Will standardisation lead to a reduced role for the secretary?

In big organisations, standardisation is often the end goal. The argument is that if everything becomes standard anyone will be able to do the job because anything complicated will be reduced to a simple set of procedures which anyone can do. In this situation, someone who has completed a secretarial course is not required as the job can be done by someone much less qualified without having undertaken a secretarial courses. Not surprisingly, evidence suggests otherwise and the role of a secretary who has undertaken a secretarial course or some secretarial courses appears more important than ever.

A number of secretary courses have also realised this. Providers have started to ensure that each secretarial course encourages the secretary to think outside the box and not in a standard way. Each secretarial course provider knows that the demands on their candidates will be greater than ever.

It is accepted by providers of secretary courses that the future secretary will not be left to carry out a prescribed list of administrative activities each day. Secretarial courses know that the future secretary will be given far more responsibility due to their training and the inevitable demands of the company.

The secretary courses in London have begun to realise this. There are now a range of seminars built into courses which in effect are separate but very important modules. For example, time allocation and prioritisation of workload. Previously these skills remained with senior middle management but now everyone is encouraged to take these seminars because it is deemed that they are relevant to everyone.

The fact that secretarial courses have begun offering such seminars shows that they are clearly in demand. The fact that these courses are being offered to and taken by secretaries as part of their secretarial course shows how the role of a secretary is clearly advancing beyond the standard administrative tasks.

These new secretarial courses are recognising that the skills of future secretaries will be in demand and will contrast with the past. More emphasis than ever is laid on IT skills in each of these courses. For exmaple, more emphasis on time allocation and prioritisation are contained in these courses. Each secretarial course in today's world is more than a basic qualification in administrative skills. It is an IT qualification, a shorthand qualification, a book keeping qualification and even a Business Communications course all in one.

Mike Connolly has written many articles on secretarial courses and the skills required to be taught as part of a secretarial course. For further details on the skills required to become a secretary look at the course outlines on the Pitman Training Hammersmith website.