Funding For Courses/Qualifications?

I am in my second year as a Network Manager in a high school but as yet have not been on any training or had any exams paid for by the school to keep me up to date.

 

In my previous job I had started MCSE and I have paid for my own exams to gain this qual.

 

Is it normal for schools not to provide training opportunities or is there a funding avenue I am unaware of? I know that teachers have CPD but there doesn't seem to be anything in place in my school for support staff.

 

Advice please.

right the school career devoplement budget shoud be for whole school but probably like ours not that much in it...

 

lot us have to fund it our selfs

 

may i ask approx how old you and if you work part time or full time as maybe something can apply for but need bit more detail.

 

if got a vendor specific n/w there do they offer anything you go on for example if on rm (sorry for swear word) then look into getting rm certification may not mean much but at least anothier thing on cv.

 

russ

Don't hold your breath !!!

 

 

See http://www.tes.co.uk/section/staffroom/thread.aspx?story_id=2137929&path=/ict/&threadPage=1

 

Schools have not caught up with having technicians on the establishment yet, therefore no funds for training.

 

I'm sure it will happen one day ... soon......maybe!

 

If there are any lucky souls out there then could they please ask their bosses to show us other mortals the light

Thank you, I was expecting that sort of response unfortunately. It's just in industry you are always being pushed to become qualified. I don't mind studying on my own time but it would be nice to have an exam paid for now and then.

 

I work full time in the school as the only IT Support and am 29 years young! Feel like I'm on a dating site now!?!

just to clarify all schools have to offer training for you it is required by law...

 

so the cpd budget is whole school thing... so if plenty money for teachers there is for support staff but as said often these funds are very much low so dont expect lot..

 

What suggest is there should be one person who is in charge of staff training and deveopment and it should be smt/slt/slut what ever the term is now..

 

Anyway ask them if money avliable but go in prepared if for example want to do cisco course be releastic they are bot going to pay for it all ask them to pay half have the figures in front of you ready if they ask.

maybe if going to pay for it yourself look at career devlopment loans http://www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/cdl/ yes have to pay money back but still...

 

russ

I wouldn't hold your breath. Almost everyone here has a training budget, it's just pitifully small, oftaen around £200 per annum and you ae not allowed to let it roll over year after year if you don't use it. It may as well not exist.

Hi MuppetQueen. I'm 29 as well. lol. Welcome to EduGeek.

 

First off, can you please add into your sig your school and job title for us all.

 

Secondly, I've managed to get some training durng the summer holidays to get MSCE qualification, but could not do it because I was away. I'm gonna try again next summer. The money is there, you just have to ask harder.

 

I put the idea forward that it would look good for the school to have a Microsoft Certified Network Manager here and they bought it, so try that... you never know.

I have managed to get an ICT training budget of my own of around 2.5k per annum. This does have to pay for ECDL etc. for all staff but any left overs I use for ICT staff (last year one of my techs did Microsoft Office Specialist Master Instructor for example - books and exams paid by school). If you have alot of poor ICT skills in the school (who doesn't?) then it might be an avenue to work on. We evaluate all new staff for ICT knowledge and experience and then can use this as a battering ram for a training budget - submit a report to SMT stating 'what's the point of spending £x per year on ICT resources when they are not being used effectively? Turn it around so that it appears that without having an ICT training budget, they are actually wasting money - which is very true in my experience... make it a whole-school ICT issue, not just a personal development one and then of course you'll be the first member of staff to require any training

Same here regards £200 per year per member of staff, and it is written into my job desc. as well.

 

Interesting it's required by law - any proof of that?

 

I have persuaded my school to buy in backup support for a retainer fee of £1000. I had one company where If that support wasn't used I could spend it on training from them. If anyone finds or knows of a company willing to do this please let me know!

now going to hold me to that cant remeber where i saw it but I know most leas have rule that school must offer cpd oppertunties...

 

Russ

also if belong to unison then check out http://www.unison-opencollege.org/aaa/grants.shtml and http://www.unison-opencollege.org/aaa/courses.shtml

 

russ

*attempts not to explode on this subject ....again lol*

 

Hi MuppetQueen.

 

You sound in the same situation as a lot of us on here - especially those in some of the school where they dont fully see the ICT situation in education [and just cant afford everything involving ICT in schools too lol].

 

I've been here [at this post] for 8 years [26 in just over a month lol] and have never had any real training. I have mentioned it along time ago, that MS have proper course I could do but as always, no money - blah blah....

 

The only courses i have been on is a first aid course [obvious not relevent to ict lol tho i do believe there is meant to be a fully qulified person in ICT, Caretaking, and Sports - along with the normal first aider in charge - but i could be wrong] and a php training course inside the county - both of which I asked them about.

 

Being offered training is a new one on me lol tho yes, it was in my job description no doubt.

 

Being low paid means that I cant afford to do the courses either so its a lose-lose situation with me lol

 

Lucky I'm never off the internet, forums, developing, learning, etc etc - and teachers think they do a lot of preperation work [if only they realised]

 

Regards

N.

interesting that the one who has his own budget works in a private school - I should imagine that this makes a big difference to the amount of money floating about - and also IT is probably better regarded