New academy established to develop IT training consultants

To help meet the corporate and public sector’s increasingly demanding standards for IT training, two of the UK’s largest trainer resource providers, Training Synergy and BroadSkill, have established Spearhead Academy – the UK’s first college developing candidates to become qualified IT training consultants. The Academy welcomes its first intake of what is predicted to be hundreds of students on 21st November.

Spearhead Academy provides an innovative, three-week programme to develop IT and training skills which guides students towards European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) accreditation and the new national ITQ Level 3 qualification.

Jane McCarthy, who heads up the joint Spearhead Academy, commented: “The first part of the course equips delegates with the skills required to deliver effective IT end-user training, covering course design and delivery, learning styles and lesson planning. Throughout the course delegates are given opportunities to practise their newly developed skills by delivering several ‘mini-teach’ sessions, the content of which will contribute to the work-based evidence tasks required to achieve ITQ qualification later in the course.

“Delegates are then coached through the ECDL syllabus with accredited testing and should achieve the ITQ Level 2 qualification on completion of the three-week programme. Before leaving the course, students develop a plan to help them achieve the ITQ Level 3 qualification and are offered coaching and support by our tutors to help them reach this goal,” she added.

“All of the Academy’s successful candidates are supported and guided in how to start their own sustainable training business and given an opportunity to work on a major Synergy or BroadSkill IT training project with a leading global IT company,” McCarthy promised.

Already, the Spearhead Academy has been accepted as a registered training provider for the Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) scheme. Among other things, this means that the Academy
can accept people leaving the British Armed Forces who are looking to establish a new career.

Stephen Fletcher, MD at BroadSkill said: “We came up with the idea for the academy when we were considering how to resource the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) project – DII(F). This major programme to refresh the MoD’s IT infrastructure requires up to 100 instructors and coordinators for the training element as from next month.

“We envisage that some of this resource will come from military personnel returning to civilian life, who have the distinct advantage of both understanding the working environment and already being security cleared. We also saw the opportunity for a wider initiative which will help ensure a continuing supply of skilled trainers to the industry.

“The new academy has the backing of the Institute of IT Training,” he added.

Welcoming the establishment of Spearhead Academy, Daniel Hanlon, director of Training Synergy, commented: “As one of the UK’s largest suppliers of freelance IT trainers, we have seen ‘training’ evolve in recent years, with the introduction of e-learning, ‘floor walking’, workshops, mentor and drop-in sessions augmenting the instructor-led training, which was by far the main IT training delivery method even five years ago.

“IT trainers used to have to explain what a mouse is. Those days are long gone.”

“Nowadays, trainers are becoming consultants and mentors, working with learners to advise and guide them to help them become more productive in their daily roles.”

“Through the Spearhead Academy, Training Synergy and BroadSkill are recruiting, training and employing qualified IT training consultants – not mere IT training deliverers - to meet the acknowledged current shortage,” Hanlon added.

end

Notes for Editors:

About ITQs

Nationally recognised qualifications, approved by the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA), ITQs are a flexible IT user qualification that can be tailored to ensure that learners are trained in the IT skills they need in the workplace. ITQs are intended for IT users and have been designed to accommodate employer requirements.

This qualification recognises that different employers need staff to have skills at different levels. A key feature of ITQs is the flexibility to customise training to meet employers' specific needs and to adapt the qualification to an individual's skills level.

Because of the flexibility of the framework, existing IT user qualifications or IT tasks completed in the workplace may count towards the final ITQ. The following modules are available at ITQ levels 1, 2 and 3.

• Mandatory Module: Make selective use of IT
• Optional Modules:
B: Operate a computer
C: IT maintenance for users
D: IT trouble-shooting for users
E: IT security for users
F: Artwork and imaging software
G: Internet and intranets
H: E-mail
I: Word processing software
J: Spreadsheet software
K: Database software
L: Website software
M: Presentation software
N: Specialist or bespoke software
O: Evaluate the Impact of IT
P: Use IT systems
Q: Use IT to exchange information
R: Sector Specific Unit

About BroadSkill, Synergy and DII(F)
In March of this year, the ATLAS consortium was selected by the MoD to supply Increment 1 of the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) project. The DII(F) project, over 10 years, is intended to replace numerous individual information systems throughout the MoD with a single, more efficient information infrastructure.

ATLAS is the name used by the consortium led by EDS Defence Limited and including Fujitsu Services Limited, EADS Defence and Security Systems Limited, General Dynamics United Kingdom Limited and LogicaCMG UK Limited

ATLAS has chosen two of the largest suppliers of freelance trainers in the UK to support the consortium. Both are financially strong and were founded in the mid 1990s based on a passion to connect business and Government organizations with highly skilled and competent trainers. By selecting BroadSkill and Synergy ATLAS has access to in excess of 8,500 trainers covering over 700 skill sets combined with a range of supporting services in the management of the training project. Both organisations are accredited by the Institute of IT Training.

Further Information from:
Daniel Hanlon / David Field, Synergy, 0800 072 5900 or 020 7556 1140 /1141
Stephen Fletcher, BroadSkill, 0845 050 5353 or 07968 626999
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, 01727 860405
www.trainingsynergy.com
www.broadskill.com