Certification - July 2008 - (Page 32)

I prepare for classes for the week: I have to ensure the course material is correct and up-to-date, as well as go over subjects I may have forgotten or don’t really like. I would like to say that I only have to do this once, but in the past two years I have taught eight different courses, so preparation is different for each course. The same thing is relatively true if you’re a full-time Professional associations also can provide continuing professional development (CPD) assistance and keep you up-to-date with the latest innovations in teaching and training, as well as the subjects you deliver. Some can assist you in your career development and provide you with legal assistance if something goes wrong. Professional associations that deal primarily with teaching and training would include, but are not limited to, the Computer Science Teachers Association from ACM (csta.acm.org), the Institute for Learning (www.ifl.ac.uk) and the Institute of IT Training (www.iitt.org.uk). There are other IT professional associations that also deal with IT trainers, such as the British Computer Society (www.bcs.org) and CompTIA’s IT Pro (itpro.comptia.org). Prior experience can provide a wealth of knowledge for students. Not only will you get them asking about materials on the course, but they will also ask why, how and when you would use them in the real world. IT trainer teaching different courses throughout the year. You’ll have to double-check the course material to ensure it’s up-to-date and relevant and check whether or not your course needs virtual machines or PCs set up. Unless you’re lucky enough to have a person doing this for you, you’ll be doing it yourself. Moving Beyond Training So what does the future hold for you if you enter the IT training field? Where can you progress to? Just like any other field in IT, you can move up the career ladder. The next stage is to become a learning consultant (Microsoft offers an exam for this: the Microsoft Certified Learning Consultant.) Learning consultants not only deliver training courses, but also tailor IT training to specific clients. They then design a program for the customer to ensure requirements are met. This is followed by developing the course based on the client’s requirements, provided one does not already exist. Depending on the company, learning consultants then have the option of delivering courses themselves or hiring an IT trainer. The last part of the learning consultant’s job is to assess and evaluate the program. The consultant’s role is a lot more in-depth and more business-oriented than the trainer’s role, just like when you make the move from a technician, engineer or administrator to an IT manager’s role. 8 Association Assistance So which professional associations are out there for someone in the IT training field, and what are the benefits? While some people do not believe in or see the value of being a member of a professional association, it does offer certain perks. First of all, there’s the networking side: You can meet a lot of likeminded people or more experienced trainers who can share their successes and failures with you. A lot of associations have search utilities on their sites so companies can find you. Ken Wagner is an IT network manager and part-time IT lecturer in the United Kingdom. He can be reached at editor@certmag.com. 32 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE July 2008 http://csta.acm.org http://www.ifl.ac.uk http://www.iitt.org.uk http://www.bcs.org http://itpro.comptia.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Certification - July 2008

Certification - July 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Data System Virtual Village Tech Careers Dear Techie Academic Connection Look Ahead Troubleshooting Testing Your Foot in the Door: Certification at the Entry Level Analyzing the Societal Effects of YouTube Interface Spread the Knowledge: Becoming an IT Trainer Inside Certification Ad Index What We Like Endtag

Certification - July 2008

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