give 16- to 24-year-olds work experience, job-specific skills, and the qualifications that they need to start a career. Apprentices will be able to learn on the job while still earning a living. Of course, as an apprentice you are learning, so your wages will be minimal so we’ve found the industries that pay you the most. 

Accouraging to UK Parliament in the first two quarters of the 2020/21 academic year, August 2020 to January 2021, there were 161,900 apprenticeship starts. This was a drop of 18% from the same period in 2019/20, with around 36,700 fewer starts.

Apprenticeships are offered at the following levels:

Advanced – Level 3, equivalent to A-level.
Higher – Levels 4 and 5, equivalent to a foundation degree or above.
Degree – Level 6, equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree.

What are the top paid apprentice jobs?

Banking – £16,825 average

Many of the UK’s biggest financial institutions offer banking apprenticeships. The UK’s main high street banks are constantly looking for apprentices to work in their operational teams and an interest in people and the ability to learn about financial services and markets.

Banks that offer banking apprenticeships are Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group, and Santander.

IT – £14,646 average

IT apprenticeships are available from a variety of UK organisations, ranging from creative small and medium-sized firms to major global corporations. 

An IT apprenticeship can focus on a particular area, such as artificial intelligence, computer programming, including coding, computer science, information and communications technology, networking, software development, and software engineering.

Engineering – £14,204 average

Engineer apprentices often work as operators, doing tasks certain tasks like installing telecommunications systems, constructing automobile engines, fitting and testing machinery, destroying structures, and inspecting commercial or RAF aircraft.

Engineering apprenticeship programmes exist in the following areas: aerospace, automotive, broadcast, civil engineering, communication, construction, electrical, energy, hydraulics, marine, mechanical, mining, process engineering, systems engineering, telecommunications, and transport.

Accountancy – £13,319 average

Accountancy is a skilled job where numbers are important. You may be involved in a number of financial tasks, depending on your apprenticeship level and employment function. Accounting entails the collection and analysis of financial data for a variety of business purposes. 

There is a different type of accounting apprenticeships to choose from including AAT apprenticeships, ACCA apprenticeships, chartered accountant apprenticeship, management accounting apprenticeships, actuarial apprenticeships.

Health – £11,599 average

The higher apprenticeship in health provides on-the-job education and training for client-facing employees and registered healthcare professionals in inpatient care.

There are many different possibilities available, and many of them do not even require a background in healthcare to begin. NHS Apprenticeships are a great way to get started in the healthcare field. Over the last five years, the NHS has achieved over 70,000 apprenticeship starts.

Business – £10,884 average

Apprenticeships in business help businesses run more efficiently and economically. This type of apprenticeship can cover a wide range of responsibilities such as business administration, company development, consulting, management, and leadership are among the options.

Businesses who offer apprentices are: Aldi, Aon, Arup, Atos, Barclays, BBC, Boots, BPP, Chartered Management Institute, EY, GSK, IBM, KPMG, Microsoft, Nestle, NHS, PwC and Unilever.

Where can you find apprentice jobs?

gov.co.uk
indeed.com
reed.co.uk
totaljobs.com

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

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