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A career in IT? Part 2: courses
Look at IT training courses in any guidebook or website and you'll find your eyes glazing over. There are hundreds of qualifications, from GCSEs to Masters degrees and everything in between. How can you find the one for you? Don't spend a fortune on expensive training courses (employers will give you specialist training on the job), but do look for courses that lead to a recognised qualification, accredited by a well-known examining body, such as OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations).
Retraining to get IT skills doesn't have to mean a return to full-time education. Local colleges offer short or part-time courses and you don't have to wait till next autumn - many colleges have courses starting throughout the year. You can also learn over the Internet at your own speed and convenience - although if there's an exam at the end of the course you'll need to take it at an accredited centre to prevent cheating!
If you're relatively new to computers, you don't have to throw yourself into a long course that leads to a big qualification. Start small and work your way up to the level that suits you. If you do opt for a longer course, make sure any training you do is tailored to the workplace. Experience is valuable, so employers will prefer it if you've done work placements or projects.
Train for free
If you have access to the Internet - at home, work or maybe a local library - there are plenty of online courses to choose from. Here at iVillage we've teamed up with Vision2Learn to offer a free course at a level that suits you. The courses take 60 hours to complete and you choose whether to spread them over many months or do them as quickly as possible.
If you're a beginner, the Vision2Learn First Steps in IT course teaches the basics and lets you test yourself with online quizzes. Successfully completing the course means you'll get a nationally recognised Level 1 Certificate for IT Users, awarded by NCFE. If you're more advanced, you can take a Level 2 or 3 course. The courses are eligible for government funding, so as long as you're over 16 and live in England they won't cost you a penny.
The BBC also runs an excellent online computing course called Becoming Webwise that lets you learn at your own speed and test yourself. Once you've completed the course you can decide whether to take a test at a local accredited centre or not. The test costs around £35 and the advantage of taking it is that it can count towards a number of computer qualifications, including OCR CLAIT and City & Guilds 7261 in Information Technology. The one-hour test is made up of multiple-choice questions and three short practical tasks.
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Created: 19/02/2004 Updated: 19/01/2007
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