You'll find that increasing numbers of companies, including ones in the UK are mentioning 'flight dispatch licence desirable' in their job posts.
While the licence itself is not necessary in the UK, the content of the course is very, very relevant, with the exception of the FAA regulations. Any bird brain can learn regs anyway.
The technical side of the course gives an excellent grounding in the subject matter required to perform well in an ops dept.
In addition to those courses, you might take a look at some of the IATA courses or some of the short courses run by Cranfield or London City Uni's.
Things like air safety management, fleet planning, air law, the list is long.
It's never too late to learn, never stop educating yourself, it will give you that edge to get back into the workforce because jobs are scarce. Relying on things you did before can only help you if those things are still relevant and the skills transferable.
My 2cents worth.