A+ Courses

Training for your CompTIA A+ has four specialist sections - you’ll need exam certification in 2 different areas to be considered A+ competent. You’ll find that many training establishments limit their course to 2 of the four in the syllabus. We consider that this is too much of a compromise - certainly you’ll have the qualification, but knowledge of every section will give you greater confidence in your working life, where you’ll need a more comprehensive understanding. That’s why we believe you should train in all four areas.

Once you start your A+ training course you’ll be taught how to build and repair PC’s and operate in antistatic conditions. You’ll also cover fault-finding and diagnostic techniques, both remotely and via direct access. You may also want to consider doing Network+ as you can then also take care of computer networks, which means greater employment benefits.

Without a doubt: There’s no such thing as personal job security anywhere now; there’s only market or business security - any company is likely to fire a solitary member of staff when it suits the business’ trade interests. Security can now only exist in a quickly escalating marketplace, driven by a shortage of trained workers. It’s this alone that creates the correct environment for market-security - a much more desirable situation.

Using the IT sector as an example, the 2006 e-Skills study showed a skills deficit around Great Britain around the 26 percent mark. Quite simply, we can’t properly place more than three out of each 4 job positions in IT. Achieving full commercial IT accreditation is thus a quick route to realise a continuing and satisfying line of work. While the market is expanding at such a rate, is there any other sector worth looking at for a new future.

We’re regularly asked to explain why qualifications from colleges and universities are being overtaken by more commercially accredited qualifications? Accreditation-based training (to use industry-speak) is far more effective and specialised. The IT sector has acknowledged that specialisation is necessary to handle a technologically complex commercial environment. CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA are the big boys in this field. In essence, only required knowledge is taught. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but principally the objective has to be to cover the precise skills needed (including a degree of required background) - without going into too much detail in every other area (as degree courses are known to do).

What if you were an employer - and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. Which is the most straightforward: Go through reams of different degrees and college qualifications from several applicants, trying to establish what they know and what commercial skills have been attained, or choose particular accreditations that perfectly fit your needs, and make your short-list from that. You can then focus on how someone will fit into the team at interview - rather than establishing whether they can do a specific task.

Trainees looking at this market are usually quite practically-minded, and don’t really enjoy classrooms, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If you’re thinking this sounds like you, use multimedia, interactive learning, where learning is video-based. Research over recent years has constantly shown that an ‘involved’ approach to study, where we utilise all our senses, is far more likely to produce long-lasting memories.

Interactive full motion video utilising video demo’s and practice lab’s will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And you’ll actually enjoy doing them. You’ll definitely want a study material demo’ from your training provider. You should ask for instructor videos, demonstrations, slide-shows and interactive labs where you get to practice.

Pick physical media such as CD or DVD ROM’s where possible. Thus avoiding all the issues associated with the variability of broadband quality and service.

Any advisor who doesn’t question you thoroughly - chances are they’re just trying to sell you something. If they wade straight in with a specific product before learning about your history and current experience level, then you know it’s true. With a strong background, or even a touch of live experience (possibly even some previous certification?) then obviously your starting point will be quite dissimilar from someone with no background whatsoever. Always consider starting with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. It can brush up on your current abilities and make the slope up to the higher-levels a much more gentle.

Be on the lookout that any accreditations you’re considering doing will be commercially viable and are bang up to date. Training companies own certificates are usually worthless. From the viewpoint of an employer, only the big-boys such as Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA (for example) give enough bang for your buck. Anything less won’t make the grade.