Northamptonshire’s ICT Technicians and Managers get a career boost

ICT technicians and managers from Northamptonshire County Council became the first in the world to take the new NVQ level 5 FITS Advanced Course that helps schools and colleges deliver better ICT to learners and make substantial savings in their ICT budgets.
Tony Sheppard, ICT Manager for Northamptonshire County Council said:
"Technology can be a powerful catalyst for fundamental change …. Together we need to ensure that we really do realise the full benefits of technology for our learners and other stakeholders in these challenging times.”
The ICT staff across Northamptonshire and now being trained in FITS to further raise ICT standards across the County.
The Framework for ICT Support (FITS) is a collection of tools and best practice that helps schools and colleges deliver reliable ICT service to learners and staff helping them to get the best results. It is an international standard and used around the world.
ICT is now critical for the operation and success of every schools. However, the quality of these ICT services varies widely. ICT is also a major area of expenditure with potentially hundreds or thousands of PCs in the larger schools.
There are 23,500 school ICT technicians and managers in the UK as well as over 25,000 teaching Assistants and ICT Coordinators who are responsible for the procurement and support of ICT in Primary schools. The FITS qualification provides this important workforce with the opportunity to develop their careers and gain nationally recognised qualifications.

Northamptonshire County Council, a long standing supporter of the FITS initiative are the first to take these new advanced examinations that provide their staff with powerful new tools to help deliver the best results for teaching and learning in the Northamptonshire area.
Steve Butler, Operations Director at the FITS Foundation said:
“Northamptonshire County Council has been an ardent supporter of FITS and their work in helping develop these new qualifications will help ICT Technicians & Network managers throughout the UK deliver better ICT services to the learners and staff within schools. “

Schools and colleges that have introduced FITS have experienced substantial benefits include:
• An average of 30% fewer support incidents.
• Similar reductions in the disruption to classes caused by faulty ICT equipment.
• 14% average savings to the schools ICT budget which is particularly important in the current environment.
This has allowed them to provide more effective support for learning and also focus on helping learners develop their ICT skills rather than fire fighting.

For further information about FITS or to enquire about courses, please visit our website
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About the FITS Foundation.
The Foundation is an independent, not for profit, organisation that promotes the professionalisation of the ICT workforce within education in the UK and internationally. It is the Foundation’s ambition to enable schools to provide effective ICT services so that schools can create a more exciting, rewarding and successful experience for learners of all ages and abilities, enabling them to achieve their potential.

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This release was published on openPR.