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PC and network support staff are ever more sought after in the UK, as institutions are becoming more reliant upon their knowledge and skills. The need for such qualified and commercially astute people is growing at an impressive rate, as commercial enterprise becomes more and more reliant on computers.

It’s likely that you’ve always enjoyed practical work – a ‘hands-on’ type. If you’re anything like us, the world of book-reading and classrooms is something you’ll make yourself do if you have to, but it’s not really your thing. Consider interactive, multimedia study if books just don’t do it for you.

Research into the way we learn shows that long term memory is improved when we use all our senses, and we get physically involved with the study process.

The latest audio-visual interactive programs involving demonstration and virtual lab’s will beat books every time. And you’ll actually enjoy doing them.

Be sure to get a study material demo’ from any training college. You should ask for instructor videos, demonstrations, slide-shows and virtual practice lab’s for your new skills.

You should avoid purely online training. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where available, so that you have access at all times – and not be totally reliant on a good broadband connection all the time.

Kick out the typical salesman who offers any particular course without an in-depth conversation to better understand your current abilities and experience level. They should be able to select from a generous stable of training programs so they’re able to solve your training issues.

Occasionally, the training inception point for a trainee with experience can be vastly dissimilar to someone just starting out.

For students embarking on IT studies anew, it’s often a good idea to avoid jumping in at the deep-end, by working on user-skills and software training first. This can be built into most training packages.

Be watchful that any qualifications you’re working towards will be commercially viable and are up-to-date. ‘In-house’ exams and the certificates they come with are generally useless.

From an employer’s viewpoint, only the major heavyweights such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco (to give some examples) provide enough commercial weight. Nothing else will cut the mustard.

So many training providers are all about the certification, and forget what it’s all actually about – getting yourself a new job or career. Always start with the final destination in mind – don’t make the vehicle more important than the destination.

Avoid becoming one of the unfortunate masses that choose a course that sounds really ‘interesting’ and ‘fun’ – and end up with a certification for an unrewarding career path.

Stay tuned-in to where you want to go, and build your study action-plan from that – avoid getting them back-to-front. Stay on target and begin studying for something you’ll enjoy for years to come.

Sense dictates that you seek advice from an experienced professional before embarking on a particular training programme, so there’s little doubt that a program provides the skills necessary.

Copyright Scott Edwards. Hop over to Website Design Training or AdultCareerTraining.co.uk/qact.html.

The salaries of Plumbers are often talked about in the national press. Salaries of 30-70k p.a. are often discussed, along with the lack of plumbers within the UK. Is this really a fib – or is this in fact accurate? For the competent and correctly skilled person, this level of salary is realistic. So whilst those working in the self-employed role can get incomes of 70-100k p.a., those working in more conventional employment routes often find it hard to achieve this salary.

It is fairly usual to expect working hours of 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday with a reputable employer. Approximately wages of 15k and 30k p.a. are reasonable within the UK, along with standard benefits such as holiday pay and sickness allowance. A self-employed person can earn more money than this traditional approach, but will often need to work outside of the Mon- Fri, 9am to 6pm example. This is more common in the domestic market where self employed plumbers often have to work evenings and weekends to suit those clients that work during the week.

Then there is the matter of working for yourself, which agrees with some people more than others. Finally there is good ‘business sense’, such as getting the hourly rate correct, advertising and marketing budgets spot on which are all important. Furthermore, additional costs such as materials and transport, along with legal and accountancy fees will need to be paid. While these can mount up, (although they should always be a very small proportion of your earnings,) so can the benefits received. And the downsides are nearly always outweighed by the proceeds!

Firstly, it is the ordinary employer who covers most of the needs and teaching prospects that Student Entrants are interested in. Equally the Self Employed Entrant needs to increase their list of qualifications within a reasonable time frame. That said the vast majority of self-employed plumbers appear to favour the ‘domestic’ instead of the commercial market. (Not all of them, but the main do!)

Furthermore, each route into Plumbing has a necessity on the certification process overall. There is considerable divergence though when the issue of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland) comes into play.

Without a doubt, it is the greater dependence on the NVQ element that separates the Student Entrant from the Self Employed Entrant. Therefore many Self Employed Entrants will meet their clients’ needs through the use of a wider range of certifications. In order to be able to meet the needs of the typical household, self-employed persons will need to rapidly gain key domestic-centred qualifications. Once they have covered the core parts the Student Entrant will often carry on their study not dissimilar to an apprenticeship in the workplace (where the NVQ element can be appraised.) By using this cheaper form of study the Student Entrant can make sound financial savings from the outset. Nevertheless by taking a more commercial viewpoint and gaining qualifications faster than the Student Entrant, many Self Employed Entrants gain greater financial rewards and within a shorter space of time.

It is by covering the study needs along with those of a clear careers discussion that meet the financial rewards. It would prove extremely difficult for an adult – requiring 20kp.a and having to look after their family – to go back to college and then spend 3 years in low-paid apprenticeship work. Equally, many self-employed students fund the courses themselves whereas the Student Entrants often have their studies paid for them as part of their overall apprenticeships. For self-employed people these costs are set by the course structure and the level of certification sought and can end up between 3k-10k+.

Whilst the Self Employed Entrant can consider a wider range of education forms including private colleges the Student Entrant is limited to known further-education colleges. Often through the use of established training schemes many commercially oriented plumbing courses are now able to deliver the necessary skill-sets and qualifications. One of the main advantages of this method is the opportunity for evening, part-time, and self-study classes – allowing Self Employed Entrants to train whilst continuing with their existing job, thus maintaining their financial situation. From this it makes sense to gather as much detail as you can especially with so many training options available. We have provided adverts and links from several to allow you to come back and review your options, so why not book mark this page (CTRL-D).

Many plumbing students will increase their ‘marketability’ through the use of further courses. Indeed it is through the added training provided that certification in areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical can be gained. As part of the commercial and domestic heating procedures, Gas training continues to be popular with Plumbers.

Gas training in itself is a specific and rigorous training regime, with core subjects followed by an emphasis on NVQ’s. For those who trained as a plumber first and are now looking at extra skills this also offers many options for their on-going development. It is from this position that many believe the mix of Plumbing/Gas Training is more apt to the mature student. The path of focussing on the core subjects and at the same time dropping the NVQ’s seems to favour the Mature Student.

From this, the self-employed professional appears to suit the variable training schemes. The attraction is certainly the chance to gain a wider range of skill sets and earn money from them. Instead of having to rely upon third parties to complete certain skill-sets, this adds to their commercial viability. Sub-contraction needs to be handled carefully as the erosion of customer satisfaction by having to wait for key work to be completed by third parties can result in a serious reduction in potential earnings. The higher the skill level of a Plumber the more that they can offer their client base.

Whilst the Student Entrant has the chance to develop through an established employer a Self Employed Entrant can utilise their skill levels through business skills and develop a broader range of certifications to achieve a higher income stream. Note: This relative information is primarily for the UK workplace and policies alone.

(C) 2009 S. Edwards. Try Plumber Training Courses or CareerChangeCourses.co.uk/mcachco.html.

The salaries of Plumbers are often highlighted in the national press. It is this need for trained Plumbers that has led to salaries of 30-70k p.a. being advertised. So, is this the truth of the matter, or are we being lied to? To be certain, for the correctly qualified and experienced plumber, this level of salary is achievable and indeed attainable. To be fair, the higher earnings of 70-100k p.a. are generally for those working within the self-employed field.

If you are working for a traditional company within the UK, then the hours of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm are normal. From UK companies comes the standard reward such as holiday pay and sickness allowance and a potential wage of between 15k and 30k p.a. That said it is by working longer than typically 9am to 6pm, Mon to Fri that self employed people achieve higher incomes than those adopting a traditional approach. This is especially the case where self-employed plumbers have opted to work in the domestic market, where their clients are at work during the day – requiring evening and weekend visits.

Around which is the question of self employment which appears to fit some people. This can include getting to grips with advertising & marketing, getting your own cost-per-hour correct and the need to learn and use good ‘business’ sense. To be fair most self-employed people will have to prepare for additional costs including those relating to legal and accountancy fees as well as those of transport and material usage. These charges should always remain a small proportion of the overall income so that any profits created always outweigh them. Added to that, the positives virtually always outstrip the negatives!

Initially, by searching for standard work a Student Entrant can get the majority of training especially with working knowledge and experience. As quickly as possible the Self Employed Entrant needs to increase their list of accreditations that they will rely upon. In fairness it is the ‘domestic’ market rather than the commercial sector that attracts the majority of the self-employed workers in the UK. (The majority do at the very least)

The certification units, needed by each part of the industry keeps a similarity in terms of Plumbing education. There does remain considerable question when the factor of NVQ’s (SVQ’s in Scotland) is realised.

To begin with, the Student Entrant appears to rely more heavily on the NVQ structure than the Self Employed Entrant. In order to meet their client’s expectations the Self Employed Entrant will often need to use a greater range of certifications. Certainly, the self-employed person needs to rapidly gain the key domestic-centred qualifications that will satisfy their typical household-based clients. Having covered off the key elements of training within the college, the Student Entrant usually then enters the apprenticeship stage within the workplace – where the NVQ element can be assessed. The Student Entrant can also make financial savings at the start, as it is a cheaper form of study overall. However, in relation to the Student Entrant the Self Employed Entrant will gain certifications faster and therefore achieve substantial financial gains in the long term.

This clearly demonstrates the need for talk about careers, covering the certification and study required along with the expected financial rewards. It is extremely difficult for adults with a family to look after and needing 20kp.a. to consider going back to college and spending 3 years on low paid-apprenticeship work. It should also be remembered that many younger Student Entrants are entering an apprenticeship and thereby have their courses paid for them whereas the mature self-employed students do not. It is often the course structure and the level of certification that can run into costs of around 3k-10k+.

For the most part, Student Entrants will study at recognised further-education colleges, whereas the Self Employed Entrant has the option to consider the wider range of private commercial schools. Commercially oriented plumbing course companies will provide an established path of training which ultimately leads into recognised skill-sets and qualifications. The ability to train in evenings, part-time or in self study classes allowing people to continue with their existing job and maintaining their current financial situation remains one of the key advantages to Self Employed Entrants. Considering so many options on hand it is clever to gather data from as many sources as one can. Having provided an option for you to come back and review the links and adverts from several sites, why not book mark this page (CTRL-D).

Plumbers ‘marketability’ is often increased through the use of additional courses. It is by training in areas such as Gas, Green Energy and Electrical that Plumbers can gain extra certifications. A typically popular route for Plumbers is Gas training, especially as this forms part of the usual commercial and domestic heating system.

Without a doubt, NVQ’s that follow on core subjects lead into the careful and precise program that is Gas Training. The opportunity for on-going training is for those who trained first as a plumber and are now seeking to add some extra skills to their repertoire. From this stance, the mature student is often more suited to a cross of Plumbing/Gas training. Indeed, for the Mature Student, the path appears to be centred on adopting the core subjects and completely dropping the NVQ elements.

The self-employed professional appears to benefit from this distinct training mixture. To earn money whilst at the same time as gaining a wider range of perceived skills becomes a desirable prospect. This further enhances their commercial offering, instead of sub-contracting key skills to a third party. Sub-contracting can not only reduce the earning potential of a job, but also erode the value in the customer’s eye, as they may have to wait for key stages to be handled by someone else before the final completion of the job. The more professional a Plumber is within their field the more that they have to offer their relative client base.

Finally, whilst the Student Entrant breaks into the industry more quickly the Self Employed Entrant has the opportunity for higher potential earnings, but to do so they need to develop a broader range of certifications and a higher level of business skill sets. Note: This information deals with industry requirements and policies for the UK market alone.

Written by Scott Edwards. Visit Plumbing Qualifications or www.CareerProgression.co.uk/jcaprog.html.