IT skills and support for your staff

With many options available, choosing an information technology (IT) training provider can be difficult. Before committing to a particular course or entering into a technical support contract, it can help to ask the following questions:

• How long has the supplier been established?
• What training materials and documentation are provided to attendees of the training company's courses?
• Does the training company offer any materials for evaluation purposes so that you can try them before you buy?
• Does the training company conduct a training needs analysis and offer consultancy? If so, at what rates?
• Are training costs based on the number of students or is there a set charge for a particular course?
• Is the training company prepared to provide training on-site? What facilities will be needed, eg room layout, equipment, etc?
• What are the specific costs associated with the provision of technical support, eg an annual cost or renewable subscription, a charge per PC being supported, charges based on the number of users, etc?
• What procedures are in place to escalate support calls to ensure that they progress towards a solution?
• Is the technical support supplier prepared to make on-site visits to address and rectify technical issues with your systems? If so, what are the charges associated with such services?
• What qualifications do the supplier's technicians hold? Are they fully qualified or certified by the manufacturers to support and maintain your IT hardware and software?
• Can the support company provide references for you to contact?

Get help with ICT

If you are a business located in Northern Ireland, and you need assistance with ICT issues or with assessing your business' skills requirements, you may be able to get practical advice and help from Invest Northern Ireland.