Whether you're new to the industry, or have a certain amount of knowledge but are looking to polish up your CV, you'll find hands-on MSCA training tracks to educate both levels of entry. Search for a training provider that's happy to take the time to understand you, and will help identify the best route for you, even before they start thinking about your course. You can also expect them to be in a position to tell you where to start dependent on your present knowledge and/or gaps in understanding.

A major candidate for the top potential problem in the IT training sector is often the 'in-centre' workshop requirement. Many trainers push the positive points of taking part in these events, usually though, they end up as a thorn in your side due to many reasons:

* Many round trips - normally 100's of miles or more.

* Mon-Fri availability to events is typically the case, and trying to take several days leave in a single chunk is usually problematic for many working people.

* With only 4 weeks annual leave, giving half of them to educational days means we'll be hard-pushed to get a holiday with our families.

* Workshop days can 'sell out' fast and can be very crammed in.

* Some students want to progress quickly, but some need a more gentle learning curve and not be forced to adopt an uncomfortable speed for them. This generates tension and unrest a lot of the time.

* Take into account all of all the fares or petrol, accommodation, parking and food and you could find yourself astounded. Trainees have reported extra costs ranging from hundreds to over a thousand pounds. Do the maths - and you'll see how.

* We all enjoy our privacy. We shouldn't risk throwing away any advancement at our current place of work while we retrain.

* It's quite usual for students not to pose the question that's bugging them - just because they're in front of other people.

* Working away from home - a minority of trainees need to live or work somewhere else for part of their training. Workshops are therefore impossible at that point, but the money has already changed hands as part of your fees.

The absolute best situation is to watch a ready-made, videoed workshop - with instructor-led learning available whenever you wish. Any time you get a problem, utilise the 24x7 Support (that you should have insisted on for any technical study.) Remember, if you own a notebook PC, you can study wherever you want. You have the ability to re-watch and re-cover the study modules as many times as you need to revise. And of course, you won't need to write any notes as the teaching is yours forever. Even though there's no way this can remove any normal learning difficulties, it surely removes stress and makes things simpler. You also have reduced hassle, costs and travel.

All programs you're considering should always lead to a nationally accepted certification as an end-goal - not a useless 'in-house' plaque for your wall. If the accreditation doesn't feature a conglomerate such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA, then you'll probably find it will be commercially useless - as no-one will have heard of it.

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