It only makes sense to consider training programs that move onto industry approved accreditations. There are way too many small companies pushing minor 'in-house' certificates that are essentially useless when you start your job-search. All the major commercial players like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco all have globally acknowledged skills programs. Huge conglomerates such as these will ensure your employability.

A number of people assume that the school and FE college system is the right way even now. Why then is commercial certification slowly and steadily replacing it? Industry is now aware that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, official accreditation from such organisations as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe most often has much more specialised relevance - for much less time and money. In essence, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It isn't quite as lean as that might sound, but the principle remains that students need to master the precisely demanded skill-sets (alongside some required background) - without trying to cram in every other area (as universities often do).

Imagine if you were an employer - and you required somebody who had very specific skills. What should you do: Wade your way through a mass of different academic qualifications from graduate applicants, trying to establish what they know and what vocational skills they've acquired, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that specifically match what you're looking for, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. Your interviews are then about personal suitability - rather than on the depth of their technical knowledge.

A lot of trainees decide to blend the A+, N+ & 'CCNA' track with the Microsoft 'MCSA' or MCSE, for a more 'rounded' network knowledge structure. Always examine your career needs with a knowledgeable industry expert prior to finalising your way forward - not only will it save you time & money, but it will make sure that you are taking the ideal track from the beginning.

It's clear nowadays: There really is no such thing as personal job security now; there's only industry or business security - a company will let anyone go when it fits the business' commercial interests. When we come across growing skills shortfalls coupled with growing demand however, we almost always hit upon a fresh type of market-security; driven forward by a continual growth, companies just can't get the number of people required.

The 2006 United Kingdom e-Skills study highlighted that over 26 percent of computing and IT jobs remain unfilled because of a lack of appropriately certified professionals. Alternatively, you could say, this means that Great Britain only has three qualified staff for every four jobs existing today. This troubling reality highlights the urgent need for more commercially trained IT professionals across Great Britain. It's unlikely if a better time or market conditions could exist for getting trained into this rapidly expanding and budding market.

Workshops get touted as a great facet by a lot of trainers. If you talk to the majority of computer industry hopefuls who've attended a few, you'll discover that they're really a major negative because of many things:

- Regular driving or public transport - hundreds of miles most times.

- Taking time off work - a lot of companies can only give Mon-Fri workshop availability and typically group 2-3 days together. This is generally difficult for those of us who work for a living, and this is made worse if travelling time is added into the mix.

- Most of us end up feeling 20 days holiday per year doesn't go very far. Take away over half of it for study events and see your problems doubled.

- Workshop days fill up fast and will likely end up bigger than you'd hoped.

- Often, tension develops in mixed classes where different students want to work at different paces.

- Soaring travel costs - travelling to the training premises together with accommodation over-night can mount up every time you have to go. If you only assumed a basic 5-10 classes costing 35 pounds for one over-night room, plus a petrol cost of 40 pounds and food at 15 pounds, that equates to four to nine hundred pounds of hidden costs that we now have to fund.

- All of us want some privacy. We should never risk throwing away any lift up the ladder due to us while we're training.

- We all find that, at times, it's uncomfortable to raise questions in a class full of other students - so we don't appear ignorant.

- When your work takes you away from home, it's apparent that workshops can become awkward to keep up - and yet, the money has already been paid.

Doesn't it make a lot more sense to study at your convenience - not your training provider's - and use interactive videos of instructors teaching a class. You can train wherever you want. Got a laptop?... Then you could get a bit of sun in your garden as you work. Any issues that arise just utilise the 24x7 Support. Forget taking notes - all the lessons and background info are laid out on a plate. Anything you want to do over, just go for it. Essentially: You save on money, time, hassle and altogether avoid polluting our environment.

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