If it weren't for a continuous flood of well educated PC and network support staff, business in the UK (along with most other places) would surely be brought to its knees. Consequently, there's an ever growing requirement for technicians to support both users and the systems they work with. With the increasingly complex nature of technology, many more competent professionals are required to specialise in the many areas we need to be sure will work effectively.

People attracted to this sort of work are usually quite practically-minded, and don't always take well to classrooms, and slogging through piles of books. If you're thinking this sounds like you, go for more modern interactive training, where learning is video-based. Years of research and study has repeatedly shown that becoming involved with our studies, to utilise all our senses, is much more conducive to long-term memory.

Interactive full motion video featuring instructor demo's and practice lab's will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And they're far more fun. Make sure to obtain a demonstration of the study materials from the training company. You'll want to see instructor videos, demonstrations, slide-shows and fully interactive skills-lab's.

Plump for CD or DVD ROM based materials whenever you can. This then avoids all the potential pitfalls with broadband 'downtime' or slow-speeds.

Don't put too much store, as can often be the case, on the training course itself. Training is not an end in itself; you're training to become commercially employable. Focus on the end-goal. It's a sad testimony to the sales skills of many companies, but a great many students kick-off study that often sounds great in the prospectus, but which provides the end-result of a job that is of no interest. Speak to a selection of college leavers to see what we mean.

Stay tuned-in to where you want to go, and build your study action-plan from that - don't do it the other way round. Stay on target and study for something that will keep you happy for many years. Seek help from a skilled professional who understands the sector you wish to join, and will be able to provide 'A day in the life of' synopsis of what you'll actually be doing on a day-to-day basis. It's sensible to ensure you're on the right track before the training program is started. There's really no point in beginning your training only to find you've taken the wrong route.