Secretary/administrator : Training

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1. Job description
2. Salary and conditions
3. Entry requirements
4. Training
5. Career development
6. Employers and vacancy …
7. Related jobs

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Case studies

• First year administrator: Alexa
• Admissions registrar/college administrator: Kayleigh
• Legal secretary: Charlotte 

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ICSA is the international qualifying and membership body for the chartered secretary profession. With a global community of 37,000 members, we provide chartered membership, training and a professional qualifying scheme to set you on the path to a diverse, challenging and rewarded career. Join The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA).

Initial training usually consists of being taught company policies, procedures and systems. Once in post, it is not essential to study for further qualifications but they may be offered by your employer or you may wish to undertake some to increase your chances of progression.

Relevant qualifications include various NVQs, certificates and diplomas in subjects such as business and administration, typing, audio transcriptions and IT. Qualifications are awarded by many bodies including: City & Guilds , Pitman Training , Reed , LCCI International Qualifications  and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) . Full-time, fast-track courses are available and are often favoured by graduates as they can be completed quickly and provide wide-ranging knowledge of office procedures and secretarial skills.

Entry to more specialised areas, such as legal or medical secretarial work, may require additional qualifications, sometimes offered through trainee positions or by gaining extra accreditation on a secretarial course through relevant professional bodies.

It is important to keep up to date with new technology and take advantage of any training courses offered, either externally or in-house. The range of IT skills you need will depend on your specific role, but you may wish to take training in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Access and/or statistical packages or web-authoring and design.

Training in some soft skills, such as assertiveness or customer service, may also be available.

Other common general areas of training for secretaries/administrators include:

• health and safety;
• time management;
• first aid;
• records and content management;
• industry and company procedures.