Technical ICT skills
Overview
There are many technical ICT courses available to support personal professional development. Indeed, undertaking one or more of these courses and gaining a recognised qualification may be a requirement for advancement and promotion in your organisation or part of your annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) plan, for example, as part of the registration renewal process for UKCHIP.
Resources
The information and links provided below do not refer specifically to commercial training providers, details of which should be found locally for your organisation. The information relates to the major suppliers of technical systems and software to the NHS and their certification schemes, to industry- wide vendor-neutral certification, and to sources of guidance on careers and training.
British Computer Society
Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB) Qualifications
The ISEB portfolio offers a large number of ICT qualifications in a variety of disciplines.
CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association represents the international technology community and is one of the world's largest developers of vendor-neutral IT certification exams.
Cisco
Details of IT certification programs available through Cisco Career Certifications specifically for network professionals, their managers, and the organizations that employ them.
e-Skills
The Sector Skills Council for IT and Telecoms provides information, advice and guidance on careers, courses, training and financial help.
The e-Skills IT Professional Foundation Programme has been created by employers to fast track the development of new recruits in the early years of their careers. It is a modular programme delivered by employers, training partners and universities. It includes e-learning, face-to-face tuition, and on-the-job learning. Students can work towards a range of qualifications, including a Masters degree.
BigAmbition is a revolutionary programme for 14-19 year olds that brings together employers, universities and schools to help prepare the UK's future IT profession. Combining interactive events for students hosted by employers with a dynamic website hosting flash tools and real life interviews, the programme aims to give an insider view of technology careers and education opportunities.
Foundation Degree in ICT
Staffordshire University is one institution offering a new Foundation Degree in ICT.
In the Foundation Degree, academic content is delivered face-to-face or studied at distance. Learning will also be undertaken in the workplace. This sector-specific award has a core of study meeting learning outcomes set by a consortium of ICT/Telecommunications employers. It can be tailored to suit the workplace through option choice.
Find out more from the list of Foundation Degrees in health informatics
Hewlett Packard
A range of education and training materials and courses, including Microsoft, Oracle and ITIL®
The IT Infrastructure Library® (ITIL)
The IT Infrastructure Library® (ITIL) is the most widely accepted approach to IT service management in the world. Details can be found at the Office of Government Commerce website.
Further ITIL information and resources can also be found at the ITIL official website and at the Best Management Practice website
Microsoft
Microsoft Certified Partners for Learning Solutions (CPLS)
Microsoft Certified Partners for Learning Solutions offer classroom, online and blended training, and a variety of supporting services, using world-class learning content. They are Microsoft's foremost training providers and so are uniquely positioned to help you become an expert on the latest Microsoft technology.
Microsoft NHS Resource Centre
IT Professional training is now available for NHS staff through the Microsoft NHS Resource Centre in conjunction with the NHS Microsoft IT Academies. Over 800 online courses can be used for accredited certifications via the academies.
Microsoft Training Vouchers
The Microsoft Training Vouchers are a benefit of the Enterprise Wide Agreement (EWA) between Microsoft and NHS Connecting for Health for England. (A similar EWA has been agreed for the NHS in Wales). The vouchers may only be used against tutor-led Microsoft technical training courses provided by Microsoft Certified Partners for Learning Solutions (see above).
For further information about the Microsoft training voucher benefit, please contact your local Education, Training and Development Lead, or contact Jackie Smith, Informatics Development Manager, DH Informatics - Policy and Planning directorate, email: jackie.smith10@nhs.net.
NHS Microsoft IT Academies
The NHS Microsoft IT Academies are accredited training and examination centres for NHS staff wishing to complete Microsoft Office and technical certifications.
Find out more about the NHS Microsoft IT Academies
National Skills Academy for IT
The National Skills Academy for IT will provide a centre of excellence for apprenticeship training, a university-accredited IT Professional Foundation Programme and a suite of new training options for career changers.
The Skills Academy, due to open in 2009, will particularly focus on:
- accelerating the productivity of new recruits into the workforce,
- addressing the up-skilling needs of the existing IT professional workforce, and
- enabling the workforce to achieve external recognition of skills.
The skills academy will also establish cohesion in learning and qualifications, encouraging new provision that meets employer needs, and enables IT professionals to gain external recognition of skills. 10,000 learners will benefit during the first thee years of the skills academy’s operation.
Download a brochure about the National Skills Academies (264 KB, pdf)
Novell
Details of products and services available under the software agreement for the NHS in England.
The Enterprise Agreement between Novell and NHS CFH includes a centrally funded, extensive training programme delivering training in support of the key NHS CFH themes. Novell delivers a series of courses in partnership with QA-IQ.
NHS training is divided into three training tracks, aligning with consulting and implementation activities in Trusts. QA-IQ uses a flexible approach for this training and is endeavouring to work closely with Trusts to meet their needs and deliver courses as and when needed. To find out more information and book on scheduled courses go to http://nhs.qa.com/.
Oracle
Details of training and certification available from Oracle.
UK Oracle User Group (UKOUG) is an independent, not for profit membership organisation created to support Oracle stakeholders. It provides over 120 events a year across the UK and Ireland to inform and educate members about Oracle products, services and new developments.
Retendo
Microsoft technical virtual training live
Retendo offer official Microsoft content in a virtual training centre. Instructors present engaging content in fully interactive sessions, live online, using WebEx. Students then get the chance to consolidate what they have learnt between sessions with self-paced material (Microsoft Premium eLearning, the Microsoft manual etc) and to use Live Labs to transfer the knowledge acquired into skills. All of this material, including recordings of the Live Sessions, is available for 3 months from the start of the course.
SFIAplus
SFIAplus is the IT skills, training and development standard widely used in the UK and beyond. Developed and maintained by the BCS in consultation with IT practitioners and employers, SFIAplus defines skills for the IT professional plus the training and development required to nurture and maintain them.
Further information
European Commission
e-Skills for the 21st Century: Fostering Competitiveness, Growth and Jobs Policy
The policy adopted by the European Commission for addressing the requirement for ICT skills.