What is ITQ?

ITQ is a new, unique, flexible training and qualification programme.

No two organisations are the same. The way they use IT is different, the IT skills of each employee are different. ITQ for IT Users will ensure that employers get the right person for the right job by equipping individuals with relevant and effective IT user skills.

The e-skills Passport IT skills management system identifies any skills gaps and targets training. It is a new, highly effective web-based tool designed to help employers reap better rewards from their investments in IT.

It records progress towards ITQ, achievement of qualifications and enables all training to be measured, uniquely providing tangible proof of progress and training value.

Together, ITQ and the e-skills Passport will ensure that businesses have the right IT user skills to meet the challenges of the future.

ITQ is a national recognised qualification that gives you a bridge to new opportunities at work, maybe even promotion or a new job. The qualification is set to meet their standards at work, but it allows you to choose what new skills you learn and how you will learn them. It also allows you to include your existing IT skills, at any level, in the assessment.

ITQ provides you with a valuable qualification in IT user skills that has been designed by employers for recruitment purposes as well as for their workforce development.
Improved IT user skills will enable you to work more efficiently and develop the opportunities to apply IT effectively in your job.

You begin by testing yourself using a simple ‘can-do’ set of questions, through the  e-skills Passport, specially designed to find out what level of knowledge and skills you have already as an IT User and to select what new knowledge and skills you would like to learn. There are 14 Skill Areas for you to consider. These levels of knowledge and skill relate to the levels of the national ITQ award. The e-skills passport provides an electronic record, which you can print or email, showing what level of ITQ best fits your requirements and also how much work you still have to do. Your own ITQ will include combinations of skills and may be at different levels of difficulty, such as advanced web design and word processing with intermediate internet use, or any combination of skills at whatever level meets your needs.
The ITQ is a national qualification awarded through Private Training Providers such as eyeCiTy eCademy and Colleges, or delivered in-house by your employer. They offer a range of teaching and learning styles, including e-learning. You can also include in your ITQ well known qualifications such as European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) or Microsoft Office Specialist.

Am I eligible?

You will be eligible to join the programme if-

• You are a resident of UK
• You are a EU resident with right to stay and work in UK
• You are unemployed and claiming job seeker’s allowance
• You are employed less than 16 hrs a week and claiming job seeker’s allowance
• You are unemployed and not claiming job seeker’s allowance or other benefits from the government and can certify your unemployment
• You are unemployed and receiving job seeker’s allowance or other benefits from the government under the old scheme
• You are in the following age group:
  
  • Female: 19 - 59 years
  • Male: 19 - 64 years

To confirm your eligibility we would require the following evidences from you at the initial stage of your enrolment into the programme-

• Certification that you are unemployed at the start of the support
• You are subject to a statutory redundancy notice (date of redundancy)
• Details of other public funding or private sector funding
• Details of the qualification passed, including grade/level, start date and end date
• Certification that person did not previously hold a Level 2 or equivalent qualification
• Birth Certificate or Passport
• Letter to confirm you are receiving job seeker’s allowance or any other benefit from the government

• Check your current IT user skills level against national standards.
• Identify the gap between your current skills and the skills you want to have, whether for a new job, more responsibility, or because you want to develop your skills.
• Be signposted to clear ‘chunks’ of learning that fits your requirements, giving you options to discuss with your training provider.

For further details visit : www.e-skillspassport.com