What is your annual training budget?

[NeoPlosive]

I managed to run up a nice little figure near £2k on training and expenses last year.

I want more training this year!!! Don't know on what yet

[Jiser]

It seems half do half don't. I never had anything.

End of the day all you can do is ask and if you don't like go join somewhere which will give you training or self study.

Personally I don't think it would be much to ask for the fees for books/cds and learning materials. 30-50 quid maybe once/twice a year?

[wagnerk]

At our place there a central training budget for all staff (teaching & support), however every year as part of the IT budget I always put £1k per person (currently there is 2 of us). Majority of the time, it goes to pay for some of the following:

1. books
2. CBT's
3. practice exams
4. exams
5. courses

Not all mind you, we still pay for a few things out of our own pocket. Some of it goes to pay for training that we have to go on, eg Sims, safety awareness, child awareness, etc...

However I do realise that sometimes the budget has to be re-done mid way and funds are then re-allocated to more urgent areas...

-Ken

[Richard_Finnigan]

Well that goes to show how many SMTs are totally out of touch with the needs of their IT workers.

It doesnt surprise me though.

[bandgeekmafia78]

I only go on training courses because they look good on your CV.

[Bigape]

IT courses are right out, but I did manage to get on a ladder safety course earlier this year.

[CAM]

I think it is 20 quid. Might be 10, not sure which is correct.

Luckily the LEA run some amazing freebie courses for their helpdesk subscribers.

[dhicks]

I think it is 20 quid. Might be 10

I managed to get £7.50 for a book on genetic algorithms.

--
David Hicks

[RoboticGimp]

Hello all,

New to the forum, but not to Education and ICT!

I have held my current position for 5 years now, in charge of ICT Support in a 750 pupil school. When i first started it was all "Yes, we'll send you on training." which they did, one day in Milton Keynes on how to administer the SIMS school database. Whoopy-do.

Now i can only go on "FREE" courses or conferences where i am allowed to reclaim my travelling, god forbid getting a proper course!

For instance, we are rolling out Virtual Server this summer, and who has had to self learn it! Me! Because it would cost too much to get proper training.

One good sign is that we are having a new Head soon, and talking to him he is a big believer in staff development, we don't even do progress or department reviews here!

Anyway, thats my rant. Although, one more - teachers, when they have training, not only get it heavily subsidised, they can also gain more points for their salary AND they will get cover for the day at a cost of anything from £150+ which is way not fair on any support staff who cannot even get their foot through a training door!!

Cheers!

[OverWorked]

Having just been turned down for a week's training to upgrade MCSA to Server 2008 MCTS, at a cost of £835, I'm not feeling good about this.

Our school is seriously skint, and if the dep head had the money, I'm sure he'd have let me go.

The thing is that training for Server 2008 as one of my targets on my annual review last month, as was upgrading to Server 2008 to use terminal services, all part of my plan to save the school loads of money in the long term.

[NateDoggUK]

I work for a contractor that services a good 20-30 schools. I have never been offered a thing and others I know in the company have asked and been told "no".

My employer sees it as an easier task to just replace you with another, younger, more malleable employee who very simply just wants the money and doesn't care.

You'd imagine that if you're visiting anything between 4 and 8 schools a week you'd be given something?

[kimberley]

Ask every year about training!!! Last year paid for my own MS courses but struggling to pass 70-290, on my own with 3 servers, 60 odd PC's and laptops god know how many printers - Good fun though

[nikaso]

I've only ever been allowed to go on free training courses, there has been talk of sending me on various courses, photography for example, but when the price comes back its quietly forgotten about.

[Arthur]

I get books and to go to BETT.

Same here, except I have to buy all the books myself.

Although, one more - teachers, when they have training, not only get it heavily subsidised, they can also gain more points for their salary AND they will get cover for the day at a cost of anything from £150+ which is way not fair on any support staff who cannot even get their foot through a training door!

I know how you feel. The same thing happens at my school. Teachers have no problems going on £1,000+ courses, but support staff get absolutely no training whatsoever. It's really frustrating.

[pwds]

Working in two schools and supporting three more I've never even been allowed time off for self-funded training, much less money or materials. Bett was on a Saturday. Leaving education I got books paid for within weeks and promise of help with exams. Am even contemplating going back to University part time now.

All this on the back of a "massive training budget reduction" at my new place of work.