Network and PC support technicians are increasingly sought after in the UK, as institutions have come to depend upon their knowledge and skills. The nation’s requirement for better commercially qualified individuals is growing, as society becomes ever more dependent on computers in today’s environment.
It would be wonderful to believe that our careers are secure and our work prospects are protected, but the growing reality for most sectors in the United Kingdom currently seems to be that security may be a thing of the past. However, a fast growing sector, with huge staffing demands (because of an enormous shortage of properly qualified workers), opens the possibility of lasting job security.
Offering the computing business as an example, the 2006 e-Skills survey showed a skills gap in Great Britain of over 26 percent. To put it another way, this clearly demonstrates that the UK can only find three properly accredited workers for each 4 positions available at the moment. This one idea alone underpins why the UK urgently requires many more new trainees to get into the IT sector. Undoubtedly, it really is such a perfect time to retrain into IT.
Getting to the most fitting career option is fraught with stress – so what research do we need to do and what sort of questions should we ask?
Ignore any salesman who offers any particular course without a decent chat to better understand your current abilities plus your experience level. Make sure they can draw from a wide-enough product range so they’re able to give you an appropriate solution. If you have a strong background, or maybe some real-world experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then obviously the point from which you begin your studies will be quite dissimilar from someone with no background whatsoever. Working through a user skills program first can be the best way to get into your computer training, but depends on your skill level.
At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be full 24×7 support from professional mentors and instructors. Far too often we see trainers who only seem to want to help while they’re in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends. Be wary of any training providers who use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems – with the call-back coming in during typical office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and need help now.
World-class organisations offer an online access 24×7 service utilising a variety of support centres from around the world. You get a single, easy-to-use interface that seamlessly selects the best facility available any time of the day or night: Support when you need it. If you fail to get yourself direct-access 24×7 support, you’ll regret it. It may be that you don’t use it late in the night, but you’re bound to use weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.
Students who consider this area of study are often very practical, and aren’t really suited to the classroom environment, and poring through books and manuals. If you’re thinking this sounds like you, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where learning is video-based. Memory is vastly improved with an involvement of all our senses – educational experts have expounded on this for decades now.
Fully interactive motion videos with demonstrations and practice sessions will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And you’ll find them fun and interesting. All companies must be able to demonstrate a few examples of the materials provided for study. You should hope for instructor-led videos and many interactive sections.
Pick disc based courseware (On CD or DVD) every time. Thus avoiding all the issues associated with broadband outages, failure and signal quality issues etc.
Commercial certification is now, undoubtedly, already replacing the traditional routes into the industry – why then is this the case? With university education costs spiralling out of control, plus the IT sector’s general opinion that accreditation-based training most often has much more commercial relevance, there has been a great increase in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA accredited training programmes that educate students at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time. Clearly, a reasonable amount of associated detail has to be learned, but core specialisation in the particular job function gives a commercially trained student a distinct advantage.
In simple terms: Recognised IT certifications provide exactly what an employer needs – the title says it all: for example, I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003′. Consequently companies can look at their needs and which qualifications are required to fulfil that.
Adding in the cost of exam fees up-front and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams is a common method with many training course providers. But look at the facts:
Clearly it isn’t free – you’re still being charged for it – the price has simply been included in the whole thing. Passing first time is everyone’s goal. Taking your exams progressively when it’s appropriate and funding them as you go puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt – you put the effort in and are mindful of the investment you’ve made.
Go for the best offer you can find at the appropriate time, and save having to find the money early. You’ll also be able to choose where to sit the exam – so you can find somewhere local. Big margins are secured by a significant number of organisations who take the exam money up-front. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons but no refunds are given. Believe it or not, providers exist who depend on students not taking their exams – as that’s where a lot of their profit comes from. The majority of companies will insist that you take mock exams first and not allow you to re-take an exam until you’ve completely proven that you’re likely to pass – which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.
VUE and Prometric examinations are around 112 pounds in this country. Why spend so much more on charges for ‘Exam Guarantees’ (often hidden in the cost) – when a quality course, support and consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.
Any program that you’re going to undertake really needs to work up to a fully recognised major certification at the end – not a useless ‘in-house’ piece of paper. From the perspective of an employer, only the top companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA (for instance) really carry any commercial clout. Nothing else hits the mark.
