IT Courses: Colleges OK doing IT with computer firms

Software companies are working with universities to provide cheap courses for those wishing to update their IT skills

Computing skills are a distinct advantage in almost any career. For those whose profession is information technology, keeping skills up to date is nothing short of a necessity. Developing and maintaining computing expertise usually means turning to the universities, for a computing degree or Master's programme, and to commercial training companies or software houses.

Universities are expanding their professional, short courses, but not every university covers every specialist area. Commercial courses, for their part, are expensive. A single day of training can easily cost more than pounds 1,000. Even highly-paid computing consultants and contractors will find it difficult to cover fees of that magnitude. For people who are looking to expand their IT skills,or who want to move towards a career in computing, the costs are a serious barrier.

Computing companies such as Oracle and Microsoft admit that commercial courses are aimed at the corporate training market, where cost is not the main issue. With the IT industry facing a serious skills shortage, that is changing. Computer companies are working with universities and colleges of further and higher education, to provide accessible training.

Further education colleges have long provided introductory courses in computing, including the basics in word-processing, spreadsheets or programming. However, there is increasing demand for more advanced courses, especially in the evenings and weekends. Some of this demand is coming from IT professionals who want to update their knowledge or develop skills in new areas of computing. Some comes from professionals in other fields such as accountants or graphic designers.

These students want specific training in software and techniques rather than a general, academic grounding in IT. Many are already graduates, some in computing. Time and cost pressures mean that local study is the most practical option.

"The demand for the basics is still incredibly high," explains Richard Chambers, acting principal at London's Lewisham College. According to Mr Chambers, though, the college is witnessing more and more interest in higher level courses, and what he terms "PC support".

Local businesses, Mr Chambers says, have difficulties finding staff with skills in areas such as networking and software support. "Companies that cannot get IT support staff will relocate to areas where they can," he says.

Mick Brophy, director of technology and telematics at Gateshead College, suggests that enrolments on IT courses are driven by two factors: home computer owners and small businesses. People who have just bought a PC turn to the college to find out how to make the best use of it. Local businesses need more advanced training on business applications.

Firms want more than technical competence, however. "There is a large demand for training in business applications, but from the company's point of view, the biggest issue is communication," he says. Firms want staff who, rather than just fix a computing problem, can explain their solutions to colleagues too. "Firms want people who can advise and communicate on how to use the application," he says.

Programming skills are more in demand by the region's larger employers, including manufacturing businesses such as Nissan, and the public sector.

Businesses want people who can develop and maintain networks, handle communications software, understand the Internet, and support modern operating systems such as Microsoft's Windows NT. In these specialist fields, the most important factor is not the academic qualification but the software package itself. The training has to be up to date, and this means working with the IT industry.

Ideally, a course needs to be certified by the software company itself. Software companies run their own accreditation for commercial courses, and these are being expanded to include college programmes too.

One of the industry's largest initiatives is Microsoft's Approved Academic Training Partners programme. AATP members include both colleges and universities. The software company provides support and training for college teaching staff, and students can enrol knowing that the course has Microsoft's stamp of approval. This is important as IT experts with Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) status are in demand in the industry.

Other software companies are working on similar lines. Oracle, for example, is working with over 50 colleges in the US to help academic institutions design courses that give students experience of Oracle tools, as well as general training on database development. According to Keith Smith, director of Oracle Education in the UK, colleges have more contact with the company in North America, but he expects that to change, not least because there is more demand for courses designed for individuals studying in their own time and with their own money, rather than through their employers.

Currently, colleges such as Gateshead, which is a Microsoft AATP member, find that the easiest and fastest way to teach industry-based skills is through stand-alone programmes. In the longer term, the college intends to integrate Microsoft, and other companies' training materials, into its general IT curriculum.

According to colleges, filling places on computing courses is not a problem. The biggest hurdles are finding skilled teaching staff - and giving them the time to keep up to date with new technologies, and investing in hardware.

Nor is demand likely to ease, with computing spreading to more and more areas of business. Colleges report growing interest in courses in Internet technologies and multi-media, which appeal as much to marketing professionals, designers and artists as computing specialists. "Multimedia is a general market," explains Richard Chambers at Lewisham College. "It attracts managers, business people, and marketing people, but it has the artistic side as well. It draws from across the spectrum."