A variety of different training programs are on the market for trainees wanting to get into the IT industry. To find the right one for you, look at organisations with assistance to help you to work out the right job for your characteristics, as well as explaining the details of the job, in order for you to know you're going to enjoy it. There's a wide range of courses to choose from. Certain students are just looking for User Skills from Microsoft, others want career skills such as courses on Programming, Web Design, Networking or Databases - and these are all possible. However, don't just guess. It's much better to talk to a company who knows the computer industry, and can lead you down the right path.

With such a range of sensibly priced, easily understood training and support, you should inevitably find a course that will get you where you want to go.

Many training companies have a handy Job Placement Assistance program, to help you into your first commercial role. Because of the great shortage of skills in Great Britain even when times are hard, there's no need to get too caught up in this feature though. It isn't such a complex operation to land employment once you're properly qualified.

Having said that, it's important to have help with your CV and interview techniques though; and we'd encourage everyone to work on polishing up their CV the day they start training - don't procrastinate and leave it for when you're ready to start work. Many junior support jobs have been bagged by students who're still on their course and haven't got any qualifications yet. At the very least this will get your CV into the 'possible' pile and not the 'no' pile. You'll normally experience better results from an independent and specialised local recruitment consultancy than you'll get from a training course provider's national service, because they'll know the local area and commercial needs better.

Not inconsiderable numbers of students, it seems, put a great deal of effort into their studies (for years sometimes), and just give up when it comes to looking for a job. Promote yourself... Make an effort to get in front of employers. Don't think a job's just going to jump out in front of you.

A capable and specialised advisor (in contrast with a salesperson) will want to thoroughly discuss your abilities and experience. There is no other way of calculating your study start-point. Where you have a strong background, or perhaps a bit of real-world experience (possibly even some previous certification?) then it's more than likely your starting point will be different from someone with no background whatsoever. Commencing with a user skills program first is often the best way to start into your computer training, depending on your skill level at the moment.

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