Post graduate at Edith Cowan University

Having completed a mature age degree in Training and Development at the University of New England; the question is now, how do I gain a competitive edge in an employment market that is increasingly crowded?

Having sought undergraduate study in Training and Development at Edith Cowan University; only to learn the course would be discontinued, I chose the highly recommended University of New England undergraduate degree course instead. I'm glad I did; it was a long process and I was very unhappy along the way but the end result is worth the pain.

Now moving into post graduate studies; my application at Edith Cowan University is for a Graduate Certificate of Business as opposed to a Graduate Certificate in Human Resources, do I seek a more generalised area to study or should I maintain a focused approach to maintain qualification progression or a change in career direction?

In private enterprise, training & development is a function of human resources, however, degree studies incorporate in a number of human resource units in the training & development qualification and one must be careful not to gain too narrow a skill set when employers now seek well developed graduates, even mid 40s workers such as myself.

Since the election, speaking to industry figures I am resoundingly informed they will begin hiring again, it has only been a week and the new Prime Minister hasn't even been sworn in yet. It was reported major projects were left on hold during the climate of political uncertainty and looks to be resolved now, we could be entering a new growth phase, recent gains in the ASX 200 would indicate renewed confidence.