Firebrand named in Top 20 IT Training Companies of 2016 for a 7th time!

Earlier today Firebrand Training were listed in the Training Industry’s Top 20 IT Training Companies of 2016! This excellent news marks the 7th consecutive year Firebrand have been named in this prestigious list and celebrates our continued commitment to being the best.

“The 2016 Top IT Training Companies list recognises the most prominent names in IT training,” said Ken Taylor, President of the Training Industry Inc. “These companies provide some of the highest quality corporate training available, often adapting their offerings to meet the specific training needs of their customers”.

Training Companies across the world were scored against the following challenging criteria:

• Leadership and innovation in IT training 
• Breadth of IT training and delivery methods offered 
• Company size and growth potential 
• Quality and number of clients/users 
• Geographic reach 
• Awards, recognition and competitive differentiation 

“The IT training market is one of the largest and most constantly evolving segments within the training industry” said Chief Executive Officer, Doug Howard. “These organisations are the key players in this space in part because they have demonstrated the ability to innovate and respond to market needs.”

James Lapwood, the UK Marketing Manager of Firebrand Training said:

“Being named one of the Top 20 IT training companies in the world is an amazing achievement and shows Firebrand’s continued growth and commitment to high-quality, accelerated training. Winning this award for the seventh year in a row is a terrific reward for all those that have so worked hard to provide great training for all of our students.”

This is the second award Firebrand have won this year. In August, Firebrand were named Accredited Training Centre of the Year by EC-Council for a record-breaking 8th consecutive time. 

Have your say in the Contractor UK Reader Awards 2014

 By Edward Jones 

(Image Credit - Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

After winning the sixth Accredited Training Centre of the Year award from EC Council and being named in the Top 20 IT Training companies for the fifth year running, Firebrand are in the running for yet another award. This time nominated for “Best Training Provider” in the Contractor UK Reader Awards 2014.

Set up by Contractor UK, home of the UK’s IT contracting community since 1999, the eighth annual Reader Awards are an opportunity for Contractors to recognise excellence in the IT contracting community.

Have your say by casting your vote in 9 separate categories including:

• Best Recruitment Agency
• Best Contractor Accountant
• Best Umbrella Company
• Best Client
• Best Jobsite
• Best Training Provider
• Best Forum Adviser
• Forum Personality of the Year
• Most Entertaining Forum Thread

So if you think Firebrand deserve your vote for Best Training Provider in 2014, head there and vote now.

Guidance for voting:

• You can only vote once
• Ensure your nomination is spelled correctly
• All votes must be cast no later than Midnight, Friday December 19th 2014

A ContractorUK spokesman reflected: “Our Reader Awards are the only annual awards decided by the contract IT marketplace, which was even busier in 2014 than it was in 2013, so we expect voting to come down to the wire.”

Check back in January when the Winners will be announced.

Author Bio

As part of Firebrand's global marketing team, Edward actively works to serve the IT community with news, reviews and technical how to guides. Working in the Industry for almost 3 years, Edward has a wide variety of experience with Microsoft Technologies including SharePoint, Windows Server and Exchange Server. Edward is an active member of the IT community contributing to a variety of tech publications including Microsoft TechNet, Channel Pro and PC Advisor.

Find out why Firebrand has been named for the fifth year running in the Top 20 IT training companies

 By Edward Jones 

For five years running Firebrand has been recognised in the Top 20 IT Training Companies according to TrainingIndustry.com. 

Firebrand's selection for the 2014 Top 20 IT Training companies list was based on the following criteria:  

• Leadership and innovation in IT training
• Breadth of IT training and delivery methods offered
• Company size and growth potential
• Strength of clients 
• Geographic reach

Commenting on the award Firebrand UK Managing Director, Emma Seaman said:

"Winning this accolade five years in a row stands as testament to Firebrand's ongoing commitment to providing high quality accelerated learning."

Emma went on to say:

"I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers, whose support helps us continue to win awards for excellence."  

Author Bio

As part of Firebrand's global marketing team, Edward actively works to serve the IT community with news, reviews and technical how to guides. Working in the Industry for almost 3 years, Edward has a wide variety of experience with Microsoft Technologies including SharePoint, Windows Server and Exchange Server. Edward is an active member of the IT community contributing to a variety of tech publications including Microsoft TechNet, Channel Pro and PC Advisor.

How Microsoft is changing the face of IT education

By Sarah Morgan

Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, spoke at Future Decoded this week about the success and worldwide adoption of the Youthspark apprenticeship program.

Amongst talk of Microsoft’s cloud-first, mobile-first ethos, Satya also described Microsoft’s vision for the future of education.

Satya Nadella spoke about the importance of computer science being within STEM (Science, Technology, English and Maths) education.

Microsoft’s aim is to make computer science and IT education available to all. ‘The role of technology is to empower people,’ Satya states – he views IT education as something not to be restricted to the ‘elite.’

A commitment to IT education

So far Microsoft’s global apprenticeship program, YouthSpark has enabled over 6000 IT-passionate young people across the UK to find jobs as apprentices.

Through 30+ programs, Microsoft YouthSpark has created new opportunities for more than 227 million young people in over 100 countries around the world.

‘To me that’s the kind of empowerment, at large, that will transform societies and economies.’ – Satya Nadella

Announced in 2012, this company-wide initiative aims to create opportunities for 300 million youth by 2015. And with more than 75 million unemployed young people around the world, it’s definitely a worthwhile cause.  

The UK needs more digital skills

Microsoft isn’t the only company aware of this need for IT education amongst young people. There’s an undeniable lack of digitally skilled workers in the UK. In fact the UK will need another 750,000 digital-savvy workers by 2017, according to research from O2.

That’s a massive deficit but consider this:  Telefónica’s UK CEO Ronan Dunne, speaking at Future Decoded, explained how NEETS (Not in Education, Employment or Training) are actually more digitally literate than the UK’s existing workforce.

The IT-savvy professionals we need are out there, they just need programs like YouthSpark to prove that a career in IT is one worth pursuing.

Know a young person passionate about IT?

Firebrand is partnered with Microsoft as part of Get On, the UK division of the Global YouthSpark initiative.

Firebrand Apprentice, Kimberley Bolton, was the first woman to receive a Microsoft Apprentice of the Year award. Now she’s a Microsoft Apprentice ambassador and was sat on the Microsoft Apprenticeship panel at Future Decoded.

Kimberley explained how at first she was somewhat uneasy going into her IT apprenticeship but with encouragement from staff and a strong female role model, she prospered.  Kimberley previously saw her role as a ‘man’s job’ but now she’s doing it, and with incredible success.

Bring in new talent and secure the future of your business with a young apprentice or graduate from Firebrand. Boost your business and help solve the worldwide need for IT education.

About the Author:        
Sarah writes for Firebrand Training on a number of IT related topics. This includes exams, training, certification trends, project management, certification, careers advice and the industry itself. Sarah has 11 years of experience in the IT industry. 

Win free training for the rest of your life

By Edward Jones


Firebrand is re-launching its Free Training for Life competition, giving another opportunity for one lucky person to be trained for life. Following in the footsteps of last year's winner, Joseph Guthrie, the winner could gain a prize estimated to be worth more than £1 million!

Which courses are covered?

The winner will gain access to all of Firebrand's 165+ courses. We are official learning partners with leading vendors including Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA, EC-Council and (ISC)2, amongst others.

Whether you're in security looking at one of the world renowned CISSP or Certified Ethical Hacking certifications. Working as a Project Manager, looking to reinforce those skills with a PRINCE2 or PMP certification. Or maybe you're a techie working with Microsoft and Cisco technologies, looking to take CCNA or one of many MCSE certification tracks. Either way, we have a course for you.

The competition is open to anyone over the age of 16, living in the European countries where Firebrand operates: UK; DACH (Germany, Switzerland, Austria); Nordics (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland); and Benelux (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg). 

Enter by clicking the big red button below (don't worry, nothing will blow up....we think)

How to increase your chances of winning!

Once you've completed the entry form, you will be given a unique URL which you can share with your many friends and followers. Each time someone enters using your URL, you will gain an extra entry to the draw. So if 10 people enter that's 10 extra entries, if a 100 people enter, that's a 100 extra entries, and if 1000 people enter.....I think you get the picture.

So what are you waiting for, email your friends, put it on social media or maybe even put it on your blog if you have one.

The closing date for entries is Sunday 14th September 2014; and the winner will be announced at 13:00 GMT, Tuesday 30th September 2014.

For full terms and conditions, click here: www.firebrandtraining.co.uk/ftfl

Here's what last years winner had to say

So what are you waiting for?

About the Author

As part of Firebrand's global marketing team, Edward actively works to serve the IT community with news, reviews and technical how to guides. Working in the Industry for almost 3 years years, Edward has a wide variety of experience with Microsoft Technologies including SharePoint and Windows Server and Exchange Server. Edward is an active member of the IT community contributing to a variety of tech publications including Microsoft TechNet, Channel Pro and PC Advisor among others.

My morning with the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg

By Edward Jones

On Wednesday 26 February 2014 at 14:39, I received an official invite to attend a speech hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg at Southfields Academy. The speech would be followed by a 45 minute Q&A and then a careers fair attended by 500 students .

I had made it, it was now simply a matter of time before i'd be part of the inner circle, supping on tea and cakes at 10 Downing Street.  

In the real world (where i'm forced to live), I was there to listen to what the Deputy Prime Minister and his coalition government have planned to improve education, training and job opportunities for young people aged 16-24, ahead of National Apprenticeships Week. 

The killer question

As a provider of IT apprenticships, this was a fantastic opportunity for me to ask Mr Clegg a question that has been burning away at the heart of Firebrand's Apprenticeship programme. So let me frame the killer question for you:

The technology sector is currently expanding at a rapid pace, demand for skilled IT workers has outpaced supply. The EU now predict that by 2015 there will be a skills gap of 700,000 trained IT professionals. Youth unemployment stands at roughly 900,000, it looks like we have a situation to kill two birds with one stone (excuse the pun). Plug the growing IT skills gap allowing the UK economy to grow, and take a large step towards solving youth unemployment.

Unfortunately the existing national curriculum for Information Technology is simply not fit for purpose. School leavers aren't provided with the necessary skill set to enter into a specialist career in IT. IT Apprenticeships have been introduced as a fantastic solution to bridge the evident skills gap. 

Employers are matched with talented 16-24 year old school leavers, the apprentice receives training funded by the government, on the job experience and mentoring. At the end of the programme, employers have a skilled worker to fill their vacancy, and the apprentice is now on the ladder to a well paid career. 

Problem solved? Not quite, despite the growing availability of IT apprenticeships, and the opportunity for a well paid, life long career in IT, vacancies continue to receive a lack of applications. 

So here comes the killer question....

What is the government going to do to get kids interested in IT apprenticeships?

An answer to my question?

So there I find myself, a stones throw from the Deputy Prime Minister (not that I intended to throw stones, personally I like the man) currently laying out the plan for 16-24 year olds.

During the speech Mr Clegg outlined 3 key initiatives:

1. Schools will be tasked with providing better careers advice to students, whilst working to build relationships with local employers to give greater work experience opportunities. This is to be enforced by OFSTED, who have already highlighted that 80% of schools fail to give detailed and sufficient careers support.
2. A UCAS style website is to be created, providing 16-24 year olds with as much information as possible on existing apprenticeship, traineeship and college programs. 
3. Trials will soon begin at selected Jobcentre Plus locations, where 16-17 year olds will be given detailed advice from a dedicated Careers Advisors.

Unfortunately during the Q&A session I never got to ask my killer question. But upon reflection, it turns out Mr Clegg had already given me an answer during his speech. 

It's all about education

16-24 year olds need to be educated about the employment opportunities available to them. This has to start long before they leave school, at present your average 16-24 year old isn't aware that they can earn £60,000-£70,000 working in the IT sector. They don't know about all of the exciting careers where they can design and build applications, websites and games. And they are a million miles away from learning about the inner workings of a PC or how to code. 

They often have a stereotype built up in there heads that IT is only for "geeks" , when the reality is far different. It's really is up to schools and Apprentice providers like Firebrand to show them what IT is really all about.

Playing my part

Before I knew what was happening, Mr Clegg was gone and I found myself at Firebrand's stand in the careers fair. Joined by a fantastic Firebrand apprentice, Tom Davies who works for Adatis as a Junior Business Intelligence Consultant, we spent the next hour talking to Southfields Academy students about Firebrand IT Apprenticeships. 

The school itself is well respected for its provision of Careers Advice, and the kids showed genuine enthusiasm as they bustled about the stands. It was amazing to see how their attitudes shift once they find out about all of the careers available to them in IT, Flyers were snapped up, animated conversations were had, and all in all it was a fantastic event. I was surprised at how many kids expressed an interest to learn code, all with quickly imagined dreams of creating apps, making £ millions and retiring at the grand old age of 21 in some mansion in the South of France.

So there we have it, that was my morning with Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.

About the Author

As part of Firebrand's global marketing team, Edward actively works to serve the IT community with news, reviews and technical how to guides. Working in the Industry for almost 3 years years, Edward has a wide variety of experience with Microsoft Technologies including SharePoint and Windows Server and Exchange Server. Edward is an active member of the IT community contributing to a variety of tech publications including Microsoft TechNet, Channel Pro and PC Advisor among others.

Government proposes new ICT curriculum

Last month, the Department of Education announced that it is going to remove the current programmes of ICT study in schools, starting in September 2012.

It was confirmed that the subject will remain compulsory for all pupils, but more demanding IT classes can now be delivered more freely.

ICT (Junior - Academic Curriculum)

St Benedict's School

www.stbenedicts.org.uk/js-ict.php 

The plan is being welcomed with many stating that the move has been much needed. The regional VP for Hitachi Data, Stephan Ball stated that “the current curriculum, which revolves around Microsoft Office, has done more to teach people basic office skills than it has to encourage a career in technology,”

He added that “for one of the most exciting global industries (which is growing and in need of talented youngster) we should all be aiming to do much more than teach the basics".

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