A+ consists of four exams and sections to study, but your only requirement is to achieve certification in two to qualify for your A+. This is why many educational establishments simply offer two. But giving you all four options will provide you with a more confident perspective of it all, which you’ll come to realise is vital in industry.

In addition to learning about building and fixing computers, trainees on A+ courses will be shown how to work in antistatic conditions, as well as diagnostics, fault-finding and remote access.

If you would like to be the kind of individual who works in a multi-faceted environment – supporting, fixing and maintaining networks, you’ll need to add CompTIA Network+, or consider an MCSA or MCSE with Microsoft in order to have a deeper understanding of the way networks work.

Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always 24×7 round-the-clock support through dedicated instructors and mentors. It’s an all too common story to find providers that only seem to want to help while they’re in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends.

Never purchase certification programs which can only support trainees with a call-centre messaging service after 6-9pm in the evening and during weekends. Training schools will try to talk you round from this line of reasoning. But, no matter how they put it – you want to be supported when you need the help – not when it suits them.

As long as you look hard, you will find professional companies that give students online support at all times – at any time of day or night.

Never make do with less than you need and deserve. 24×7 support is the only viable option when it comes to technical training. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; but for the majority of us however, we’re at work when traditional support if offered.

Sometimes people presume that the school and FE college route is the right way even now. So why then are commercial certificates becoming more popular with employers?

Industry now recognises that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, the right accreditation from such organisations as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA most often has much more specialised relevance – saving time and money.

Typically, only that which is required is learned. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but principally the objective has to be to cover the precise skills needed (with some necessary background) – without going into too much detail in every other area – in the way that academic establishments often do.

If an employer is aware what areas need to be serviced, then they just need to look for a person with the appropriate exam numbers. The syllabuses are set to exacting standards and don’t change between schools (as academic syllabuses often do).

Consider only training paths that’ll progress to commercially approved accreditations. There’s a plethora of small companies suggesting unknown ‘in-house’ certificates which are worthless when it comes to finding a job.

Unless the accreditation comes from a company like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco, then chances are it won’t be commercially viable – as no-one will have heard of it.

It’s essential to have accredited simulation materials and an exam preparation system as part of your training package.

Be sure that the practice exams are not only asking questions in the right areas, but additionally ask them in the way the real exams will pose them. It throws students if they’re faced with unrecognisable phrases and formats.

As you can imagine, it’s essential to make sure you’ve thoroughly prepared for your actual certification exam before embarking on it. Revising mock-up exams helps build your confidence and will save a lot of money on unsuccessful attempts at exams.

(C) Jason Kendall. Navigate to www.dreamweavercs4training.co.uk for excellent information on Computer Training & Web Design Courses.