Jono Gurney's journey
Why did you start the traineeship?
I started the traineeship after working as a teacher in Primary schools for 10 years. I felt undervalued by leadership and unappreciated for the hours of additional time put in. In short, I had had enough! So I decided it was time to retrain. I had always been interested in IT and this traineeship seemed the ideal way to get into working in the industry. The traineeship covers a wide range of courses which go into much greater depth than is needed for an entry-level position, helping fast progression in the industry.
What did you enjoy most?
I loved the increasing depth of courses and the increase in the level of knowledge that you gain with each subsequent course, building on previous learning. It is hard work and requires commitment and dedication, but if you’re prepared to go through the tutorial films, and put in the hours of work, then you will be rewarded with a CompTIA A+ certification and enough knowledge to fast-track your IT career. The support I received from my tutor Pierre was great, answering questions, giving advice and hints on topics, as well as resources and perhaps most importantly, giving a bit of reassurance before the exams. The recruitment process was well organised and I had great support from Jade. IT Career Switch relied on me to do applications to jobs that they sent links to or that I found myself. I was expecting more contacts/connections from IT Career Switch partner businesses to help me get a role, but that didn’t happen for me. That said, it didn’t matter as I had 3 interviews and was offered 2 jobs. Both businesses were impressed with the level of knowledge acquired during the traineeship.
What's your current role like?
I work on a Service Support Desk for an Aerospace and Defence company. I log and deal with issues customers face from basic password resets to items that require more research such as why devices are freezing or have connection issues. A section providing knowledge on ticketing systems would be one way that the course could be improved as that is a huge part of many entry-level Service Desk roles.