Anyone who is new to IT will benefit from programs and certifications developed by CompTIA. Typically, individuals who are interested in careers in Networking, Servers, Systems, Security, Support and Communications should probably begin with CompTIA, although in fact trainees within any sector could find a CompTIA certification a helpful component of their Resume. CompTIA are also now offering 'STRATA' qualifications : these are not especially for people employed in the I.T. sector, but for people whose roles require a basic knowledge of computing.

Both examinations have recently been subject to a 2009 'facelift' in-line with CompTIA's efforts towards 'ISO' standardisation. Worldwide the 2006-2007 editions of 'A+' (with exam pre-fix 600) will be phased out within the coming twelve months. After the 31st August '10 they will no longer be obtainable in the United Kingdom. Because both these, & the recently released 700 exams are now available to sit in 'prometric' and 'Vue' test-centres, it makes sense to study the '700' examinations now, & not have to certify again later on. 'CompTIA' A+ Essentials & 'CompTIA' A+ Practical Application are the new examination titles (220-701 and 220/702 respectively). The four original exams have been streamlined in to two brand new examinations, & some more updated information has been included. The old structure was 1 compulsory Essentials examination & 3 'electives', of which just one needed to be sat. Today the sector demands professionals with expertise that used to be in all of the earlier exams. Trainees will get that information from the two '2009' essential A+ programs. A bridging examination has been produced by CompTIA for everyone who have the old certification. BR/003 is the exam number. Additional training will almost certainly be required, especially for individuals who just initially worked on 2 of the 4 electives. Clearly though the new technological topics will have to be mastered.

Charging for examination fees with the course fee and offering an 'Exam Guarantee' is a common method with many companies. But look at the facts:

Certainly it's not free - you're still being charged for it - it's just been wrapped up in the price of the package. The fact is that if a student pays for their relevant examinations, one by one, they will be much more likely to get through on the first attempt - since they are conscious of their payment and will therefore apply themselves appropriately.

Doesn't it make more sense to go for the best offer at the time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance to the training course provider, and to do it in a local testing office - instead of the remote centre that's convenient only to the trainer? Considerable numbers of so-called credible training providers net huge amounts of money through getting in the money for all the exam fees up-front and hoping you won't see them all through. Don't forget, in the majority of cases of 'exam guarantees' - the company decides when you are allowed to do a re-take. You'll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they'll pay for another exam.

On average, exams cost about 112 pounds in the last 12 months through Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So don't be talked into shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds more for 'Exam Guarantees', when common sense dictates that what's really needed is consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software.

Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always 24x7 round-the-clock support through professional mentors and instructors. Far too often we see trainers who only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later (but not weekends usually). Never accept training that only supports you via an out-sourced call-centre message system outside of normal office hours. Training organisations will give you every excuse in the book why you don't need this. But, no matter how they put it - support is required when it's required - not at their convenience.

We recommend that you search for training schools that have multiple support offices active in different time-zones. These should be integrated to give a single entry point and also 24 hours-a-day access, when it suits you, without any problems. You can't afford to accept anything less. Direct-access 24x7 support is the only kind to make the grade with technical training. Maybe burning the midnight-oil is not your thing; often though, we're at work when traditional support if offered.

Kick out a salesman that just tells you what course you should do without an in-depth conversation to gain understanding of your current abilities as well as level of experience. Make sure they can draw from a expansive array of training from which they could give you a program that suits you.. If you've got any real-world experience or some accreditation, you could discover that your appropriate starting-point is not the same as someone new to the industry. For students commencing IT study as a new venture, you might like to avoid jumping in at the deep-end, by working on some basic PC skills training first. This is often offered with most types of training.

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