Improve IT skills in your business

Thu, 12 May 2011

Improve IT skills in your business

The ITQ qualification gives you the flexibility you need to provide relevant IT training for your employees, helping them to perform better in the workplace. 

The ITQ is a Level 2 qualification which is made up of two elements:

• Working through online courses that provide the skills and underpinning knowledge you need to gain your qualification.
• Passing online tests or work-based competence assessments which lead to the Level 2 qualification.

What next?

Your employees can use this NVQ work profile tool to identify

• which level NVQ is right for them
• which units provide the best match to their job

It will take them through a series of questions based on their role, and will use the answers they give to recommend the most relevant units for them, so you can be confident they are focussing on areas that will have maximum impact on your business.

For more information give us a call on 0800 101 901 or fill in the contact us form and we'll get our dedicated business team to give you all the information you need to start training your employees.

Who is the ITQ for?

This qualification is perfect if you'd like your staff to brush up on their basic IT skills.

It's also worth bearing in mind that you don't need to be in employment to gain an ITQ. If you'd like to gain the ITQ through one of our centres and not through your employer, visit our ITQ information page.

What will my staff learn?

ITQ has one core unit - Improving Productivity Using IT. This deals with the effective selection and use of IT (including hardware and software) to achieve tasks. Some additional units are:

• Word processing
• Spreadsheets
• Presentation tools
• Databases
• Using email and the internet
• Safely setting up hardware and ensuring software is compatible
• Essentials of operating IT equipment

It's  likely that an employee will take between three and five additional units to achieve ITQ level 2, depending on their current IT skills and their job requirements, but this could be less if they already have an IT qualification.

How is the ITQ structured?

There are two different routes your staff can take to gain an ITQ qualification.

The first involves taking the core unit (Improving Productivity Using IT) along with 3 other units - Spreadsheets, Presentations, and Word processing. This is also known as the 'ECDL Extra' qualification.

The second route involves taking the core unit (Improving Productivity Using IT) and using a work profile tool to help work out which other units your staff need to take, based on any previous IT qualifications or knowledge they may have.

This means you can have several staff each taking a set of different units to gain the ITQ, depending on their needs and the needs of the business.

You can also tailor units to focus on unique business-specific software to ensure improved productivity and a better return from your investment in technology. 

How is the ITQ delivered?

We deliver this ITQ through one of our centres who will discuss with you the assessment methods they offer – either using online tests or through work-based assessments.

Each employee has an initial assessment to identify any gaps in their knowledge, and which units are appropriate for them. Work-based learning and previous experience or qualifications can be taken into account.

The qualification is awarded when learners pass all the online tests required in the qualification or when evidence of competence in the workplace has been successfully collected and assessed. 

Is there funding available for this qualification?

To be able to give you advice about funding, we'll need to know a bit more about your business. To talk to us, just call 0800 101 901 or fill in the contact us form.