SkillsTrain Reviews from Students

I have begun contract work for a variety of NGO's and Charities as a web developer, and am negotiating with several other clients for contracts to produce websites and support.

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I feel I have achieved a lot as it is many years since I have studied for anything. I have children, one of them autistic, and find it hard to make time to study, but have tried extra hard.

I am only at the start of my course and just submitted my 4th TMA, but am very proud of my marks for the first 3..90%, 95% and 100% for my last one. This might not seem like a big achievment to many, but to me it is a lot!

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First and foremost, I have to say how fantastic am enjoying this training and the help I am receiving from my tutor team.

I started this training with full knowledge of basic office computing, in the shape of computer skills required to carry out administrative work. I went into this training with an open mind, and what I have learnt in this short period of time is amazing. I can now configure my system to the web browser of my choice, I can check and set my browser cache, size of my system memory, set up anti spam etc. These I did not have any clue as to how they were done before. I have also learnt how to instal FTP client that I like and also how to use MIME type to open an item that has been download and could not open otherwise.

I have also learnt the basic skills needed to manage a project. I am training to become Web Site Design manager, but Skills Train is not just focusing on that, they have introduced me to variety of topics which has increased my understanding of the computer and its working system.

If I have to state my progress so far on this training, I could spend all day and night writing. However, little said, I am ever so happy to have chosen Skills Train for my training. The teachers and the system is unblieveable.

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I have just completed CIW Section 2 - Part B: Perl , for me this was quite an achievement. I found this topic particularly difficult to understand and heaved a sigh of relief when I had completed what I thought was the final TMA but, then I received 11A and B through the post! I took one look at the questions and thought 'where do I begin'? My tutor provided excellent support throughout and I have gained a greater understanding of Perl. I feel very confident in what I am doing now. What a great feeling it is to see the code run and produce results. Thanks!

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Just after starting the course I changed jobs from car salesman to web design salesman to gain more knowledge and experience. The company I worked for was only interested in cold calling and money coming into the business so I did not learn (or earn!) as much as I wanted. This made me completely disheartened and I was not able to maintain momentum with my course work, which left a gap of several months.
I moved to a different company (in I.T.) and I was requested to review the company's website due to the fact I mentioned I was doing the CiW web design course! I read back through course and researched some web design companies. Using the CiW knowledge I had gained I was able to see what made a good or bad website during my research. I made a presentation of all my findings to the Managing Director, who promptly stopped using the current designers and took on a new company that I had recommended. The new site is currently being built.

I am now back on track with my course and enjoying it thoroughly!!

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Before I decided to take on a course with Skillstrain, I had left university because my partner needed fulltime care due to memory loss from cancer treatment, I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life. Then I seen an advertisement for skillstrain and I arranged for an interview and skillstrain were very helpful knowing that I could train from home is a really big help and allows me to persue a career whilst still been able to care for my partner.

I have found the course very usful in my day to day life, I have been able to help my friends and family with there computers if things go wrong with the system.

I am enjoying the course and learning something new and exciting everyday, this is something that I thought I wouldn't be able to do again for a long time.
Thanks to this course and Skillstrain I have gained my independance back and have a future career to look forward to.

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I am trying do as much as I can to achieve my course and get certificate despite working full-time including bank holidays and weekend as that is the requirement of my job. The course which I doing is not that easy especially when English is my second language. I try not to give up despite "weak days" which are really hard for me :) I would like to wish all students all the best in achieving qualifications and lots luck in career.

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I am a serving police officer in England and I have just recently passed my 2 year probationary period successfully. During this time I have worked towards an NVQ levels 3 and 4 in Policing skills whilst enrolling and starting on my CIW website design managers course. This has been a struggle with all of the studies and long shift hours that I have had to work but I have enjoyed every part of this challenging process.

I have recently completed my 5th TMA and I am proud to have finished my first section file in my chosen subject. All of my results have been above 90% and I feel that this is due to putting in a lot of effort and the great way in which this course is structured. Although I have only been in my current role for 2 years I love the challenge of bettering myself and intend to start my own web-design business once I have completed my course.

I would recommend starting out on a course with Skills Train no matter what your current role is as there is so much to learn and the courses are structured to suit each individual.

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In the last month, my medical condition (total renal failure, requiring haemodialysis) has been giving me a lot more trouble than usual, leaving me feeling drained and nauseous after my treatments three times a week. I have also recently got a part-time job to try to make ends meet, which is also taking my a fair amout of my time and effort, but I'm still finding time to study and my TMA results haven't suffered for it.

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Last year I moved to china with my girlfriend. China was an amazing place, and I married my girlfriend there, but things did not work out, so we came back to the uk. We had no choice but to move into my mum and dads house, where we stayed in the front room. I was not working and my wife was really finding it hard. Things were getting me down because when I thought about the future, I really did not see me going anywhere. I saw the skills train advert and decided to give it a go. I must admit that I am finding it hard because I am studying, working, and trying to find a place to live with my wife. But things are looking bright now, and I know that if I put in the effort, and stay positive, then I can turn my life around and have a good life and a career. All I can say to people is don't give up, and always stay positive. If you do, then things will always come together in the end.

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This has been a great month for me. I've managed to finish off the coursework for Section 1 of my course, and have been flying through Section 2 (Javascript). At the same time, I have been asked to design a website for a friend, and have been invited to quote for a paying job for a national charity. I was very pleased with the quote I submitted. I know I wouldn't have had the information or the confidence to put together a quote like that before I started training with Skillstrain. I won't know if I've got the contract until after the 4th August, but I'm confident I've given a good account of myself. If I do get the contract, I'll have earned two thirds of my course fees back on one job! If I don't, I'll have gained good experience of quoting to a customer's brief and planning a project. I'm liking July!

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I have been on the skills train since June of last year. I was excited to give the new change of direction a go as I have been an Art teacher in secondary schools for 27 years and was keen to either change professions or enhance my quality of Art teaching, especially through ICT.

Through circumstances I was between jobs in East Yorkshire and the course was a motivation. Anyhow for some inexplicable reason I decided to apply for a teaching job on the small Channel Island of Alderney - 2,400 population - the school is unique and as you can imagine going from class sizes of 30 to a max of around 12 was fantastic. It is also a whole school education from reception class aged 4 up to GCSE aged 16. We are the only school on the island I really feel part of the community. Also as well as Art I have to teach ICT (a subject I have never taught before) but am gaining confidence in through your course.

From January 07 to May07 I was totally enveloped in my job, and as you can imagine the course took a back seat. I was by myself on the island in a rented property but was looking forward to June when my wife would join me, also the thrill of buying and moving into our new house.

Then WHAM!!!! out of the blue in May I was diagnosed with bowel cancer!!!! Total shock, never had any idea. What a time to find out- new job, new life, new house, by myself on the island.

Anyhow things swung into motion quickly and through numerous flights to Guernsey ( we are in the Bailliwick of Guernsey) and scans in London, Jersey and Southampton I am now on full treatment.

Of course they do not have the facilities on our small lovely island so I am now in Southampton undergoing Chemo and radiotherapy for 6 weeks prior to an operation on Guernsey ( I hope).

Here is the irony - I had to be in England July 29th for 1st treatment - my wife had to be in Alderney July 30th to set up our new home and see to move etc -- so more months apart.

OK so finally why am I telling you this?
Well I am now totally studying the web site manager course again - it motivated me when I was unemployed and now it is motivating me again as I go through this treatment. I find it hard going but the discipline it brings to my life and the skills I am gaining make me all the more positive about my future. Hopefully I will do well in any exams but the act of studying and taking what I need from the course is more important. It would be so easy to give up, but then whoever achieved anything by stopping when the going gets tough. Thanks again for providing a structured focus to my days.

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Another interesting LIT session. Well done team :)

Although related to the A+ course, this sessions contained information that maybe some would not consider. As daft as this sounds, when I did my apprenticeship in dental technology for the University of Liverpool, my colleagues and I would often amuse our more boring moments by watching the academic geniuses with little common sense trying to cross a busy road. Yes I know, this sounds mean, but it was funny and never failed to give us a chuckle. So therefore, adding common sense for safety into a "learnable application" has to be a master stroke. Good stuff :)

That isn't to say I am full of common sense (I wish), and I did learn a few things at this session.

Once again a huge thank you to the tutors for providing this opportunity, and for being at the office long after the cleaners have emptied the bins and had a few pints at the local. Respect guys.

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Since starting this course, I have recognised how useful the knowledge is to my current employment. Because I have been studying at work my colleagues have been interested in what I am doing, so I explain to them and I actually been invited to sit with the Networking Team to see how they operated and conduct Web material.

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Hi.
I have been studying with CIW for a while now and when I started I was in a very difficult situation, personal and financial,and I decided to change my life. I did not have any work then. I did not know much about computers and I dreaded the first few assignments and thought I would not manage, but after a while it all became clearer and clearer to me.
After a few months I got a job, and another job, so I ended working 10-12 hours a day to get out of debts that I had. Obviously, I had less time for myself and studying but I decided to carry on as I really fell in love with this type of "computing"...
My average percentage of achievement so far is: 94%.
I am a teacher and have been encouraging my students to use the internet and helped them how to use a PC. As it happens the college I work for has set up an online studying facilities recently and I was one of the two teachers how could actually work with it , so therefore I ended up teaching my fellow teachers how to use this online teaching programme. Naturally, I promoted and advertised CIW in my college.
I am determined to continue and finish this course and obviously find the job as a web designer because I know now this will give me a lot of satisfaction. Thanks to CIW the computing and internet world has become "possible" and logical to me.

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I thought I would enter for student of the month because I have seen a major improvement in my assignments and hit the 100% mark for most of the e-commerce part A. Last week I entered the public exams for the CIW foundation v5 and passed which I find is a big step forward and I can now see the end of the tunnel. Im now almost ready for the next exam which would be the CIW e-commerce, just need to complete the Part B of the course. I seem to be getting on quite well during the summer months even though I am looking after our 2 year daughter and trying to keep her amused. Most of the studying is in the late afternoon/evening, it has taken 6 months so far to get where I am. I think the foudations course was the larger of the course's that I am taking, it's also difficult as you know bits and pieces of stuff already only to find that you didn't know it that well at all. Just waiting for my certificate to come through door now. Hopefully not long till I can start employment and get job satisfaction

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I have very quickly realised that being a graduate is simply not enough to get a good job and earn an agreeable salary. I have registered my CV with many agencies with little to no response. I recently upgraded my CV and added that I was pursuing a course in E-Commerce and Project management and I am now being called for interviews. The last interview I went to was for a job as Office Assistant, and the interviewer said "are you sure that's what you want to do? You seem to be overqualified for this job" needless to say I did not get the job because he thought I could do so much better than just being an Office Assistant. I have never been told this before and I am certain That this course has made a whole lot of difference to my CV. Thanks to Skills Train I am several steps closer to getting my dream job. The Course is a challenge but then nothing this good comes easy, giving up is not an option for me now, because the future looks a bit more certain, once I have completed my course. thanks again Skills Train!!

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The Live Internet Training lessons are really good and helpful, thanks.

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The Live Internet Training was a fabulous presentation, it was cool and very interesting. It really enlightened and exposed me to safety clues and precautionary measures to take when dealing with fire, electrical apliances etc . Thanks for the coaching. I love it.

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The Live Internet Training was very helpful and useful information. I enjoyed the training and looking forward to the next one.

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I initially registered for the CIW Website Design Manager course in 2003 but was unable to follow it through due to other commitments at the time. Having completed my Association of Chartered Accountants (ACCA) training, I decided to carry on with the course this year in June and I am enjoying every bit of it. Coupled with my MBA studies I feel the sky is the limit for me and would encourage those having second thought to go for it. I have just submitted my TMA03 and its all great for me and can't wait for the next TMA.
The material is next to none and I know there's someone out there to give me a hand when I get stuck, what more can I possibly ask for?

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The Live Training was really good, it was interactive and went over many things I had learnt in past lessons. Definitely worthwhile, I will be taking others.

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