Pay for IT training?

[TheImminentGin]

I'm 17 years out of full time employment, work part time in retail and need to get a full time job, preferably not on my feet all day!
I used the careers advice service through my local job centre and the very nice and engaged man agreed with me that I would benefit from doing some IT courses. However as I am not on any benefits I have to pay. The basic one cost me over £300 and the second and more useful part would be over £600. I'm pretty short of money but could use my dwindling savings to pay. I just wish I could find a job really. I'm not totally convinced this would be a good use of my limited resources. Do employers prefer experience or would this course be worthwhile?

What are these courses you are doing called?

Hi Becca on my certificate it has 'EnlightKS ECDL/ICDL Online Essentials 1.0'

So you have done one module regarding using the Internet as part of the ECDL qualification. Did the jobcentre direct you to this course? It sounds very expensive to me. I wouldn't be handing over more money if I was you.

Experience is always good in my opinion and being able to back it up with a qualification a bonus. I'm not too clear on if you need to do a course to update your skills, in which case I would consider looking at further education courses or even your local library (assuming you have the option of course) as both in some areas run short courses.

It sounds like a rip off. Contact your local FE college and see if you can do it on a drop in basis. Or if you work part time approach a temp agency and see if they can offer you training and pt work so you can build up experience.

The careers advisor directed me to the course provider. There were lots of people doing courses who were on jobseekers so theirs were free.
The Local authority do not run courses on Microsoft office. However to contact a temp agency might be an idea although doing temp work could be difficult as I have children of primary age who need taking to and from school and no childcare in place.
Do Microsoft provide any introductory lessons or excercises to their products? I could practice stuff at home.

There are online tutorials with each programme. Just because LA don't run them doesn't mean your local college won't. The funding to support it would differ. Or they may run shorter courses in Word, Excel etc

This has been helpful as it has clarified the courses for me. When I search for Microsoft courses it's very limited as to what's on offer. But when I searched for ECDL courses I found one at my local adult education centre. (I did not know what ECDL stood for, it's European Computer Driving Licence.) It's around £300 but I might qualify for a concession. Only thing is I've missed the boat on this term. Next one starts in February.
So thanks for the help. If I don't have a new job by the New Year I'll sign up.

Have you checked you are too late? Sometimes people drop out due to other commitments or you can do ad hoc sessions to make up the time.

I asked because it seemed to be very expensive and I know the provider my jobcentre uses vastly inflates their course fees because the government are funding places for people on benefits (which as you have found out also means inflated fees for people not on benefits and out of work going there)

£300 for the whole course including exams is good. In the meantime there are free resources online in various places so you could look at those.

Good luck with your job search.

LIZS I did actually ring to check and the course starting in October was actually cancelled and postponed till February for some reason.
Becca thank you!