Education and skills development

Professionalism in IT

The IT Technicians Award *

Purpose

IT technicians providing technology support to small businesses and home users need to be able to demonstrate external recognition of their professional skills.

e-skills UK is working closely with employers to create a qualification which will lead to a recognised quality mark for IT technicians. The new IT Technician Award will define the skills required by those working in IT support roles and will provide employers and the general public with: 

• An assurance of quality in terms of skills
• A service differentiator when selling IT support services

It is intended that this qualification will help to encourage investment in skills development and support Further Education and training providers in meeting the needs of the sector.

The Award is being developed as part of the IT Professional Competency Model - a flexible, high level framework for IT professional skills, knowledge and experience.

Content

It is proposed that the IT Technician Award is a Level 3 (A-level equivalent) qualification suitable both for individuals seeking a career in IT support and for existing IT support technicians who wish to obtain industry recognition of their skills and capability.

The qualification will include the blend of technical, problem-solving and interpersonal skills needed by customer-focused IT technicians supporting small business systems. In response to increasing demand for such services, it will also provide for the skills needed by those supporting home users of technology, including broadband implementation, wireless networking, and the integration of IT with audio/visual equipment.

Partner support

The qualification is being developed by e-skills UK in collaboration with employers, representatives from vendor organisations and Further Education training providers. The initial work has been funded by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Following widespread consultation, an outline specification has been drawn up of the core skills and knowledge required by those working in the field of IT support.

Further updates will be provided through this website. We would be delighted to hear from employers or training providers interested in being involved in this development – please contact us via info@e-skills.com.

 

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 * working title

 

Last modified: 16 Apr 2007