Pitman Training Newcastle
Welcome to Pitman Training Newcastle, the specialist secretarial, book-keeping and IT trainer in the North East.
Are you applying for jobs without success?
Don’t be downhearted. It’s a very competitive job market with lots of people chasing a smaller number of vacancies. Employers are receiving hundreds of applicants. Why would they take on someone without qualifications that they then need to train? So take a critical look at your CV, give us a call and start adding valuable qualifications to your CV!
No need to wait. We’re open right through the year, so we can fast-track you and get you ahead of the rest.
From our training centre in the heart of Newcastle, we provide Pitman Training courses to students throughout the North East, from Berwick-on-Tweed to Teesside.
As well as the widely recognised Pitman Training diploma range, we cover all of the leading qualifications demanded by local employers including:
OCR, AMSPAR, ECDL, ECDL Advanced, e-type, MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist), AAT and IAB.
Many North East employers, especially in the health sector now require RSA or equivalent as a minimum qualification for secretarial and admin jobs. RSA or equivalent means the OCR Text Processing (Business Professional) suite of qualifications and we can fast-track you to an Award at Level 2 or Level 3.
As well as individuals, many of the North East’s largest organisations choose Pitman for their in-house training including NHS Trusts, legal firms, local councils and public sector organisations.
Our training is flexible; both in the centre and at home, fully supported by experienced tutors, all of whom are Microsoft Certified Trainers. We believe our professional training is instrumental in our students’ successes; over 99% pass their exams, with over 75% achieving a distinction grade.
Pitman Training Newcastle also organises the annual Best Secretary on Tyneside Award – a reflection of our commitment to train the very best secretaries, PAs, book-keepers and administrative staff in the North East.
Discover just how good we are from one of our former students; read Joanne Clark’s story here – Joanne transformed her prospects with Pitman Training Newcastle.
So please call us today, if you too would like to change your career for the better.
Local accreditations and links
In addition to Pitman Training’s national accreditations, Pitman Training Newcastle has a number of local accreditations and strong relationships with key local recruitment agencies; all designed to help students get the jobs they really want following their training:
- RSA or equivalent (OCR) to Level 3;
- AMSPAR to Level 3;
- ECDL Advanced (Level 3);
- ATT ABC; provides full exemption from AAT Level 2, a quick route to AAT Level 3 with the ABC exam on-line and on-demand;
- AAT Access; the new introduction to accounts qualification from AAT that we are piloting in the North East;
- IAB Level 3 in computerised accounts;
- Pitman Training Newcastle is also an approved supplier for ELCAS, the MOD's Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme (ELC) to promote lifelong learning amongst members of the Armed Forces. Courses offered under the ELCAS programme include Microsoft Office, OCR Text Processing, AMSPAR, Sage Accounts and management courses, all at Level 3 or higher.
Local Offers
Buy now, pay in 2014 for the Executive PA Diploma
Our Executive PA Diploma is included within the government backed Professional and Career Development Loan scheme. The scheme is managed by Barclays and Co-operative Banks.
As a part-time student, you can apply for a loan to cover up to 80% of the cost of the Diploma. The loan is interest-free for the first 12 months and you don’t have to pay anything back for the first 12 months either.
ECDL Funding – Just 6 places left
ECDL is the most popular IT qualification and is often asked for in job adverts as evidence of your IT skills. Our government funding for 100% of the cost of ECDL has almost all been allocated. There are just 6 places now left.
To qualify for the funding, you need to be in receipt of:
- JSA
- ESA
- Income Support
- Working Tax Credit (household income must be below £15,276)
- Council Tax Benefit
- Housing Benefit
For more information and to check your eligibility call Dave today.
News and Events
We did it!
Jill and Dave successfully completed the Edinburgh Moon Walk marathon in 6 hours 45 minutes! More importantly, they raised almost £700 for breast cancer, with the event itself raising over £870,000 by the time everyone set off at midnight.
Over 10,000 walkers took part in the event all to help raise money and awareness of breast cancer.
Take a look at the main news area of the website to see the photo of us crossing the finish line (it took us 3 minutes to get to the start line along with the thousands of participants!) - complete with decorated bras!
Student Feedback
We always love to try keep in touch with all our students once they’ve finished their studies to see how they are getting on and thought we'd share just a couple of the lovely comments we’ve recently received from two of them.
Gillian achieved a Distinction for her Text Production exam and a Pass for Word Processing. She sent us this email: -
"I must say a massive thank you for your knowledge, guidance and endless patience and support. I really did not think I was capable of achieving a distinction but you have proved me wrong.
You have both created the perfect learning environment and I will always be grateful to you. My only regret is that I didn’t come to see you sooner!"
Ruth kept in touch with us after completing her studies and we recently got this fantastic email from her: -
"Dear Jill
How are you doing? I have now got exciting news to share with you!
I have just received a fantastic job offer as a Trainee Company Secretary with a Publishers and will be starting in a month's time. We are very busy planning about relocation right now and really wish to share this fabulous news with you.
Thank you so much for the high quality training you've provided and I felt this job offer wouldn't become possible without your very positive contribution."
If you’ve studied with us previously, drop us a line to let us know how you are getting on. We’d love to hear from you.
Shorthand experts unlock cinema history and inspire new book
The Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle has marked its 75th anniversary in style with the launch of a new 160 page book written by Michael Chaplin about the cinema and its history.
'Come and See’ tells how this little picture house rose from the imagination of an extraordinary cinema pioneer in the 1930s and became a regional and national treasure via an occasionally turbulent and always passionate history.
The inspiration for the creation of the book came from the acquisition by the cinema’s trustees of a personal journal written in the 1930s by Dixon Scott, the cinema’s founder and great-uncle of film directors, Tony and Sir Ridley Scott.
Dixon was a remarkable cinematic pioneer and radical thinker. He was also well educated in the art of Pitman shorthand and used it extensively in his notes. So when it came to deciphering Dixon’s words and bringing them to life, the trustees of the cinema turned to Pitman Training Newcastle, the shorthand experts, for help.
“Although not as widely used as in Dixon’s day, we’re seeing a real resurgence in shorthand, with more and more people attending meetings and needing to take detailed notes and minutes,” explains Dave Stevens, owner of the Newcastle centre with his wife Jill. “We teach Pitman and Teeline and have just launched a new Speedwriting course that’s much quicker to learn.”
Having identified the various lines and squiggles as Pitman New Era, Dave then called on the help of Judith Milne, one of Pitman’s shorthand experts. What Judith translated was a fascinating insight into the thoughts of Dixon Scott and the story of early cinema in the North East, really bringing the journal to life. The pages included Dixon’s own idea for a book on the history of cinema, notes on the fire at the Jarrow Kino (his first cinema) and thoughts on how cinema was helping to reduce alcoholism by cutting down the amount of time people spent in the pub!
Mark Dobson, Chief Executive of the Tyneside Cinema was delighted with the results. “Every page was a treasure and translating the journal in turn led to the creation of the ‘Come and See’ book. We had already had the idea of commissioning something about the history of the cinema, but it took a very different tack as a result of the translation of Dixon’s journal.”
For author Michael Chaplin, Dixon Scott is absolutely central to the story of the Tyneside Cinema. “The more I discovered about the life and career of the cinema’s remarkable founding father, who opened his first cinema in Jarrow in 1908, the more I began to see that in a way this book could be a history of cinema itself, reflected through the life of one picture house in a corner of England, the experiences of the people who ran it and the other people who sat in its red seats.”
To coincide with the launch of ‘Come and See’ and the Tyneside Cinema’s 75th birthday celebrations, Pitman Training is offering its new home study Speedwriting course to all Friends of the Tyneside for just £75 until the end of June 2011. “Speedwriting is the 21st Century version of shorthand, but much quicker and easier to learn. We feel certain that if he were alive today, Dixon Scott would be an avid speedwriter! So, it’s our way of wishing the Tyneside Cinema and all their Friends a happy 75th birthday.”
Microsoft Recognises Excellence at Pitman Training Newcastle
Microsoft has recently appointed both Jill and Dave Stevens of Pitman Training Newcastle as Microsoft Certified Trainers for the Office suite of programs. “The Newcastle centre is a Microsoft IT Academy and exam centre for Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) qualifications,” explained Jill. “All of our Microsoft courses prepare our students to sit the MOS exams and our diploma students are given the option to add these internationally recognised qualifications to their CVs.” Dave added “We are really pleased to be officially recognised by Microsoft as certified trainers.”
Best Secretary on Tyneside Winner Excels in national PA of the Year 2010 Awards
Best Secretary on Tyneside Award 2008 winner, Julie Britt, PA to the CEO of Narec, has been named runner up in the Hays and The Times PA of the Year 2010. Julie was chosen by a panel of judges that included Karren Brady, one of the UK’s leading business women and Apprentice mentor. Julie was announced as runner up at an official ceremony that took place in London. Julie says: “I am very proud to have been named as one of the UK’s best PAs; I really enjoy my job and it is nice to know my hard work is appreciated. These are very busy and exciting times at Narec with the growth in renewables making my job all the more challenging.”
‘How to Manage Your Boss’ a Hit with Local IPA
Jill Stevens of Pitman Training Newcastle presented ‘How to Manage Your Boss’ at the recent meeting of the North East branch of the Institute of Professional Administrators. Jill’s presentation offered IPA members advice on staying positive, being assertive and recognising the barriers to getting the job done. She also provided tips on working with difficult bosses, such as the ‘control freak boss’ or the ‘boss who never communicates’. Jill was joined by Best Secretary on Tyneside 2008 winner, Julie Britt, who offered personal advice from her experience as a leading PA.
Top Courses
We specialise in training designed to help people get good jobs in the North East. We have great relationships with local employers and recruitment agencies, which means we really understand what’s needed locally.
If you want to change your career, get back to work or move ahead, take a look at our top courses. They reflect what’s in demand by employers in the North East.
Top Courses in Newcastle
Executive PA courses
Pitman Training is world-renowned for Executive PA courses. Our Executive PA Diploma covers all of the skills you will need, including:
- Fast, accurate touch-typing
- Audio typing and proof-reading
- Business document layout
- Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel to Expert level
- Plus 4 electives from our course range
Our Executive PA Diploma also prepares you for the OCR Text Processing qualifications (see below).
OCR Text Processing (previously known as RSA)
This qualification is becoming essential for secretarial jobs in the North East, especially in the health sector. You will often see jobs advertised that state “must have RSA 2 or equivalent”. This is now that qualification.
We specialise in OCR Text Processing in Newcastle and offer fast-track training to get you through the exams at Level 2 or Level 3. Our courses include:
- Text Production (the mandatory unit)
- Word Processing
- Speed Keying
- Audio Transcription
- Document Presentation
- Business Presentations (PowerPoint)
- Mail Merge
- Legal Word Processing
- Medical Word Processing
- Shorthand
Depending on the number of credits achieved, you can gain an OCR Award, Certificate or Diploma.
Medical Terminology
Another key qualification in the health sector is AMSPAR Medical Terminology. This qualification will set your CV apart for entry and mid-level jobs in the health sector and is essential for higher grade jobs in many NHS Trusts. We offer courses at both Level 2 and Level 3.
Book-keeping, Sage Accounts and Payroll
This is a particular specialism in Newcastle. As well as the Pitman Training range of courses and diplomas in manual book-keeping and Sage 50 Accounts, we offer:
- Accredited qualifications from the International Association of Book-keepers, including computerised accounting (Sage) at Level 2 and Level 3;
- AAT Access (Level 1 introduction to accounts) – a brand new qualification being piloted by us in the North East;
- AAT ABC (Level 2 manual book-keeping) – as well as providing a sound grounding in manual book-keeping, this course will exempt you from the rest of AAT Level 2, so you can start the full AAT qualification at Level 3.
Also popular is our new Practical Payroll course, which again can lead to accredited IAB qualifications.
Microsoft Office courses
Microsoft Office software is essential to most businesses in the UK, and the North East is no exception, which is why our Microsoft Office courses are so popular locally. In addition to the diplomas listed below we also offer individual Microsoft Office courses on Excel, Excel Expert, Word, Word Expert, Access, PowerPoint, Publisher and much more…
Once again, we our focus on getting you the qualifications that you need for the job market, our courses will prepare you for:
- ECDL (Level 2)
- ECDL Advanced (Level 3)
- Microsoft Office Specialist
If you’re looking for skills and qualifications to help you get a top job in the North East, then our top courses are just what you need – and just what local employers are demanding. Find out which course is right for you – call us today.
Our Seminars
If you are interested in Seminars for yourself or your staff then please contact us on 0191 501 6557 to find out more and to discuss how we can tailor these to your needs.
Testimonials
One of our Executive PA Diploma students, Lucinda, recently got in touch to tell us about some great news. After commencing an initial short-term contract to work as an Administrator in the NHS, her contract was extended until March 2013. Well done Lucinda! She said "I know I've been very lucky to get this job because they said that the job really needed someone with quite a bit of experience, but my Pitman qualifications actually got me the job!”
We also received a couple of emails from our previous students Shona and Gillian and were pleased to hear they are succeeding in their careers following their time studying with us here in Pitman Training Newcastle. Here's what they had to say: -
"Hi Dave and Jill
Thought I would let you know that today I have been offered the job with the Opticians in Whitley Bay and Jesmond! I am delighted and thank you so much for all the advice and help you have given me over the last 8 months.
Hope to see you when my results come out!
Thanks again
Shona"
"Hi Jill and Dave
I hope you are both keeping well and not working too hard!
I thought I would just send you a quick message to let you know the latest - I have got a job! I am the senior team secretary for a Project Management company. I am thrilled to get back into the working world. But I have to share with you something I find myself thinking everyday - I definitely could not do this job without your training, my role involves preparing bids so formatting documents and adding pictures etc was learnt from you Jill! I well remember your one to one training. Thanks again.
Cheers
Gillian"
Joanne Clark - Medical Secretary diploma leads to dream job
Courses completed: Medical Secretary Diploma, Executive PA Diploma Job secured: Medical Secretary Joanne is Pitman Training's Student of the Year 2010. She has worked incredibly hard and achieved great success. Joanne first completed the Medical Sectary Introductory course before moving on to co... Read more
