British Computer Society enlists Training Synergy’s help

Delegates following the Synergy Training Accreditation (STA) Project programme are taking part in a British Computer Society (BCS) pilot to gain the BCS’s new Accredited Course for Tutors and Trainers (ACTT), which is a new and exciting tailor-made BCS Qualification intended for established tutors and trainers involved in the delivery of training. The pilot runs until July 2007, with a view to the ACTT being formally launched in September 2007.

The STA Project programme is run by the training services company Training Synergy – which has over 300 training personnel working on projects across the UK at any one time, an annual turnover in excess of £10m and is currently ranked 15th in the list of the ‘Top 50 IT training companies’, compiled by market analysts IT Skills Research.

Daniel Hanlon, of Training Synergy, which is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of freelance IT trainers, explained: "Typically, those on the STA Project programme will already have a high degree of industry-specific, usually technical, skills. The STA Project programme gives them the skills they need in order to train others to the same standards."

Although Training Synergy’s STA Project programme is already mapped against the Institute of IT Training's defined skills framework to ensure it conforms to industry accepted best practice with regard to training practice, Training Synergy is keen to also ally the programme’s standards to those of the new BCS Accreditation Course for Tutors and Trainers (ACTT).

Carol Hulm, special projects manager at the BCS, explained: "For some time, our customers have been asking us for a qualification that covers best practice amongst Training professionals.

"There are numerous ‘train the trainer’ courses currently available commercially, each with varying emphases and quality. Moreover, existing trainer qualifications seem to merely refresh a trainer’s existing skills.

"ACTT aims to provide an opportunity and system for professional trainers to channel their continuing professional development (CPD), helping them to continue to add trainer skills to their portfolio and have these skills validated through the ACTT qualification," she said.

"Devised after a detailed appraisal of all current certified training courses, feedback from existing centres and candidates, as well as having looked at the new National Occupational Standards, ACTT is a benchmark and has been designed to reflect best practice among training professionals in the delivery of training," Hulm continued.

"It focuses on providing trainers with an opportunity to demonstrate their competence and to have that competence validated independently. This qualification is the equivalent to level 4 on the current National Qualification Framework.

"The focus of the ACTT course is on flexibility, both in its format – that is, the candidates’ ability to pick and mix units of special interest and/or which closely reflecting their job role - and in its achievement via a five-day workshop followed by supported portfolio completion, provided by the ACTT accredited centre," Hulm added.

"We have an excellent relationship with Training Synergy, which is a long established BCS accredited centre for ECDL and ITQ, and has an enviable reputation for the standards of its training programmes," said Hulm. "That’s why we are really pleased that Training Synergy have agreed to take part in the ACTT pilot."

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Notes for Editors:

About ACTT

The British Computer Society (BCS) Accreditation Course for Tutors and Trainers (ACTT) is awarded by the BCS, a leading Awarding Body recognised by relevant government agencies including Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the Learning Skills Council (LSC). BCS certificates are widely recognised by industry experts, employers, colleges and universities. The BCS ACTT qualification is the equivalent to level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework.

The ACTT qualification comprises:
• Seven mandatory units for the ‘Award’ – which all candidates must complete
• A further four optional mandatory units for the ‘Certificate’ – candidates must complete two of these, either units A & C or units B & D
• Further optional units for the ‘Diploma’ – the candidate must complete three out of a possible 15 units

About Training Synergy
With over 300 training personnel working on projects across the UK at any one time and a turnover in excess of £10m, Training Synergy - part of the Synergy Group formed in 1997 and now with an annual turnover of some £40m - is one of the UK’s largest training solutions providers. Training Synergy delivers some 40,000 training days a year and has 7,000 trainers on its database.

Training Synergy provides a range of training services to support all types and size of training programme, from initial consulting right through to project-managed implementation. It also provides logistics and logistical services to support clients’ ongoing training needs.

Its clients include IBM, EDS, Getronics, Unisys, Accenture and Atos.

Training Synergy was placed 15th in this year’s list of the ‘Top 50 IT training companies’, compiled by market analysts IT Skills Research.
Further Information from:
Daniel Hanlon / David Field, Training Synergy, 0800 072 5900 or 020 7556 1140 /1141;
www.trainingsynergy.com
Carol Hulm, BCS, 07973 985810; www.bcs.org
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, 01727 860405; www.boblittlepr.com