Cisco Retraining Schemes 2009
April 24, 2009 by Jason Kendall
Filed under Online Colleges
These days, commercial institutions could not function efficiently without assistance from support workers solving problems with networks and computers, while giving advice to users on a regular basis each week. The nation’s requirement for increasing numbers of qualified personnel grows, as society becomes ever more dependent on PC’s in the modern world.
Does job security really exist anywhere now? Here in the UK, with industry changing its mind on a whim, it seems increasingly unlikely. We could however locate security at the market sector level, by searching for areas of high demand, together with a lack of qualified workers.
The computer industry skills-gap around the United Kingdom clocks in at over 26 percent, according to the most recent e-Skills study. That means for every 4 jobs that exist around IT, there are barely three qualified workers to fill that need. Accomplishing the appropriate commercial computing qualification is correspondingly a fast-track to achieve a life-long and enjoyable career. Quite simply, retraining in Information Technology during the next year or two is almost definitely the safest career choice you could ever make.
If the IT market presents so many unparalleled career possibilities for us all – then which questions should we pose and what factors should we be considering?
The market provides a glut of professional positions up for grabs in Information Technology. Picking the right one in this uncertainty can be very difficult. As without any commercial background in computing, how should we possibly know what anyone doing a particular job actually does? Usually, the way to come at this predicament appropriately comes from a deep chat, covering a number of areas:
* The kind of person you reckon you are – what tasks do you get enjoyment from, and don’t forget – what you hate to do.
* Are you looking to realise a specific objective – for example, becoming self-employed sometime soon?
* Is the money you make further up on your priority-list than other factors.
* With so many markets to choose from in IT – there’s a need to achieve some background information on what separates them.
* You will need to appreciate the differences between each area of training.
In these situations, the only way to seek advice on these areas is via a conversation with someone who understands computing (and more importantly it’s commercial requirements.)
Full support is of the utmost importance – look for a package providing 24×7 full access, as not obtaining this level of support will severely impede your ability to learn. Avoid those companies which use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems – where an advisor will call back during office hours. It’s no use when you’re stuck on a problem and need help now.
The very best training providers incorporate three or four individual support centres across multiple time-zones. Online access provides the interactive interface to link them all seamlessly, any time of the day or night, there is always help at hand, with no hassle or contact issues. Don’t compromise where support is concerned. Most would-be IT professionals that fall by the wayside, just need the right support system.
Those that are drawn to this type of work can be very practical by nature, and don’t always take well to classrooms, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If you’re thinking this sounds like you, use multimedia, interactive learning, where you can learn everything on-screen. Long-term memory is enhanced when all our senses are brought into the mix – experts have been clear on this for years now.
Modern training can now be done at home via easy-to-use DVD or CD ROM’s. Through instructor-led video classes you’ll learn your subject by way of their teaching and demonstrations. Then it’s time to test your knowledge by interacting with the software and practicing yourself. You’ll definitely want a look at some courseware examples from your training provider. The package should contain slide-shows, instructor-led videos and interactive labs where you get to practice.
You should avoid purely online training. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where available, enabling them to be used at your convenience – and not be totally reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.
We’re regularly asked to explain why traditional academic studies are now falling behind more qualifications from the commercial sector? With fees and living expenses for university students climbing ever higher, and the IT sector’s recognition that vendor-based training most often has much more commercial relevance, we have seen a large rise in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA based training routes that supply key solutions to a student for considerably less. Higher education courses, for example, clog up the training with a great deal of loosely associated study – with a syllabus that’s far too wide. This holds a student back from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials.
Imagine if you were an employer – and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. What should you do: Wade your way through a mass of different academic qualifications from hopeful applicants, having to ask what each has covered and what workplace skills they’ve mastered, or pick out specific commercial accreditations that perfectly fit your needs, and then select who you want to interview from that. The interview is then more about the person and how they’ll fit in – rather than establishing whether they can do a specific task.
Exam ‘guarantees’ are sometimes offered as part of a training package – inevitably that means paying for the exams at the very beginning of your studies. However, prior to embracing the chance of a guarantee, be aware of the facts:
These days, we’re a bit more aware of hype – and usually we know that for sure we’re actually paying for it – it’s not because they’re so generous they want to give something away! Passing first time is everyone’s goal. Entering examinations one by one and funding them one at a time sees you much better placed to get through first time – you take it seriously and are conscious of what you’ve spent.
Hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take the exam, and hang on to your cash. You’ll then be able to select where you do the examinations – so you can find somewhere local. Big margins are netted by many training colleges that get money for exam fees in advance. For various reasons, many students don’t take their exams but the company keeps the money. Amazingly, there are companies around who actually bank on it – as that’s very profitable for them. Re-takes of previously unsuccessful exams through organisations who offer an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are tightly controlled. They will insist that you take pre-tests first until you’ve proven that you’re likely to pass.
Prometric and VUE exams are currently clocking in at an average of 112 pounds in Great Britain. Students should be very wary of forking out hundreds of pounds extra in ‘Exam Guarantee’ costs (most often hidden in the package) – when the best course materials, the right level of support and study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.
You should only consider training courses that lead to industry approved qualifications. There are way too many trainers suggesting minor ‘in-house’ certificates that are essentially useless in the real world. From the viewpoint of an employer, only top businesses such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe (for example) really carry any commercial clout. Nothing else makes the grade.