In today's high speed society, support workers who are qualified to solve problems with networks and PC's, and give ongoing advice to users, are vital in all sections of the business environment. As we are getting growingly dependent on our PC's, we in turn find ourselves increasingly dependent on the skilled and qualified IT networkers, who maintain those systems.

It only makes sense to consider study courses which will progress to industry recognised qualifications. There's a plethora of small companies promoting minor 'in-house' certificates which will prove unusable when you start your job-search. Unless the accreditation comes from a big-hitter like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA, then chances are it won't be commercially viable - because it won't give an employer any directly-useable skills.

Often, trainers provide a big box of books. Obviously, this isn't much fun and not really conducive to remembering. Studies in learning psychology have shown that memory is aided when we use all our senses, and we put into practice what we've been studying.

Locate a program where you'll receive a library of DVD-ROM's - you'll be learning from instructor videos and demo's, and then have the opportunity to use virtual lab's to practice your new skills. Don't take any chances and look at examples of the courseware provided before you purchase a course. What you want are videoed instructor demonstrations and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.

Many companies provide online training only; while you can get away with this much of the time, think what will happen if your access to the internet is broken or you get intermittent problems and speed issues. A safer solution is the provision of physical CD or DVD discs that don't suffer from these broadband issues.

Look at the facts below in detail if you think the sales ploy of an 'Exam Guarantee' sounds great value:

They've allowed costings for it somehow. It's definitely not free - it's just been rolled into the price of the whole package. For those who want to pass first time, you must pay for each exam as you go, prioritise it appropriately and give the task sufficient application.

Shouldn't you be looking to hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the time, instead of paying a premium to the training company, and to do it in a local testing office - instead of miles away at the college's beck and call? Is there a good reason to pay interest on a bigger loan than is necessary because you've paid early for examinations when there was no need to? Big margins are netted by organisations getting paid upfront for exams - and banking on the fact that many won't be taken. Many training companies will require you to do mock exams and not allow you to re-take an exam until you have proved to them you have a good chance of passing - so an 'Exam Guarantee' comes with many clauses in reality.

Paying maybe a thousand pounds extra on an 'Exam Guarantee' is remiss - when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is actually the key to your success.

Proper support should never be taken lightly - find a program offering 24x7 direct access to instructors, as not obtaining this level of support will severely hamper your progress. Beware of institutions who use call-centres 'out-of-hours' - where you'll get called back during normal office hours. It's not a lot of help when you've got study issues and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.

Keep looking and you'll come across professional companies which offer online support around the clock - even in the middle of the night. Find a training provider that offers this level of study support. As only true live 24x7 support provides the necessary backup.

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