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By les scammell, February 26, 2009 11:47 am

In today’s high speed society, support workers who are qualified to fix networks and PC’s, plus give daily solutions to users, are hugely valuable in every part of the workplace. Our country’s need for better technically qualified people is growing, as society becomes ever more dependent on computers in the modern world.

What are the questions we need to be raising so as to get the understanding we need? As it’s evident there are some rather impressive opportunities for us to think about.

Throw out the typical salesperson who pushes one particular program without an in-depth conversation to assess your abilities as well as experience level. Always check they have access to a wide-enough range of products so they can solve your training issues. An important point to note is that, if you’ve got any work-experience or certification, then you may be able to commence studying further along than someone new to the industry. Working through a basic PC skills course first can be the best way to start into your computer training, but depends on your skill level.

You have to make sure that all your certifications are commercially valid and current – you’re wasting your time with studies which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. Only nationally recognised accreditation from the top companies like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe and CompTIA will mean anything to employers.

One thing you must always insist on is full 24×7 support through dedicated instructors and mentors. Far too often we see trainers who only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later (but not weekends usually). some companies only provide email support (slow), and telephone support is usually to a call-centre that will chat nicely with you for 5 minutes to ask what the issue is and then simply send an email to an instructor – who’ll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, when it’s convenient to them. This is no use if you’re stuck and can’t continue and only have certain times available in which to do your studies.

Keep looking and you’ll come across the top providers who give students direct-access support around the clock – no matter what time of day it is. Never settle for a lower level of service. Support round-the-clock is the only viable option with technical courses. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; often though, we’re at work when traditional support if offered.

Trainees looking at this market often have a very practical outlook on work, and won’t enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and struggling through thick study-volumes. If this could be you, try the newer style of interactive study, where everything is presented via full motion video. If we can get all of our senses involved in our learning, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.

Find a course where you’ll receive a selection of CD and DVD ROM’s – you’ll learn by watching video tutorials and demonstrations, and be able to hone your abilities through virtual lab’s. You’ll definitely want a study material demo’ from your training provider. You should ask for demo’s from instructors, slideshows and fully interactive skills-lab’s.

Often, companies will only use just online versions of their training packages; and while this is acceptable much of the time, consider how you’ll deal with it when you don’t have access to the internet or you get intermittent problems and speed issues. It’s much safer to rely on physical CD or DVD discs that will not have these problems.

Exam ‘guarantees’ are sometimes offered as part of a training package – inevitably that means paying for the exams before you’ve even made a start on the course. Before you jump at this so-called guarantee, think about this:

These days, we have to be a bit more aware of hype – and usually we grasp that we are actually being charged for it – it’s not because they’re so generous they want to give something away! Should you seriously need to qualify first ‘go’, then you should avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, focus on it intently and apply yourself as required.

Do your exams somewhere local and go for the best offer you can find when you’re ready. A great deal of money is made by a number of companies who get money for exam fees in advance. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons but no refunds are given. Surprising as it sounds, there are providers who actually rely on students not sitting all the exams – and that’s how they increase their profits. In addition to this, you should consider what an ‘exam guarantee’ really means. Most companies won’t be prepared to pay again for an exam until you can prove to them you’re ready to pass.

Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on ‘Exam Guarantees’ is remiss – when a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools is what will really see you through.

Sometimes men and women think that the school and FE college path is still the best way into IT. So why are commercially accredited qualifications beginning to overtake it? Industry is of the opinion that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, certified accreditation from the likes of Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA most often has much more specialised relevance – for considerably less. Clearly, a certain amount of associated knowledge has to be taught, but core specialisation in the particular job function gives a vendor trained student a distinct advantage.

If an employer is aware what areas need to be serviced, then they just need to look for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. Vendor-based syllabuses are set to meet an exact requirement and do not vary between trainers (in the way that degree courses can).

Discovering job security in this economic down-turn is very unusual. Businesses can remove us out of the workplace at the drop of a hat – as and when it suits them. But a quickly growing market-place, where staff are in constant demand (as there is a massive shortfall of properly qualified people), provides a market for true job security.

Using the computer market for example, a key e-Skills study demonstrated massive skills shortages throughout the United Kingdom of over 26 percent. It follows then that for each four job positions in existence across Information Technology (IT), organisations are only able to locate properly accredited workers for three of them. Achieving proper commercial computing exams is thus a quick route to succeed in a life-long as well as gratifying living. Unquestionably, it really is the very best time to retrain into IT.

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By les scammell, February 24, 2009 6:25 am

What might you expect the most superior Microsoft accredited suppliers to provide a trainee in the UK today? Obviously, the most supreme Gold Partner Microsoft accredited programs, presenting a selection of courses to take you into a selection of professions with IT. Perhaps you’d like to talk to industry experts, who can give you some ideas on what sort of job would suit you, and the kind of tasks that are suitable for somebody with your character and ability. Training programs should be put together to match your current skills and aptitude. Consequently, after working out the right IT job for you, your next requirement is the most suitable program that will equip you for the role.

The world of information technology is one of the more thrilling and changing industries that you can get into right now. Being a member of a team working on breakthroughs in technology puts you at the fore-front of developments affecting everyone who lives in the 21st century. We’re at the dawn of starting to get a handle on how all this change will affect us. The way we communicate and interact with everyone around us will be profoundly affected by computers and the internet.

And keep in mind that the average salary in IT in the United Kingdom is considerably more than average salaries nationally, which means you’ll be in a good position to receive a lot more once qualified in IT, than you’d expect to earn elsewhere. It’s evident that we have a significant nationwide requirement for trained and qualified IT technicians. And as growth in the industry shows little sign of contracting, it seems there’s going to be for years to come.

So, what questions should we be raising so as to get the understanding required? As it seems there are a good many fairly unique prospects for us to mull over.

It’s important to understand: a course itself or the accreditation isn’t what this is about; the job or career that you want is. Far too many training organisations over-emphasise the actual accreditation. Never let yourself become one of those unfortunate people who choose a training program that on the surface appears interesting – and end up with a plaque on the wall for an unrewarding career path.

Stay tuned-in to what it is you’re trying to achieve, and then build your training requirements around that – not the other way round. Keep your eyes on your goals and ensure that you’re training for something that will keep you happy for many years. You’d also need help from an experienced person who can explain the market you think may suit you, and is able to give you ‘A day in the life of’ explanation for each job considered. This really is essential because you need to know if this change is right for you.

Students who consider this area of study can be very practical by nature, and don’t always take well to classrooms, and struggling through thick study-volumes. If this could be you, go for more modern interactive training, with on-screen demonstrations and labs. Where we can study while utilising as many senses as possible, then we normally see dramatically better results.

Study programs now come via DVD-ROM discs, so you can study at your own computer. Video streaming means you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how to perform the required skill, followed by your chance to practice – via the interactive virtual lab’s. Any company that you’re considering should be able to show you some samples of their courseware. You’re looking for evidence of tutorial videos and demonstrations and a variety of interactive modules.

It’s usually bad advice to choose training that is only available online. Because of the variable quality and reliability of the ISP (internet service provider) market, it makes sense to have actual CD or DVD ROM’s.

Student support is absolutely essential – ensure you track down something that provides 24×7 direct access, as not obtaining this level of support will severely impede your ability to learn. Many only provide email support (too slow), and telephone support is usually to a call-centre which will chat nicely with you for 5 minutes to ask what the issue is and then simply send an email to an instructor – who will then call back sometime over the next 24hrs, at a time suitable for them. This is no good if you’re sitting there confused over an issue and only have a specific time you can study.

The most successful trainers incorporate three or four individual support centres across multiple time-zones. They use an online interactive interface to provide a seamless experience, no matter what time you login, help is at hand, avoiding all the delays and problems. Never make do with anything less. 24×7 support is the only way to go when it comes to technical training. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; often though, we’re working when traditional support if offered.

It’s essential to have authorised exam simulation and preparation programs as part of your course package. Some students can be thrown off course by trying to prepare themselves with questions that aren’t recognised by the authorised examining boards. Sometimes, the question formats and phraseology is unfamiliar and it’s important to prepare yourself for this. A way to build self-confidence is if you test how much you know by doing tests and simulated exams to prepare you for taking the real thing.

Commercial qualifications are now, without a doubt, already replacing the traditional academic paths into the IT sector – so why is this the case? With university education costs becoming a tall order for many, together with the industry’s increasing awareness that key company training most often has much more commercial relevance, we have seen a large rise in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA accredited training paths that create knowledgeable employees at a fraction of the cost and time involved. In a nutshell, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It’s slightly more broad than that, but principally the objective has to be to master the precisely demanded skill-sets (with some necessary background) – without attempting to cover a bit about everything else (as academia often does).

The bottom line is: Commercial IT certifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have – it says what you do in the title: as an example – I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Designing Security for a Windows 2003 Network’. So companies can identify just what their needs are and which qualifications are required to perform the job.

Any program that you’re going to undertake really needs to work up to a nationally (or globally) recognised exam as an end-result – not some little ‘in-house’ diploma – fit only for filing away and forgetting. Unless your qualification is issued by a conglomerate such as Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco, then it’s likely it won’t be commercially viable – as it’ll be an unknown commodity.