Pitman training

[Chocolateandbananas123]

I have been thinking of retraining and have been looking at Pitman training, I have been looking at Pitman executive PA diploma.
I am currently self employed and running a housekeeping business.
I have been studying free Microsoft excel courses online with the view to become a virtual PA.
I was hoping to find out others experiences with Pitman training?
Will it make a big difference to my CV being able to add that on to it?
I know it can be pretty expensive so was wondering whether it would be worth it.

Bumping for you.

To be honest, I doubt it's worth it these days.

Could you expand, @ThatFraggle - is there something else @Chocolateandbananas123 could usefully do to improve her prospects?

I did Pitman training more almost 20 years ago but also doubt it will be handy. Using MS office is a basic skill....

1. I think it was EY who announced they are getting rid of all PAs.

When I did my pitman training, people still used actual typewriters and computers were a bit fancy. Men (always men) would have a secretary to book appointments and type out letters.

Nowadays, everyone in an office environment can type their own emails. If they need to take a client out to lunch, they can Google the restaurant opening time themselves & book the restaurant online. To set up a client meeting, you now send a Google calendar invite. These are just two examples of things PAs would do, and which used to be quite time consuming.

Furthermore, with Chat GPT the need for someone is even less.

Two more examples. I said 'please write a thank you letter to a longstanding client for their big order.' It produced a much nicer answer than I could have written. I just tweaked a couple of things then pressed send.

Then 'create a meeting agenda to discuss new sales strategy.' In 2 seconds it produced a beautifully laid out document. I just tweaked again, and pressed send.

Furthermore, when doing admin jobs, many people also in the role had no pitman training or anything like that.

Sorry just to be the Debbie Downer. I just don't want op to expend loads of effort on something pretty much outdated.

Unfortunately I don't know what to suggest instead.

My god - and I’m still living in the dark ages … Could it write me a funding application? How is it fair if all the awards go to people with the tech to put in a more polished application?

You don't need tech.

chat.openai.com/

Sign up. It asks for your mobile number to confirm. Some people get het up about it having your data etc. To be honest Alexa knows when I need to add constipation medicine to the grocery list, and Google what's that weird wart on my face. Privacy is long gone.

So you get the website.

You type in: please write a funding application for a disabled hedgehog sanctuary in Lancashire. We only have one member of staff and we are overrun by disabled hedgehogs. We need a million pounds to redecorate.

Then it will spit out an answer.

It will then write a proposal saying things like, the closest other sanctuary is in the Outer Hebrides and it is important to keep the hedgehog population healthy because they keep down the ticks which cause rabies in badgers. There are only 3000 hedhegogs left in the world. Princess Anne gave a speech at the United Nations saying hedgehogs are the future, and that all local authorities should provide funding. That studies (Harvard, Singh, 2001) show that rooms painted yellow promote healthy hedgehogs.

Then you ask it the same thing two or three times. It will produce different answers every time. Then you cobble something together.

There are different AI apps that do things like nice layouts. Sorry not sure which ones they are.

But it won't know things after 2021.

Right. I’d say thank you, but I’m too busy packing up and preparing to run away from Earth …

(But thank you!)