ITQ - Information Technology Qualification

Apprenticeships are vocational training programmes that help give employees the sustainable skills and recognised qualifications in a wide range of Occupational areas for a long and successful career. To achieve an apprenticeship you will need to complete the following:

City & Guilds

• Diploma for IT Users

Essential Skills Wales:

• Application of Number
• Communication
• ICT

Friendly and qualified staff will provide you with training, support, continual assessments, practical observations and assignments. A portfolio of your evidence is required.

Anne Marie Taylor is a real life example of this, employed in BPU as a System Support Officer. Undertaking City & Guilds IT User Level 3 Apprenticeship she created a Database for the Bracken Trust.

Anne Marie went the extra mile by liaising with the Bracken Trust in her own time to ensure the project “would be meaningful and give something back to the Community”, so in partnership with them she designed an extensive database that will enable them to provide accurate and relevant information to their stakeholders.

The Bracken Trust is a Cancer Support Centre located in Llandrindod. The Trust provides information and support to people affected by Cancer, their carers, their families and the bereaved. Currently they have 530 members of which 190 are patients receiving support.

“We are delighted with our involvement with Powys Training and Anne Marie as they have provided a Low cost solution to our database dilemma, this has been put to very good use.”

Through funded, work-based learning, both new and existing employees can learn the skills and knowledge to work with greater effectiveness.

I.T. User Apprentices boost skills in Local Health Centre

Eleri and Gill work at the local Health Centre where they started their ITQ last summer and are proving to be exemplary learners. Eleri is producing work based evidence for her Level 3 and Gill has been studying for her ECDL up to this stage. Gill passed her ECDL at the end of last year. She reported herself to be “very happy” and her supervisor commented:

“Gill is a very dedicated and hard working person and the skills she is acquiring now will help her in her work”. She will now go on to assignment work to complete her Level 2 apprenticeship.

As a result of the Apprenticeship, Eleri has produced a very technical and important spreadsheet for her work place. One of the managers has commented “Eleri has worked hard and the spreadsheets she has devised are invaluable for helping with all the data required by the Trust. This in turn has saved the Trust time and money and has also ensured that the correct information is given to management in a timely manner.”

Eleri’s line manager comments:

“The skills learned have been demonstrated to be invaluable to the health visiting team at Machynlleth. This has been particular true when the health visiting service has been struggling with growing case loads, and an ever increasing volume of work. It can be said that the course has increased Eleri’s confidence and that by achieving new skills much of the recent work would not have been completed without her new competencies and skills. The expertise of her tutor, Angela
has been never ending and her exemplary teaching skill was effectively applied to the necessarily aspects of learning. Thus the course has been unquestionably successful! “

The aim of the ITQ apprenticeship is to give you the edge in today’s job market. These days, whatever you’re doing, at work or at home, you need to understand and be able to use the latest technology. ITQ will give you the sills and confidence to use a wide range of IT and software applications, helping you to maximise your potential in the workplace. ITQ is an established (and nationally recognised) qualification for people using computers at work. Its unique ‘pick and mix’ design means you can select units across a range of skills levels in just one qualification.

"Having staff who are undertaking this qualification has greatly improved their core ICT skills. They are more confident in using various software packages and new operating systems. It is vital that the workforce can use ICT effectively to make the best use of the technology available to them, to improve their ICT skills and more general skills in problem solving and communicating information." - Aprille Saunders, General Manager, Powys Training.

Comments from learner, Bridget Forbes:
"I decided to do my ITQ qualification because I thought it would benefit me during my day-to-day work.

When I first started work at Powys Training my IT skills were extremely limited. By following a structured course of learning I have improved my knowledge and skills, and also my confidence.

This has meant that I have increased my ability to use a range of software, which in turn means that I can carry out my work in a more effective and efficient way. I can now do more work, in less time, and with better results.”

Work Based Learning is part financed by the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government