ICT Technician – Apprenticeship, Rutland

[gaz350]

ICT Technician – Apprenticeship
Fixed term appointment for one year in the first instance
To commence November 2009

Salary will be between £6,890 and £9,322pa,

This post is to support and maintain hardware and software and help teachers to use ICT in the classroom. You will undertake a formal Level 1 Apprenticeship qualification.
Hours are 37 per week, worked Monday to Friday

For an application form and job description please contact the college on 01572 722286 or visit Catmose College : vacancies for more information about the post and the college.

[Jiser]

Yey just above 3.50 an hour. Still I bet it has loads of applications.

[IanT]

9K!

[gaz350]

normal apprenticeship wage is £95 a week or about 4.5kpa so its not that bad!

[Jiser]

Do it on the cheap, easy labour to do the rubbish jobs - like toner changes and imaging.

Pay peanuts and you get monkeys.

[dwhyte85]

I disagree with pay peanuts and get monkeys, we all start somewhere! Probably better in someways to learn whilst working, i hated learning at uni and never putting to a real world situation. If the apprentice is 16 and sticks at it for 5/6 years higher education/uni length they're going to be in a great position compared to a grad - by then hopefully gaining some professional accreditations along the way.

[Jiser]

I disagree with pay peanuts and get monkeys, we all start somewhere! Probably better in someways to learn whilst working, i hated learning at uni and never putting to a real world situation. If the apprentice is 16 and sticks at it for 5/6 years higher education/uni length they're going to be in a great position compared to a grad - by then hopefully gaining some professional accreditations along the way.

Perhaps. Still get a monkey though. Degree is for life and there are nice grad schemes about which pay hell of alot and have defined career structure.

I agree with the apprenticeship scheme g0ood idea. Should include professional I.T. quals training with it though.

[theeldergeek]

Perhaps. Still get a monkey though

Why will they?

Surely they'll get a youngster keen to learn and progress into a fully fledged IT career? We all know how hard it is to get into an IT position when all you've done (albeit brilliantly) is fix the neighborhoods computers.

This job might be poorly paid, but hopefully, it will only attract those for whom it is a genuine interest and be a step on the ladder.

FWIW, I used to co-manage one of the largest UK based help desks (European wide) and none of the technical support staff (of which there were 18) were degree qualified, all had what I would call 'core' field work or previous tech 'sport jobs. I had degree applicants when filling the vacancies, but you cannot substitute raw experience with paper say-so, so no degree applicant was employed. In fact, from memory, I seem to recall they were all a waste of space.

Just my opinion (and perhaps experience) on this matter, but that's not to say all degree grads can be tarred with the same brush, I'm sure some excel in their chosen fields.

[GrumbleDook]

Perhaps. Still get a monkey though. Degree is for life and there are nice grad schemes about which pay hell of alot and have defined career structure.

I agree with the apprenticeship scheme g0ood idea. Should include professional I.T. quals training with it though.

'Tis a level 1 apprenticeship ... it is a good starting point and the apprentice can pick up a heck of a lot very quickly ... often meaning that when they get onto the formal quals they are ahead of the game and pick things up very quickly.

It is also a good way of them picking up life skills too ... learning how to manage their time, work in a team, follow instructions and then develop ideas of their own.

Best of luck to them.

[FN-GM]

£3.50 an hour, isnt that below minimum wadge?

Anyway, i thought it was agreed we wouldn't discuss poor pay like this?

[Boon72]

as an apprenticeship it seems to get exempt from the minimum wage

[dwhyte85]

When I took mine at VW to become a mechanic we were paid nearly the same, all my training was paid for and all travel to and from the college in Bristol from Heathrow, they looked after me very well as they wanted to keep me... unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Apprenticeships are a great thing if done correctly, as long as the apprentice has access to learning they will have something to boost them if they decide to leave and if they decide to stay hopefully more access to development.

As for grads vs experience... I graduated with many people who could do very little on a computer, turned up to few lectures & practicals and came out with 2:1s and 1st class degrees - it's amazing how many people turn up at graduation you've never seen before on your exact same course.

Looking back if i had access to an IT based apprenticeship i'd have jumped at it! I've worked with guys who were very intelligent leaving school at 16 who are now in far better paying positions than myself and i'm not ashamed to admit with far more knowledge in certain areas & i've worked with grads from top 30 unis who can't do simple tasks like change a toner with direction... but that's going OT.


Best of luck to whoever applies for the job, good starting point.

[wagnerk]

Not a bad wage for an apprentice, considering that you can go up to a NVQ 4* on an apprenticeship (which is comparable to a degree, not to be confused with a level 4 qual on the NQF, as the NVQ is based on the old framework so covers levels 4-6 on the new framework).

To earn a degree level qualification and not be in debt of £kkk's of pounds, is a very good idea imo.

-Ken

*dependant on your training provider (the one we use goes up to NVQ 4 in IT)

[Nausey]

Don't mean to be stirring trouble up but I got more than that when I was working at a retail store and being an ICT tech is a lot more stressful. Ah well.

[f21970]

I would imaging this would be a good option for a young person rather than doing a level 1 at college and getting £30 EMA for it. There aren't enough apprenticeships around, so don't cast apersions!!