Skillstrain has been a great inspiration to me since enrolment. No matter how biting are the global effects of the economic situation on me as an individual, the all-encompassing teaching skills of Skillstrain give me the encouragement and hope to keep up with my studies without any fear or anxiety of dropping out.
In summary, the assurance of the opportunities I have such as Skillstrain excellent teaching skills and aids, pleasant and winsome staff and the flexible periods of studies are always making me to look ahead with great joy for a better tomorrow. This state of excitement is heightened by the forth-coming Christmas and end of year in anticipation of the coming year which is my target to become an IT staff.
In other words, Skillstrain is making this Christmas an exhilarating and a memorable one for me as I believe I will celebrate the next one with a fulfilling career as a competent IT staff fully trained by Skillstrain - What an unrivalled privilege!
-Elijah
Studying with skillstrain this year is helping me understand more about computers and improving my knowledge. it is giving me the confidence to work and look forward to the future when before I was wondering what I'll be doing, now I know what I want to do and I know I can do it with the help from skillstrain. Without them id be sat at home doing nothing but I'm at home studying and it makes me happy knowing that soon I could have my dream job.
-Nicholas
Imagine a life in which there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Imagine a life in which all doors are all closed to you. Christmas 2007 in China, where I was teaching at a public university. In China, if you have no money you die. End of the story. In China everyone faces dead-ends all their life. That's how the system works.
I'd always told my students never be afraid to try, never be afraid to ask.' Life there is very difficult for them to say the least. Very difficult, just because of the way things are in that society. You have to be there to understand. If you can give them a glimmer of hope for the future, then that counts for a lot; something to aim for and, as I always kept repeatedly telling them, never be afraid to try.
Several of my students were desperately, desperately worried about their future. That's how it is out there; there's nobody to offer help or guidance. Nobody actually cares or tries to help.
I was thinking about my own future, too. My fifty-third birthday was looming on the horizon and it was only another six months before I returned to England to an area normally associated with high unemployment, and I would face the usual get-any-job I could just to make ends meet and scrape together the money to pay those missing national insurance contributions because I had been in China. Off and on, it had been like that for six years.
We're all human; we all worry despite the smiling face we put on for the benefit of others. We all think and look at the future and yes, we become down. We all become beset by fears and worries.
October 2008, and I'd been home for over three months. Despite teaching in China I wasn't qualified to teach in the UK. I'd lost track of the number of jobs I'd applied for. There was one job that sticks in my mind TEFL - (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) to Chinese students in a north east university. And strangely enough it was a university that I'd once worked on behalf of in China, paid at Chinese rates. Surely, with more than three years classroom teaching experience in Chinese in front of classes of up to 200 and being able to get by' in Chinese, I would be a suitable applicant?
No. Being experienced and able to do something isn't the same as having a recognised qualification to say that you are competent and have reached a minimum level required by employers. That job went to a girl of twenty three who had just completed a part time three month TEFL course. She had the piece of paper to say she was competent.
It's also the sort of time when you look in the job pages of the local papers and think well I could do that' only you can't, because you haven't got that recognised minimum standard of competency required by employers, irrespective of how good you are. The best self-taught and experienced mechanic in the world would never be offered a job with Rolls Royce. He can't prove how good or competent he is. That's the difference.
It was also around this time that a leaflet was pushed through my letterbox. Perhaps it came with the free local paper. I don't remember. What I do remember when looking at the leaflet is thinking: Yeah, I've seen this all before -training courses that are a complete waste of time and effort. The world is full of them. They're useless; of no value whatsoever.
For whatever reason, a few days later I picked up the leaflet, re-read it, thought about a computing course of sorts, and logged onto the skillstrain website and sent a brief enquiry. A couple of days later I received a phone call from a very pleasant and professional girl in their Bedfordshire headquarters. Surprise, surprise, she wasn't trying to sell me any off the peg course and didn't ask for my bank card details. Even more surprising, somebody would first visit me to discuss and assess which course I was most suited to. This was beginning to sound professional.
Where skillstrain scores and scores heavily is that they have their finger on the pulse of the employment market. They know where the shortfalls in skills lie within the employment sector and subject to your own abilities of course, can point you in the right direction. It actually gives a pleasant feeling to know that ahead, in the future, there is a door you can open: there is light at the end of a tunnel. It does your head good, believe me. We're all human. I now have a book called PC Hardware and Maintenance Essentials, which I am working through. It's my door.
The story doesn't end there. I have three very good friends, one of whom I have known for at least thirty years. For the last twenty five years he has been tinkering with computers, and certainly seems to know everything about them. But he could never get a job doing just that he has no computing qualifications per se.
The other two friends, well they are in a similar position when it comes to computers. All three are working, but are looking for a career change. They now know all about skillstrain and indeed, have constantly been asking about it. Strange that none of us had heard about skillstrain before. And you only recommend worthwhile things to friends. Right? I have no doubt that in the future well, I know they will use skillstrain to open new doors of their own.
My Students all found a door, somewhere along the line. They needed a bit of help, that's all. You know the name written on your door so give it a push.
-Glenn
In 2007 I was struggling at University studying an unsuitable course, getting into debt and unhappy with my life and prospects. I left university and went full-time in a call centre, however although reasonably paid I found the work mundane and my career path was limited. I have always had an interest in computers and, hearing about Skillstrain, decided to take the plunge and sign up for their CIW Website Design Manager course.
Shortly afterwards I quit my job in the call centre and moved back to my home area where I worked part-time while studying the Skillstrain course. At the beginning of this year (2008) I managed to get a placement with an IT company, helped greatly by the knowledge I had gained through the early stages of my course. In April they took me on as a permanent member of staff and I recently received a pay-rise due to my progress.
I am approaching the last section of my course and am delighted at the change in my life thanks to Skillstrain. I am now happy in my work, studying a course that is relevant and interesting to me, and looking forward to a more fulfilling and better-paid career.
-Christopher
This year has been a very tough year for me, however the knowledge I have gained throughout the year has only led me closer to being a freelance web designer. I have been able to take on more projects while still studying and feel that 2009 for me can only get better.
-Andrew
I am student of skill train from last nine months. I came here from India 11 months before as a dependent. I only had a part time job at the time in a fast food restaurant. I had my graduation in computer from India and I worked on database system in India. But here I couldn't find a system base jobs so I relies that I have to do a course from UK but I did not have enough money that time skill train give me opportunity to do E-commerce and project management course that CIW certification with a monthly basis instalments. And I find myself in me for that thanks to skill train for help.
-Argha
Hi All,
I have been a Skills Train student for more than 10 months.
I currently work for a large telecommunications company and must admit the information gained at Skills Train is very useful and helps me a lot. I can now help my colleagues and friends experiencing various PC problems. This really makes me feel excellent. Since I was a little boy, I always tried to learn more and more about the computers and new technologies. Now, when I have chance to do it, I really like it.
I think that the up to date information gained at Skills Train have definitely changed my live forever.
Thank you
p.s. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All.
-Ivo
Studying with Skillstrain is going to make my Christmas so much better this year, the main reason is because it has given me so much more to look forward to next year. I have had to look at changing my career due to injury. I had a car accident a couple of years ago, and so when I heard about Skillstrain, I decided to give it a go!
The real big reason behind my taking on this course is my girlfriend. She has been an inspiration to me since we met, and after I complete my course I will be able to get a well paid job and at least try to give her all the things she deserves for being not only an inspiration, but also the driving force behind my decision to take the course. Patty has done so many different things for so many people, that I thought it was about time someone did something for her. Unfortunately, at the moment Patty isn't very well, but with help of the doctor's we all hope she will recover very quickly.D When she does, I want to use my new found skills to enable us to be together, and to be able to live as happy a life as possible.
I have only been studying my course for about 10 weeks, so I have a ways to go yet, but after my initial jitters over the decision to start, I would whole heartedly recommend that anyone with the drive and ambition to get on in life, should without a doubt pick up the phone and call Skillstrain.
This course is going to change my life, completely turn it around, and I can only say a huge thank you to skillstrain for giving me this life changing opportunity.
-Steven
I've worked in IT for years I got my first job as a Heldesk Analyst way back in the heady, pre Y2K days of 1999.
I've slogged away as a desktop support tech for years, but am really looking forward to passing my CCNA at some point in 2009, so I can make the move from the dreary world of 2nd line support into the mysterious and exciting (hah!) realm of the Network Engineer.
-David
Well what I can say, now when I'm with you guys, simply few words of what May came up in future for me.
I just hope it will be better one than it is right now coz myself I'm a bit suffering a long distance from my family and friends I still have back home in Poland.
Anyways thing is they miss me and I miss them, especially family of mine but I still have few friends over there with remember me after all this time.
The worst thing is I don't think I will go back over there, coz life is better out here and now when I'm in front of great chance still struggling in absolutely new world still waiting to reveal, possibilities to came up in front of me.
well I'm just trying to take it easy and just go forward to one day be someone important, well I know it's just beginning but I just know this is only way to be ...
-Michal
This Christmas I have finally some prospect of achieving what I have always wanted. With the hard work I have put in studying with skills train I have now got 2 IT qualifications and more to follow. I have more than one interview to attend for jobs!! That to me is a wonderful Christmas gift, for ages I worried about where I would go from the position I was in. Just to have the prospect of progress and employers interested in what I can offer is a terrific feeling. Skills Train has provided me with the opportunity to better my life, and I am grateful for that. Studying and working at the same time is hard but worth it. So this Christmas I can look forward to better times ahead. Thanks to the people at Skills Train for this chance, Merry Christmas.
-Stewart
My Christmas is better this year as I am so much getting closer to being a IT technician and being able to support my son, to a more reliable parent.
-Antony
As a Skillstrain student I completed my A+ course while I was living and working in the UK. That was from 2004 to 2006. During that time I worked as a stockkeeper. I moved to my homeland, Seychelles, in December 2006 where I got a job as an IT Technician in a Cooperative Bank. I gave it my best shot and after a year I was promoted to IT Supervisor. Apart from maintaining PCs and peripherals I am also doing network administration. The LAN is designed as a Star topology and the operating system used is Windows 2003 Server. I am extremely happy with my job and all that thanks to Skillstrain. I should be getting a raise just before this Christmas.
Skillstrain, you're the best!
-Keddy
|
