We often profile courses and offerings for the senior PA, but this time we're looking at the help available for those starting out in the profession and enjoying their first years as secretaries. Sometimes it's hard to know where you should be putting your energies, and which skills you should be focusing on first. Obviously, your job will, to a greater or lesser extent, dictate which skills are most important, but we thought it would be helpful to offer a list of recommended courses which cover the basics required for most roles. If you have senior PAs in your organisation, or those who have been working there for some time, why not approach them for advice on which skills the firm sees as important? They can help build a picture of the organisation's needs which can be the foundation of your career plan.

All the courses featured below are suitable for the secretary who is fairly new to the role.

Organised by: Hemsley Fraser
Tel: 01752 849400
Web: hemsleyfraser.co.uk

Secretaries are constantly juggling a range of responsibilities. This course aims to make secretaries more effective and gain greater recognition for their contribution to the business. The course includes modules on supporting your manager, practical organisation, handling difficult situations and using your initiative to take on increased responsibility more confidently.

Organised by: Spearhead Training
Tel: 01608 644144
Web: spearhead-training.co.uk

Teamwork is becoming more and more important to PAs and secretaries and this course aims to improve the skills needed for professional co-operation. Much of the organisation within an office is the responsibility of the PA/secretary so negotiation, tact and diplomacy are all essential. The course also deals with saying 'no' constructively, managing your boss and setting goals for your job and career.

Organised by: Reed Training
Tel: 0800 132448
Web: reed.co.uk/training

Nowadays it's quite normal for secretaries and PAs to work for more than one boss. Juggling the requirements of a team of people needs good communication skills as well as the ability to handle conflict and manage deadlines. In addition to practical skills such as negotiation, setting priorities and keeping track of tasks when working for a group, the course also explores identifying the problems of working for a team and how to cope with them.

Organised by: Altus Training
Tel: 01704 539377
Web: altus-training.co.uk

We're all trying to cram as much as possible into our working lives and this course helps develop techniques to manage time more effectively. The course covers such topics as urgency v. importance, setting priorities, planning tasks and identifying and dealing with "time stealers". It also includes a highly practical module called 'What changes I plan to introduce as a result of the training.'!

Organised by: City and Guilds
Tel: 020 7294 2800
Web: city-and-guilds.co.uk

A good introductory course in two levels. Level One is a foundation course; Level Two is more suitable to newly-appointed junior secretaries who want to develop their skills. Level Two covers the structure of business, communication skills and their importance, modern technology, plus the process involved in business transactions and how to prepare and organise business meetings and travel.

Organised by: Capita Learning and Development
Tel: 0870 400 1000
Web: capita-ld.co.uk

Concentrates on how PAs and secretaries interact with customers, clients and colleagues and how they, as the front line can make all the difference. The course includes effective communication by email, phone and face-to-face, plus how to deal with difficult callers. The communication theme is continued in the strands developing a good written style for business. There is also a session on how to encourage your manager to delegate (always a difficult one!).

Organised by: Reach Training
Tel: 01746 768111
Web: reachtraining.co.uk or reachonline.co.uk

Reach offers a huge range of IT training, both via instructors and online. ECDL is a qualification recognised throughout Europe which enables people to prove their competence in IT and computer skills. Online training is efficient and cost effective, allowing students to learn at their own pace without being either rushed or bored. As well as ECDL, Reach offers online training in the use of a large number of different software packages including Access, Excel, Explorer, Lotus, PowerPoint, etc.

Organised by: Pitman Training
Tel: 0800 220454
Web: pitman-training.com

Large companies have professional accountants, but small companies and individual departments with their own budgets often rely on the skills of the secretary to keep track of day-to-day expenditure. Basic book-keeping explains how to record debits and credits, balance the books and reconcile a bank statement. The workbook complements the audio visual materials and doubles as a future reference manual. Basic book-keeping also counts as one of the modules in the Pitman Secretarial Diploma for those who want to work towards a portable qualification.