Best Strength

Due to the vast selection of computer training courses available on the market today, it’s advisable to find a company who can guide you on a good match for you. Reputable organisations will take the time to talk through different job roles that may be a match for you, in advance of recommending a training program that can take you where you want to go. Should you be thinking of improving your computer skills, maybe by improving your office user skills, or even becoming an IT professional, your study options are plentiful.

With a great variety of well priced, easily understood training programs and help, you’re sure to find a course that will get you into the commercial world.

Coming across job security nowadays is very rare. Businesses frequently remove us from the workplace at a moment’s notice – whenever it suits. Of course, a quickly growing market-place, where there just aren’t enough staff to go round (due to a growing shortfall of fully trained workers), opens the possibility of proper job security.

The computer industry skills deficit across the country is standing at roughly twenty six percent, according to the 2006 e-Skills study. Put directly, we can only fill just three out of 4 positions in the computer industry. This single truth on its own clearly demonstrates why Great Britain is in need of a lot more trainees to join the IT industry. As the Information Technology market is increasing at such a speed, is there any other sector worth looking at as a retraining vehicle.

How are we supposed to make the right decisions then? With such prospects, it’s important to know where to dig – and what we should be investigating.

Have a conversation with a practiced consultant and you’ll be surprised by their many horror stories of how students have been duped by salespeople. Ensure you only ever work with a skilled advisor that asks lots of questions to find out what’s right for you – not for their paycheque! Dig until you find a starting-point that will suit you. In some circumstances, the training inception point for someone with a little experience will be substantially different to someone without. If you’re a student commencing IT study anew, it’s often a good idea to ease in gradually, kicking off with some basic user skills first. This can be built into any study program.

Trainees looking at this market are usually quite practically-minded, and aren’t really suited to the classroom environment, and slogging through piles of books. If you identify with this, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where learning is video-based. If we’re able to involve all our senses in the learning process, then the results are usually dramatically better.

Locate a program where you’re provided with an array of CD and DVD based materials – you’ll be learning from instructor videos and demo’s, followed by the chance to hone your abilities through virtual lab’s. It makes sense to see examples of the courseware provided before you sign the purchase order. You should expect instructor-led video demonstrations and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.

Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where possible, so that you have access at all times – and not be totally reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.

Students often end up having issues because of a single training area which is often not even considered: How the training is broken down and physically delivered to you. A release of your materials stage by stage, taking into account your exam passes is the usual method of releasing your program. While seeming sensible, you might like to consider this: Sometimes the steps or stages pushed by the company’s salespeople doesn’t suit all of us. And what if you don’t finish each and every section at the speed required?

In all honesty, the very best answer is to obtain their recommendation on the best possible order of study, but to receive all the materials up-front. Meaning you’ve got it all if you don’t manage to finish within their ideal time-table.

Most training companies only provide office hours or extended office hours support; very few go late in the evening or at weekends. You’ll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and phone support is often to a call-centre which will just take down the issue and email it over to their technical team – who will then call back sometime over the next 24hrs, at a time suitable for them. This is no good if you’re lost and confused and can only study at specific times.

The most successful trainers utilise several support facilities active in different time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to seamlessly link them all together, at any time you choose, help is at hand, without any problems or delays. Never make do with less than you need and deserve. Online 24×7 support is the only kind to make the grade for IT courses. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; often though, we’re out at work at the time when most support is available.

Consider the points below in detail if you’re inclined to think that over-used sales technique about examination guarantees seems like a good idea:

These days, we are a little more ‘marketing-savvy’ – and usually we realise that of course it is actually an additional cost to us (it’s not a freebie because they like us so much!) Evidence shows that when trainees fund each examination, at the time of taking them, the chances are they’re going to pass every time – because they are conscious of what they’ve paid and so will prepare more thoroughly.

Look for the very best offer you can when you take the exam, and keep hold of your own money. In addition, it’s then your choice where to take your exam – meaning you can choose a local testing centre. Paying in advance for examination fees (and interest charges if you’re borrowing money) is bad financial management. Don’t line companies bank accounts with extra money of yours only to please their Bank Manager! Some will be pinning their hopes on the fact that you won’t get to do them all – so they don’t need to pay for them. The majority of organisations will insist on pre-tests and hold you back from re-takes until you’ve completely proven that you’re likely to pass – so an ‘Exam Guarantee’ comes with many clauses in reality.

Splashing out often many hundreds of pounds extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is naive – when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is actually the key to your success.

You have to make sure that all your certifications are current and commercially required – don’t bother with programmes which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. From a commercial standpoint, only the top companies like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA (for instance) provide enough commercial weight. Anything less won’t make the grade.

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