Commercial qualifications are now, most definitely, already replacing the more academic tracks into the IT sector - so why has this come about? With university education costs climbing ever higher, along with the industry's growing opinion that corporate based study most often has much more commercial relevance, we've seen a great increase in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA authorised training programmes that provide key skills to an employee at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time. Vendor training works through concentrating on the actual skills required (along with a relevant amount of associated knowledge,) rather than trawling through all the background detail and 'fluff' that academic courses can get bogged down in (because the syllabus is so wide).

In simple terms: Accredited IT qualifications provide exactly what an employer needs - the title says it all: as an example - I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Planning and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Infrastructure'. Consequently employers can look at the particular needs they have and what certifications are required to perform the job.

People attracted to this sort of work are usually quite practically-minded, and don't really enjoy classrooms, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If you identify with this, try the newer style of interactive study, with on-screen demonstrations and labs. Recent studies into the way we learn shows that memory is aided when we use all our senses, and we take action to use what we've learned.

Modern training can now be done at home via easy-to-use DVD or CD ROM's. Instructor-led tutorials will mean you'll learn your subject through the demonstrations and explanations. You can then test yourself by using practice-lab's. It's wise to view some examples of the kind of training materials you'll be using before you sign the purchase order. The minimum you should expect would be videoed instructor demonstrations and interactive modules with audio-visual elements.

It's folly to select online only courseware. Connection quality and reliability varies hugely across your average broadband company, make sure you get actual CD or DVD ROM's.

To many Computer users, the word 'Windows' comes to mind once they think about Microsoft. It could also signify Microsoft Office, which supplies us with various common-place PC applications. Word is the company's word processing program, familiar to millions everywhere. While 'Excel' is the most widely used spreadsheet & Access offers database capabilities to numerous organisations. The next of the most important 4 programs in 'Office' is 'PowerPoint', which is commonly used for delivering presentations. (Although there are several more in the Microsoft stable, including Outlook, which is commonly used as an e-mail, 'messaging' & diary solution.)

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