Congratulations! By reading this you’ve doubtless been pondering on getting re-qualified for a new job – that means you’ve already taken one more step than the majority. A small minority of us are pleased to go to work each day, but it’s rare anyone does more than moan. Why not be one of a small number who decide to make the change.

For those thinking of re-training, it’s essential that you first make a list of your requirements from the position you’d like to train for. It’s important to discover if things would be a lot better before you put a lot of energy into re-directing your life. It’s good sense to regard the end goal first, to make the right judgements:

* Is it your preference to work in isolation or do you find company is vital for your sanity?

* What do you require from the industry your job is in? (Building and banking – not so stable as they once were.)

* Do you want this to be the last time you will need more qualifications?

* Are you worried about the possibility of new employment opportunities, and keeping a job until you plan to retire?

The most significant market sector in Great Britain that fulfils the above criteria is Information Technology. There’s a shortage of knowledgeable staff in this sector, just check out any job site and you will find them yourself. But don’t think it’s only geeky nerds looking at their computerscreens every day – it’s much more diverse than that. The majority of staff in the computer industry are just like you and me, but they enjoy their work and get well paid.

With so much debate about computer technology right now, how is it possible to appreciate what exactly to look for?

Of course: the training itself or the accreditation isn’t the end-goal; the particular job that you’re getting the training for is. Too many training companies over-emphasise the piece of paper. It’s a terrible situation, but a large percentage of students commence training that sounds amazing in the prospectus, but which delivers a career that is of no interest at all. Speak to a selection of university students and you’ll see where we’re coming from.

Prioritise understanding the exact expectations industry will have. Which particular certifications they’ll want you to gain and how you’ll go about getting some commercial experience. It’s definitely worth spending time thinking about how far you reckon you’re going to want to build your skill-set as it will often control your selection of accreditations. Speak to a skilled professional that knows about the sector you’re looking at, and is able to give you an in-depth explanation of what you’re going to be doing in that job. Getting all these things right well before you start on any study course will prevent a lot of wasted time and effort.

Traditional teaching in classrooms, with books and manuals, is usually pretty hard going. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, dig around for more practical courses which have a majority of interactive, multimedia parts. Where possible, if we can get all of our senses involved in our learning, then the results are usually dramatically better.

Fully interactive motion videos with demonstrations and practice sessions beat books hands-down. And they’re a lot more fun to do. Each company you’re contemplating should be able to show you a few samples of the materials provided for study. Expect video tutorials, instructor led classes and a wide selection of interactive elements.

Avoid training that is purely online. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where available, so you can use them wherever and whenever you want – you don’t want to be reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.

At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be comprehensive 24×7 direct-access support with trained professional instructors and mentors. It’s an all too common story to find providers that will only offer a basic 9am till 6pm support period (maybe later on certain days) with very little availability over the weekend. Look for training with proper support available at all hours of the day and night (even 1am on Sunday morning!) You’ll need access directly to professional tutors, and not simply some messaging service that means you’re constantly waiting for a call-back – probably during office hours.

The best trainers utilise several support facilities from around the world. They use an online interactive interface to join them all seamlessly, at any time you choose, help is just a click away, avoiding all the delays and problems. Look for a company that gives this level of learning support. Because only live 24×7 round-the-clock support provides the necessary backup.

Many training academies are still maintaining one of the most out-dated training concepts – classroom attendance. Quite often pushed as a positive point, if you talk to a student who has had to attend a few, don’t be surprised to be lectured on several if not all of these issues:

* Constant visits to the centre – very long trips in more cases than not.

* If, like many of us, you work, then weekday workshops cause problems at work. You’re usually contending with 2-3 days at a time as well.

* Lost holiday days – most workers get just four weeks holiday each year. If you use up half of that with training classes, you haven’t got a great deal of holiday time remaining for students and their families.

* ‘In-Centre’ workshop days sometimes become quickly full, so we end up having to take a less-than-ideal slot.

* Maybe you like to work at a pace that is different to the other class members. This creates a classic case of ‘classroom tension’.

* A lot of attendees talk of the high costs involved with getting transport to and from the training centre whilst paying for accommodation and food gets very expensive.

* The majority of students would like to keep their training completely private thus avoiding all management questions in their job.

* Posing questions in the presence of other class-mates sometimes makes any one of us feel self-conscious. Surely, at some point, you’ve avoided asking a question as you didn’t want to look foolish?

* For those of us who need to on occasion work elsewhere in the country for several days at a time, imagine the trouble involved in making the needed classes, when time is at a premium.

Why don’t you watch on-screen and study with tutors one-to-one via pre-made modules, taking them at a time that’s convenient for you and you alone. You can study from home on your desktop PC or if you’ve got a laptop, you can go anywhere. If you’ve got questions, then make use of the 24×7 support (that should’ve been packaged with any technical type of training.) Irrespective of how often you have to re-cover a topic, video instructors can never get frustrated with you! Plus, as an added bonus, note-taking is gone forever. Everything is there for you when you need it. Quite simply: You save on money, time, hassle and steer clear of polluting the skies.

Have you recently questioned the security of your job? For most of us, this issue only becomes a talking point when we get some bad news. But in today’s marketplace, The cold truth is that true job security has gone the way of the dodo, for the vast majority of people. Whereas a marketplace with high growth, with a constant demand for staff (due to a massive shortfall of trained professionals), opens the possibility of real job security.

With the computing sector for example, a recent e-Skills analysis showed massive skills shortages in Great Britain around the 26 percent mark. So, for each 4 job positions in existence across Information Technology (IT), organisations are only able to locate certified professionals for 3 of the 4. This single fact in itself underpins why the country desperately needs a lot more workers to get trained and enter the IT industry. Without a doubt, now, more than ever, really is a critical time to consider retraining into the computing industry.

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