Those who purely would like to get a good knowledge of how to run a PC for simple procedures, the ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence is the best program for you. Most personal PCs operate on a system known as 'Windows', and the 'ECDL' handles the way to work it's standard basic components. You will discover the way to log on to the net, and the way to access and find your way around website pages and manage email. This course also outlines word-processing, spreadsheets & databases.

If you want to increase your skill-set for career related reasons, you might choose to consider some more professional training. The most common of these is more advanced instruction in 'Microsoft Office'. By far the most valuable commercial accreditations teaching Office are Microsoft 'Office Specialist' & 'Microsoft Certification Application Specialist' (recognised recognised in industry as MOS & MCAS). MOS has been around for longer & emphasises Office 2003 & XP, which continues to be perfectly well used commercially. MCAS emphasises Office 2007 & Vista, so obviously offers greater life expectancy. Both qualification tracks contain individual examinations around the primary Microsoft Office applications: 'Word' (word processing), "Excel" (spread-sheets), Access ('databases') & "Powerpoint" (presentations.) Both equally are well respected examinations & help to make it effortless for recruiters to recognise your in depth proficiency with the applications.

If you want to go for the first phases of Professional I.T. certification, then User And Systems Support might be a reasonable move. The Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician ('MCDST') is a good qualification if you're looking to offer software support for commercial users. You would typically be looking at around 100 hrs of studying for this grade.

Next, we enter the realms of full professional IT accreditation. To secure a job working in hardware support or network support you need to consider doing A+ and 'N+' qualifications from 'CompTIA'. Training will teach you about hardware & networking installations at a fundamental level, and also elements of security, support & administration. Study time is normally generally around two hundred to two hundred and fifty hrs to cover both, which is often reasonably completed within 6 months on a part time study basis.

The way a programme is physically sent to you is often missed by many students. How many parts is the training broken down into? And in what order and do you have a say in when you'll get each part? Normally, you'll enrol on a course that takes between and 1 and 3 years and receive one element at a time until graduation. This may seem sensible until you think about these factors: Often, the staged breakdown prescribed by the provider doesn't suit you. You may find it a stretch to finalise all the sections at the speed required?

For maximum flexibility and safety, most students now choose to request that all their modules (now paid for) are sent immediately, and not in a piecemeal fashion. It's then up to you how fast or slow and in what order you'd like to work.

A big contender for the biggest single let-down in the IT training sector can be attending multi-day workshops. Many trainers wax lyrical on the positive points of taking part in these events, however, they quickly become a major problem because of:

- Loads of travelling to and from the workshops - sometimes quite a distance away.

- If, like many of us, you work, then weekday only classes cause problems at work. You could be contending with several days in a row too.

- Usually, we think 4 weeks holiday each year isn't enough by far. Spend a big chunk of this for educational events and see your problems doubled.

- 'In-Centre' workshop days often become over full.

- Some attendees want to work as quickly as possible, but some like to take it easier and not be pushed beyond their comfort-zone. This breeds tension and unrest in most cases.

- Quite a lot of students speak about the high (and unexpected) costs associated with getting to and from the facility while covering the cost of accommodation and food becomes prohibitively expensive.

- Most attendees want training privacy and therefore avoiding all come-back whilst in their current job.

- Most of us find that, at times, it's uncomfortable to raise questions in a class full of our fellow attendees - to avoid appearing stupid.

- If you occasionally work away from home, you have the added problem that events can become very hard to attend - unfortunately however, the fees were paid along with everything else at the start.

It would be better to watch on-screen and learn with tutors one-on-one through ready-made classes, studying them when it suits you - not somebody else. Whenever an ugly problem rears its head, logon to the 24x7 support facility (that you should have insisted on for any technical study.) Bear in mind, if you've got a notebook PC, you can study wherever you want. It doesn't matter how regularly you feel you need to repeat something, on-screen tutors can never get frustrated with you! And remember, as an added bonus, you'll never have to write notes again. It's all there for you to use. What could be more straightforward: No wasted time or money, travelling is avoided; and of course you get a more relaxed study environment.

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