// Finally Lose Weight

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.

Most of us would love to think that our jobs will remain secure and our work prospects are protected, but the growing likelihood for most jobs in England today is that security may be a thing of the past. Now, we only experience security through a swiftly increasing marketplace, fuelled by a shortfall of trained staff. This shortage creates the appropriate background for market-security - a far better situation.

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.

Reaching the most suitable job choice can be very hard - so what research do we need to do and what are the questions we should be raising?

Any advisor who doesn’t ask many questions - the likelihood is they’re just a salesperson. If they’re pushing towards a particular product before getting to know your background and current experience level, then you know it’s true. With a strong background, or maybe some work-based experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then it’s likely the point from which you begin your studies will vary from a student that is completely new to the industry. If this is going to be your first effort at an IT exam then you might also want to cut your teeth on some basic PC skills training first.

At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be full 24×7 support through trained professional instructors and mentors. Too many companies only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later (but not weekends usually). Never buy certification programs which can only support students via a call-centre messaging system when it’s outside of usual working hours. Trainers will give you every excuse in the book why you don’t need this. The simple fact of the matter is - you need support when you need support - not at times when they find it cheaper to provide it.

Keep your eyes open for providers that utilise many support facilities across multiple time-zones. Each one should be integrated to offer a simple interface as well as 24 hours-a-day access, when it suits you, with no hassle. Never ever take second best when you’re looking for the right support service. Many trainees that drop-out or fail, are in that situation because they didn’t get the support necessary for them.

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.

Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where offered, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you - and not be totally reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.

A number of students are under the impression that the school and FE college system is the way they should go. Why then are commercially accredited qualifications becoming more popular with employers? With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs increasing year on year, and the IT sector’s increasing awareness that corporate based study is closer to the mark commercially, there has been a great increase in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA authorised training programmes that educate students for much less time and money. Typically, only required knowledge is taught. Actually, it’s not quite as pared down as that, but the principle objective is to cover the precise skills needed (along with a certain amount of crucial background) - without trying to cram in every other area - in the way that academic establishments often do.

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:

We all know that we’re ultimately paying for it - obviously it has been inserted into the overall figure from the course provider. It’s definitely not free (although some people will believe anything the marketing companies think up these days!) Those who enter their exams one by one, funding them one at a time are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They’re thoughtful of what they’ve paid and take the necessary steps to be ready for the task.

Do your exams at a local pro-metric testing centre and look for the very best offer you can at the time. Big margins are made by many companies who get money upfront for exam fees. Many students don’t take them for one reason or another and so the company is quids-in. Surprising as it sounds, there are providers that actually rely on students not sitting all the exams - as that’s very profitable for them. Re-takes of any failed exams with training course providers who offer an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are tightly controlled. You’ll be required to sit pre-tests till you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass.

With the average price of Pro-metric and VUE tests in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, by far the best option is to pay for them as you take them. It’s not in the student’s interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

Ensure all your exams are current and commercially required - you’re wasting your time with programs which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. The main industry leaders such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco all have globally acknowledged skills programmes. Huge conglomerates such as these will give some sparkle to your CV.