Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, we do provide courses suitable for beginners. However, Firebrand's accelerated courses aren't easy and it's essential that you are interested and actively pursuing a career in IT.

Choose from a range of beginner level courses that'll help you kick-start your career across any area of IT. If you're looking to start your career in networking, CompTIA's A+N+ and Cisco's CCENT are the entry-level networking certifications you need.

Or, start working with Microsoft technology by achieving your Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) certifications, which will teach you the fundamentals of IT and validate the core knowledge you need to propel your career further with MCSA and MCSE certifications.

AXELOS' PRINCE2 2017 – the most widely used project management methodology in the world is another popular certification which requires no prerequisite knowledge.

Checking for your suitability

To check for your suitability on a course, navigate to the 'Prerequisite' tab on your chosen course page. If you're concerned that you do not meet the prerequisites, give us a call on 080 80 800 888 and speak to one of our enrolment consultants, who will help you determine whether that particular course is suitable for you.

Apprenticeships

In the UK, we offer entry-level accelerated apprenticeship programmes, which take between 12-24 months to complete. To apply for a programme you need to have:

• Advanced (Level 3) Apprenticeships: At least five GCSEs (or equivalent) graded A*-C (or 4-9) including Maths and English
• Higher (Level 4) Apprenticeships: Ideally, you will have either a minimum of two A levels (or equivalent) a Level 3 Apprenticeship qualification or Level 3 BTEC

If you have any questions on your suitability for an accelerated apprenticeship programme please contact us on 080 80 800 888.

No – while many of our students do value the comprehensive exam preparation provided by accelerated training, Firebrand’s courses are not “exam crams.” This is your fastest way to learn and accelerated training is not solely focused on exam passing.

Train with Firebrand and you’ll learn more. A day with a traditional training provider will generally run from 9am – 5pm, with a long break for lunch. With Firebrand, you’ll get at least 12 hours of quality training every day you’re with us. That means you’ll get the maximum amount of knowledge, with the minimum time out of the office (and fewer weekends studying instead of spending time with from family and friends).

When you sit an accelerated course with Firebrand, you’ll train using Firebrand’s Lecture | Lab| Review technique. The way your training is delivered will vary to ensure that all learning styles are addressed: Visual (lecture sessions with white boarding and discussion); Tactile (hands-on lab sessions); Auditory (review sessions).

Firebrand’s accelerated courses also include additional material, built to provide you with knowledge and skills not taught through official curriculum. This value-add content builds on material provided by certification vendors and is exclusive to Firebrand.

Accelerated training is not an “exam cram”. You’ll learn first-hand from real-world instructors and will have the opportunity throughout the course to pose questions. You’ll also get unlimited access to 24-hour labs – crucial for achieving hands-on certifications like the Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching.

Your course is also an opportunity to meet professionals working in your industry, share your knowledge, network and learn from like-minded people.

Our high level of student satisfaction attests to the quality of accelerated training – passing the exam is a priority, but is not our only focus. Firebrand is proud to go above-and-beyond, providing students with the best environment for learning and certifying fast. Firebrand has been named in Training Industry’s “Top 20 IT Training Companies of the Year” every year since 2010 and has trained over 65,000 professionals.

Whether passing the exam is a high or low priority for you, accelerated courses include a Certification Guarantee. If you don’t pass first time, return again and train for free (you’ll only pay for accommodation and incidental costs). 

Most Firebrand courses include all the exams you need to get your certification. You'll sit these exam(s) during your course because we're an official test centre and training centre.

In the unlikely event that you don't pass your exam first time, the Firebrand Certification Guarantee means you can train again for free if you don't pass.

You can sit the same course as many times as required for 12 months, paying only for exam fees, accommodation and incidental costs. Our Certification Guarantee applies for both our residential and online instructor-led (OIL) courses.

Think of your Certification Guarantee like a guarantee on a new washing machine. The manufacturer cannot guarantee that the washing machine won't stop working - but they can guarantee to fix it or get you a replacement if it does.

We're confident that during your accelerated course at our distraction-free training centre, we'll give you everything you need to know in order to pass the exams.

As well as learning at twice the speed - thanks to our unique Lecture, Lab, Review technique - you'll take practice tests that'll prepare you for the exam. You'll also have 24/7 lab access and up to 12 hours a day with your instructor, meaning that you'll get the answers to any questions you have, anytime.

Although our centre is set up for you to take your exams when the knowledge is fresh, you don't need to take the exam with us. If you prefer to take the exam voucher with you, and sit the exam at your own convenience, the Certification Guarantee still applies.

Full details of the Firebrand Certification Guarantee can be found in Section 8 of Firebrand's Terms and Conditions.

You’ll only ever pay one fee for your accelerated Firebrand course. As you’d expect, every course is packed with accelerated training – but what else is included?

Accommodation

All accommodation costs are included in the course price and you’ll live just steps from Firebrand’s purpose-built training centre.

By staying with us, you’ll eliminate everyday distractions and cut the time spent commuting to a distant classroom. You’ll be completely immersed in gaining new skills, certifications and knowledge.

Full instructor-led program

Every Firebrand course is a classroom-based and instructor-led programme. Your instructor will utilise Firebrand’s Lecture | Lab | Review technique to ensure every type of learner is able to study effectively.

Exams

Unless otherwise specified, every Firebrand course will include the relevant certification exams. You’ll learn fast and take your exams just steps from your classroom, while your knowledge is still fresh.

If Firebrand is unable to deliver the exams at our local testing centre, you’ll receive examination vouchers and guidance on how to book your exam once your course finishes.

Certification Guarantee

We’re confident you’ll pass your exam first time. But if not, you can return within a year and only pay for accommodation and exams.

That’s your Certification Guarantee. Courseware, study materials and self-testing software

Your Firebrand course includes comprehensive study materials, programme courseware and exam testing software from MeasureUp.

With Firebrand, you won’t need to waste time sifting through outdated or unofficial course material. Firebrand will provide you with exactly what you need to learn fast and pass your exam.

24/7 Lab Access

If you’re not ready to call it a night, even after 12 hours of training, you’ll able to continue studying with 24/7 lab and classroom access.
During your induction you’ll receive a key card, giving you the freedom to enter and exit the training centre as you please – even outside of training hours.

All meals, snacks and beverages

Your meals, snacks and beverages are included free of charge - you can’t be expected to learn fast on an empty stomach!

You’ll receive a varied buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout your training day. Plus, you’ll be able to grab snacks and beverages (like tea or coffee) at any time.

You can find previous, ongoing and upcoming course dates on every course page on our website. From ISC2 CISSP to AXELOS PRINCE2®, you can choose your preferred dates for every accelerated course.

To find the dates, select the “When” tab on any course page. This page will also give you the option to book your course.

As well as course dates, all course pages will provide you with an overview of the training, what’s included in the course, the curriculum and course reviews from Firebrand’s students.

Traditional training providers usually run their courses from 9am to 5pm. At Firebrand Training we maximise the number of learning hours to minimise the number of training days, so you’ll be back to your job as quickly as possible. You don’t waste time travelling to several courses and finding an exam centre after that.

With up to 12 training hours a day, seven days a week you are able to finish the course up to 50% faster than traditional training. Meaning you'll be able to use your new skills earlier, with the minimum time out of the office. Most of our courses also include the exam at the end of the course, so you’ll leave the course with your official certification and don’t need to organise anything on your own.

12 hours a day can seem a very long time. To make sure that you get the maximum amount of knowledge and stay engaged, we use our unique Lecture | Lab | Review technique, which combines visual, auditory and tactile styles to deliver material. We combine both theoretical and practical tasks to accelerate your learning and provide you with hands-on experience you’ll need to apply your skills to the real-world.

By including lots of practical parts we allow you to practice the skills you just learned. Additional to that, our instructors use lots of real-world examples and demonstrations. Review sessions make it easier to retain the knowledge and solve any open questions you might have.

Your experienced instructor will be there for you all day, not just for a few hours as in traditional courses. You’ll have 24 hours access to labs and classrooms, so you can study after the official part of the course as long as you wish to. We use own training centres to provide a distraction-free environment. You’ll learn, eat and sleep in our centres and won’t get distracted by anything outside of your training.

Yes, if you don’t feel ready to sit the exam, you have a variety of rescheduling options available to you:

• You can sit your exam later in the course - some of our longer courses have multiple exams sessions built into the course plan. It is possible for you to defer sitting your exam in an alternative session, later in the course.
• You can sit the exam after the course at the Firebrand Training Centre - if you would prefer not to sit the exam during the course, we can arrange with the Firebrand Customer Services team for you to return to the Firebrand Training Centre at a later date to sit the exam. 
• You can sit the exam after the course at an alternative testing centre - if you wish to sit your at an alternative venue after the course finishes, we can provide you with your examination voucher and guidance of how to book at alternative exam centres.

It is important to note, if you have already scheduled to sit your exam and then choose to rearrange it, you may be subject to a rescheduling fee from the exam provider.

Our course lesson plans are built with review and exam prep sessions so that you have the knowledge and confidence to sit the exam. A number of courses also integrate exam practice papers to help simulate a real life exam environment to further prepare you.

Don’t forget, we also have a Certification Guarantee. We’re confident that you’ll pass the exam. If you don’t, you can come back and train as many times as you like in the next 12 months. You’ll only need to pay for food, accommodation and incidental costs.

If you would like to get in contact with the Firebrand team to discuss exam scheduling options, call us on 080 80 800 888 or email us to find out more. 

Every accelerated course on Firebrand’s website can be run if there is enough interest from our students.

While some certifications may be retired, with enough interest Firebrand is able to schedule and run any accelerated course. This may even include developing new courseware if none is available.

By ensuring our product pages are not retired, our students are able to register their interest in the course or certification they want to achieve. With this information, we can work to schedule a date, even for niche or retired courses.

Firebrand offer over 600 accelerated courses across cyber security, data protection, cloud, IT and project management. Choose your accelerated course now.

Firebrand goes through a rigorous sourcing and on-boarding process for instructors to ensure that we take on the right people for our unique way of delivering professional training. Firebrand use multiple methods to source possible instructors, including:

• Word of mouth
• LinkedIn
• Website advertisements
• Agencies

Once sourced, the potential instructors will have multiple conversations with the instructor team to ensure they are aware of set expectations and will be given an overview of the Firebrand approach to training.

The potential instructors will need to provide their relevant experience and list achieved qualifications, all of which is reviewed by subject matter experts.

Instructors are invited to attend a 'Train the Trainer' weekend where they will be given a presentation brief and will be expected to deliver a 'live' delivery in front of current Firebrand instructors This delivery will be judged by a panel of Firebrand instructors, who will assess elements including:

• Use of presentation materials
• Engagement
• Classroom management
• Content accuracy
• Subject matter expertise

The team also considers bringing on instructors that could be further trained and developed if they show potential, knowledge and embody Firebrand's values.

Once the contracts and offers of service have been agreed, the instructors will deliver their first course with a full-time Firebrand instructor in a 'dual teach' situation. This is to ensure that any issues with the delivery are captured and are fed back to the instructor as quickly as possible. The instructor will also have an apprenticeship induction, including DBS checks and Prevent and Safeguarding training.

Throughout their career at Firebrand, our trainers' skills and knowledge will be continuously developed through training sessions.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a Firebrand Instructor?

See open positions on the Firebrand Careers page or email careers@firebrandtraining.com to find out how you can join our team. 

You might have noticed when you leave your details on the website, or return to the site at a later date, we give you a call. This is because our Training Consultants are committed to understanding your needs and giving you the information you need to get the right training.

Our Training Consultants may sometimes come across as slightly over zealous in their attempts to bring the benefits of a Firebrand Training course to your attention. This is because our in house experts are passionate about what we have to offer, and believe wholeheartedly in Firebrand’s unique accelerated training method.

Our Training Consultants are an authority in field of IT Training and are keen to extend the same fantastic opportunity to you, that over sixty six thousand other successful students have already experienced.

A quick five minute chat with one of our highly trained consultants will give you an insight into extending your career possibilities. Far from being pushy, you'll find our experienced training consultants have a knowledge and enthusiasm that can really make a difference.

Firebrand courses offer the best content to cost ratio available in the marketplace. While some of our courses do cost more than alternatives we deliver a far greater value as we include more training hours, more hands-on practical time (either case studies or labs depending on whether the course is practical or not) and exams delivered on the course so you can leave certified.

We include the food an accommodation to make this possible and ensure delegates are in a focused, distraction-free environment. With this in mind, I am sure you appreciate that the delegate costs are not lower to Firebrand when companies book multiple delegates.

We do however recognize that companies seek to make savings by making corporate training agreements rather than booking piecemeal.

To help facilitate and simplify multiple corporate bookings, Firebrand offer the corporate Passport. The Passport is designed to simplify training procurement. It allows you to commit an amount of your budget, up-front, for training. In return, you receive a single flat rate discount on all courses.

The Passport does have structured, tier-based discount that depends on the total commitment but it is not inflexible. Contact your Account Manager to see how they can make the Passport work for you.

This will all depend on the course you will be sitting and the type of courseware available. If digital courseware is available, it will be sent out 2 weeks before course commencement.

As courses are always evolving, we would not send anything out earlier as there may be a courseware update that we may need to apply or a version change.

If the courseware is only available in hard copy, again this will be issued to delegates once they arrive at the training centre. However, with the majority of our Project Management courses, delegates will have a hard copy manual sent out two weeks before course commencement.

With some of our cyber security courses, the courseware is released to delegates once they arrive at the training centre. Due to the nature of these courses an NDA may also need to be signed.

Our courses are designed so that delegates do not need to do pre-reading (unless specified).

All of this information will be included as part of your joining instructions which is sent out 24-48 hours after you have confirmed your booking. If you have not received your joining instructions after 48 hours, feel free to reach out to our customer services team by:

Telephone 
Local Rate (UK): 0844 888 1650
International: +44 207 907 1120

Email: admin@firebrandtraining.co.uk

This is a great question, to which there is no simple 'yes' or 'no' answer. We deliver 650+ courses and the prerequisites can vary greatly depending on the type of course or exam you're attempting.

Most prerequisites for a Firebrand course fall into two categories:

• Recommended - these are skills, knowledge, work experience or certifications that the vendor or Firebrand recommends you possess before attending a course. Typically these are to ensure that you are at a level required to keep up with the pace of a course.
• Mandatory - these are skills, knowledge, work experience or certifications that the vendor or Firebrand requires you to possess before you can sit a course or attempt an exam. You cannot sit or attempt the exam without them.

We recommend you meet all prerequisites before attempting a course - especially skills and knowledge requirements. There is a strong possibility you will struggle to understand what's being taught without the necessary foundation knowledge.

Of course, where prerequisites are recommended; you may find your unique experience, attitude and determination enables you to succeed on your accelerated course.

If you fail to meet the prerequisites of a course, our technical consultants will look to advise you of an alternative course or learning resources to help you meet the prerequisites.

Every Firebrand course offered on our website will have a prerequisite tab which outlines what’s needed/recommended. If in doubt though, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our Training Advisors who can help you on 080 80 800 888

Once you agree with your Education Consultant to attend the course and complete your registration, you will receive your joining instructions within 24 to 48 hours.

Your joining instructions include all the vital information that is required ahead of the course. This includes:

• The location of the training centre and how to get there
• The start date of the course and expected arrival times
• Key course specific information - included exams, pre-reading, required documentation

If you have not received your joining instructions after 48 hours, feel free to reach out to our customer services team by:

Telephone

Local Rate (UK): 0844 888 1650

International: +44 207 907 1120

Email: admin@firebrandtraining.co.uk

If you are taking a course at Firebrand's Wyboston Lakes Training Centre, you may find these documents useful:

• UK Directions
• Air Travel Supplement

You can also find out more information on our locations page.

Firebrand's accelerated courses are constantly reviewed. We ask our delegates for feedback after every course. We are official partners with leading vendors and therefore, we're provided with certification changes and updates, which we can then implement in our course delivery at a very early stage. This feedback is then analysed in view of changes or discrepancies. We will then address the topics mentioned and have a panel of subject matter experts provide us with valuable suggestions for improvement and solutions.

If the official course ware we provide does not reflect all the requirements for the course or the exam preparation, we'll develop additional material which will be used in future courses. By using input from the vendor side, the feedback from delegates and the knowledge gained by our instructors in projects they work on, we ensure that our courses are always up to date.

If you need to learn new skills, and you want to be able to put them into practice quickly, then Firebrand is the right training company for you.

Our unique accelerated training method means that we are your fastest way to learn. By delivering training for up to 12 hours per day, seven days per week, with exam centres on-site, we ensure that you are trained and certified quicker than anywhere else, having spent less time out of the office away from the day job.

Our immersive training environments also mean that you can focus entirely on your training for the duration of your course - no time wasted commuting, no unnecessary distractions at the start and end of each day, with all your meals and accommodation taken care of.

Our Lecture/Lab/Review format gives you the best chance of succeeding. Our world-class instructors will teach you the theory, give you exercises and labs to practice the skills, and then consolidate that knowledge with daily review sessions. Our classrooms are available 24/7 for you to hone your newly developed skills and prepare for your exams, which you'll sit on site with us.

We have also been recognised as one of the Training Industry's "Top 20 IT Training Companies of the Year" every year since 2010, so you can rest assured that you're in good hands when training with us. And if for whatever reason you don't pass the exam first time, our Certification Guarantee means you can come back and re-sit the course as many times as you like, paying only for your incidental costs such as accommodation and exam vouchers.

Visit our reviews page to hear from many of the 65,000+ professionals who've already trained with us: https://www.firebrandtraining.co.uk/reviews, and check out our video, which shows exactly why Firebrand is a better option than traditional 9 to 5 training.

You do not have to stay at the training centre. However, there are several reasons for staying that are key benefits of training with Firebrand.

Firebrand accelerated courses focus on giving you the maximum amount of training in the minimum amount of time. You'll receive a minimum of 12 hours of quality learning per day, which includes vital evening review sessions with the instructor that may run as late as 8-9pm.

Staying at the training centre - footsteps away from the hotel - ensures you can get a full days training and a good night’s sleep in the comfortable accommodation. Keeping you refreshed and focussed on the course, rather than tiring yourself out travelling to and from the centre.

The training centre also provides you with a learning sanctuary, where you can consume your chosen subject away from the distractions of life.

Our courses also include evening personal study sessions which can easily be distracted by family and friends if you're travelling home. This makes learning the courseware much more difficult and that all important exam harder to pass.

Depending on the distance and the cost of buying your own meals, you may find that the cost of not staying at the centre ends up being more than if you were to pay for the accommodation and training as a package.

If you would like to get in contact with the Firebrand team to discuss the benefits of staying onsite, call us on 080 80 800 888.

To make the most of your training you must attend the 6.00pm orientation. Here you’ll meet your instructor and peers, get an overview of the course and get familiar with what’s expected of you during your stay.

Many courses also tend to commence directly after orientation.

With Firebrand’s unique training methodology and 12-hour days, your schedule will be very different to normal training. Orientation provides an overview on your course schedule, including meal and class times.

During orientation, you’ll be provided with classroom access codes, so you can take advantage of our 24 hour Training Centre.

Going to orientation is key to having a safe learning experience with Firebrand; you’ll be taken through vital health and safety procedures and what to do in an emergency.

Orientation prepares you for your course over the next few days, and will set you up to have a successful and enjoyable experience with Firebrand Training.

We are unable to allow students to wear headphones during exams. However, for those who wish to sit their exam in silence, we offer earbuds at every training centre.

For Firebrand to retain its status as an official test centre for Pearson Vue, PSI, PeopleCert, BCS and well as many others, we must ensure that we adhere to strict examination rules.

These rules – which include a ban on headphones – are in place to provide a consistent and comfortable approach for all delegates that allows them to focus on their exam.

Although Firebrand students may find listening to music helps them concentrate, our test centres must abide by the examination rules.

During your exam, Firebrand’s invigilators will be on hand to assist you, should you need it.

You can make use of the spa facilities at the Waterfront hotel at Wyboston Lakes. You'll have to pay extra for this and should make the reservation a couple months ahead of your training. You can make your spa reservation through Firebrand, by contacting our Operations or Customer Services teams.

Although the spa treatments at Wyboston Lakes may sound ideal now, bear in mind that you'll be taken through rigorous accelerated training where you'll be learning for 12 hours each day.

Before you book, contact your Account Manager to ensure that you'll have enough time in your busy learning schedule to enjoy the spa facilities. Alternatively, you could book a spa treatment as a reward for your hard work once you've completed your accelerated training.

You can find all the spa options on the websites www.wybostonlakes.co.uk, www.thewaterfronthotel.co.uk and www.yspa.co.uk.

Our distraction-free training centre is based at Wyboston Lakes on the Cambridgeshire/Bedfordshire border, only a 40 minute train journey away from Kings Cross Station, London. We’ll pick you up in a taxi from the St Neot’s station and take you to and from the training centre. If you prefer to drive, the training centre is easily accessible from the M1 and has free onsite parking. 

Before attending your accelerated course, we recommend you read the UK Logistics document, which details everything you need to know ahead of your trip to Wyboston Lakes.

The easiest way to identify between Commercial students and Apprentices whilst on site is they wear different colour lanyards on their swipe cards. Commercial students wear black lanyards whilst apprentices wear white.

There are many different support staff that are made aware which of our students are apprentices, from our Instructors, Operations staff, Education staff and hotel staff at our accompanying hotel Wyboston Lakes. All on-site staff are made aware prior to induction to ensure extra assistance is available if necessary. 

The Firebrand Passport enables you to secure your budget with Firebrand upfront and draw upon it to book training for your team throughout the year. This saves you from having to get approval and raising purchase orders every time you have new skills and certification requirements.

With a Firebrand Passport, your business will get a flat rate discount on all courses, which you can use within a 6-12 month period. There is no minimum spend to purchase a Passport however, discount rates will vary depending on how much you spend.

You can use your Firebrand Passport across our portfolio of over 650 accelerated courses including Cyber Security, GDPR, Microsoft, Cisco and Project Management.

This is a great way to secure any remaining budget you have left over, or to store new allocated budget. Once you have used all your credit on the Passport, you can top up throughout the year by calling your Account Manager and raising a new purchase order. 

At Firebrand, we are driven to provide you and your organisation with the latest knowledge and skills to make the most of your companies technologies.

We continue to grow a portfolio of 650+ accelerated training courses covering the latest and most popular technologies for you to choose from - including Microsoft, Cisco, Amazon AWS, Oracle and VMWare.

We also partner with non-technology vendors to equip your organisation with skills to support your technology infrastructure including project management, cyber security, enterprise architecture and data protection training.

Our Product Team and Subject Matter Experts aim to be first to market, meaning we can offer you training for the latest technology releases and updates as they become available. They also research and work with our global partners to ensure we keep pace with the latest advancements in technology and its surrounding ecosystem.

We build these updates into our courseware through value add material, ensuring you and your business learn the very latest skills. 
Adding to this, our instructors are industry experts and consultants.

Bringing their real world experience into the classroom, allowing them to tailor the training to the needs of your business.

Don't see a course covering your organisation's technology?

If you can't find a course on our website covering the technology your organisation uses, that doesn't mean we can't provide it. Our expertise and partnerships allow us to build programmes tailored to the needs of you business.

Reach out to one of Technical Consultants on 080 80 800 888 and discover how we can begin to build a programme to support your companies technology needs.

Six Sigma Black Belt is the level awarded to a professional who has advanced understanding of the Lean Six Sigma methodology.

A certified Six Sigma Black Belt leads business improvement projects focussing on customer satisfaction, service delivery, cost control, process performance and new product introdution. They achieve this by applying the principles of Six Sigma using the project methodologies contained within - DMAIC and DMADV:

• DMAIC - is the methodology used for projects aimed at improving existing business process. The DMAIC methodology has five phases which are Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control.
• DMADV - is the methodology used for projects aimed at creating new product or process designs. The DMADV methodology also has five phases which are Define, Measure, Analyse, Design and Verify.

Six Sigma Black Belt professionals also have the knowledge to understand Six Sigma tools and use the principles of Lean in the application of Six Sigma. As advanced practitioners, they also teach team members the about the Six Sigma methodology and tools.

Other Six Sigma Belts

The Six Sigma Black Belt is just one of four belts associated with Six Sigma. Each belt applies to a level of expertise with Six Sigma and gives the holder certain responsibilities. Here’s how they fit together:

Six Sigma Yellow Belt

Trained in the basics of Lean Six Sigma, Yellow Belt professionals typically carry out performance improvements within their teams.

Six Sigma Green Belt

Trained and certified at an intermediate level, Green Belt Professionals are familiar with the tools and application of Lean Six Sigma. They use this to implement business change in addition to other project responsibilities.

Six Sigma Black Belt

Trained to an advanced level, a Black Belt is fluent in the use of the Lean Six Sigma approach and tools. They can deliver high performance and efficiency gains driving business transformation. The are typically Change Leaders within the business.

Six Sigma Master Black Belt

Trained to the highest level, a Master Black Belt has complete understanding of Lean Six Sigma. They are the champion for Six Sigma Process in the business – training, mentoring and coaching fellow employees to ensure the successful application of Six Sigma

Developing new skills to add to existing ones in the field of cyber-security is on the one hand really straightforward however, there are many paths to choose, each with dozens of courses and certifications.

Information security is a multifaceted, multidisciplinary field. Choosing a path that will deliver knowledge to support your career can be intimidating. In an rapidly changing technical environment, very few are able to predict their career much beyond five years.

Do you need the technical stuff?

HR and Training managers often ask the question, "Do you want to be a techie or a manager?" Potential cyber-security professional will likely want both, even if not simultaneously.

Careers in information security require a knowledge of IT systems (networks, software and sometimes hardware) as well as vendor applications.

Often overlooked and one of the biggest risks are the people who use these systems.

Being an expert in this field requires an understanding of the threats and vulnerabilities that typify the modern-day cyber attack as well as an awareness of the security commercial products can provide.

Early in a career

In the first years of your career, you'll need to get as much hands-on experience as possible, achieving industry-standard qualifications from companies like Microsoft and CISCO. Vendor-neutral courses provided by CompTIA with their A+, Network+ and Security+ qualifications are also highly valued worldwide.

Specialist knowledge

As experience develops, individuals tend to decide to focus on non-vendor roles, including security architecture, penetration testing, digital forensics, incident management and security/compliance auditing.

Specific training and certifications will be required for these careers. Individuals tend to choose globally recognised qualifications awarded by independent organisations and assessed via certification, for instance, EC-Council's Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).

Management qualifications tend to come later

Senior careers, with higher salaries, will probably mean becoming a manager or consulting with management. The role may mean managing a team of specialists or all of the people, processes and technology associated with effective information security.

It's likely a thorough knowledge of asset and risk management and the controls required to mitigate the risks to an organisation will be part of the role. The skills and knowledge associated with ISO 27001 qualifications, ISO27001 Foundation and ISO27001 Lead Implementer will cover this area comprehensively.

An Info-security management qualifications people also consider obtaining is the Certificate in Information Security Management Principles (CISMP). This BCS certificate is widely recognised by companies and is endorsed by the UK Government in the CESG Certified Professional training scheme.

With more than five years' experience, it's likely you'll be ready for and benefit from (ISC)2 CISSP, ISACA CISA or CISM examinations. These are the gold standards of cyber security qualifications and are usually a mandatory requirement for securing a senior management position.

The journals serve numerous purposes:

Benefits to you

Your apprenticeship is a journey, your journal tracks your journey and development. Eight to Twelve months in to your programme your skill set will be different and you will have enhanced responsibilities and certifications than you will have had on day one.

Your journal is a central repository for some of your evidence, if you add in what you have done and learned at work with screen captures and documents, it’s easier to look and go back in time to pull this information out from one place to use in your project write ups. Because you'll have a narrative and evidence there already, it will save you time going back through emails, tickets and code from months prior when you come to write up your project.

You can use this journal to see how far and how well you have done so far, and also remind yourself what you have learned, this is useful as you could use this content to enhance your CV and potentially negotiate a pay rise with your manager in your annual performance review.

Mandatory

Additionally as part of the apprenticeship, you need to show evidence of your continual learning and progression and this is mandatory part of the apprenticeship.

This is to satisfy the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) eligibility criteria for funding and that:

• You're an apprentice who is actively learning new skills
• That the money (funding) they have secured and allocated for your training has been used effectively and you have been learning new skills and developing your knowledge required to perform your job role throughout the programme.

You'll need to account for and evidence 20% (minimum) “off job training”. The journal and timesheets are a perfect and simple for you to log this time. 

Journals need to be populated weekly and timely in the current month of learning.

What to add in

Common problems with journals are that the entries are brief, and show what was done at work, as opposed to what was learned. What was “done” doesn’t show anyone reading what you have “learned”.

Some terminology changes and the addition of some finer details would make this an easy task.

Example 1

“Today I edited some images for a customer website” 

Example 2

“Today I learned how to take a stock image and crop it to the customers correct size for a customer website. I had to use Photoshop’s cropping tool to get the resolution to the correct size.

This is going to be a useful skill as I will be able to take any give image and be able to amend it straight away without waiting for someone to help me. I had to use image dimensions and calculations in the tool to get the image to be the right size. First, I had to spend 30 minutes researching several websites on how to do it. ”

Example 2 shows explicit learning, a better idea of what you did, and also provides evidence of use of Maths in the workplace and some evidence that you can refer back to later on. The text in bold is evidence of Off The Job training.

In Example 2, the individual has met the following:

• Off the job training (reference to research)
• Evidence of learning (today I learned…)
• Evidence and narrative to assist with future project write up (the entry)
• An example /Evidence to show you mentor how you have progressed for a potential pay rise
• Compliance for the ESFA funding rules.
• Use of Maths in the workplace (reference to using dimensions and calculations-although not needed in an OJT entry)

Your Learning Mentor would want one of these entries every day, or a substantial amount to cover a week period.

You do not have to evidence learning, Off-The Job learning etc. in every daily entry, just within that week period and current month of learning.

Example 3

• 01/05/18 Today I was at Wyboston Training centre on my Sec+ training course. I learned all about Threats, Attacks and Vulnerabilities Technologies and Tools and Architecture and Design, identify and troubleshoot issues and physical security controls This will help me look at different types of attacks at work and identify them and have the knowledge to implement some solutions
• 02/05/2018 Today I was at Wyboston Training centre on my Sec+ training course. I learned Identity and Access Management Risk Management. This will help me at work as regards that now, Given a scenario, I can implement identity and access management controls
• 03/05/2018 Today I was at Wyboston Training centre on my Sec+ training course. I learned Cryptography and PKI. This will help me at work as regards that now I am able to explain cryptography algorithms and their basic characteristics and implement this at work. This week I used Math’s in my training course as I learned about algorithms

As a current apprentice employer, or someone looking to upskill employees through apprenticeships in future, choosing which Firebrand courses for an apprentice during their apprenticeship is a fundamental decision that takes time and serious consideration.

The ESFA (Education and Skills Funding Agency) requires a written agreement - a commitment statement - between an employer and their selected training provider, that sets out the planned training content and schedule for the apprentice. The commitment statement is signed before an apprentice starts their apprenticeship, which means Firebrand courses cannot be changed or swapped after they’ve been selected and the apprentice has started their programme.

It’s important that you read the Occupational Brief for the apprenticeship programme to understand the training required to progress and develop your apprentice. Once you’re ready to select the courses, you can do so in one of two ways:

1. Pre-Selected

For each apprenticeship, we've pre-selected the most popular Firebrand courses that align to the Occupational Brief in the Government Standard for the programme.

2. Customisable

Firebrand Apprenticeship programmes are fully customisable, so you can substitute courses from the Pre-Selected list with optional courses, where the same Knowledge Standards are covered.

There may be other factors you want to consider when choosing Firebrand courses for your apprentice. Talking to someone who’s had experience choosing Firebrand courses for an apprenticeship programme (one of our consultants, or an existing employer) will ensure you don’t have any issues later on about the decisions you - as an employer - are making today for your apprentices.

Full details of the courses available for each apprenticeship programme can be found under the ‘See Programme’ tab of each programme.

In exceptional circumstances, an apprentice may leave their apprenticeship programme early. If this situation occurs, as an employer you'll be liable to pay a cost that's dependent on a number of factors, including:

• Courses selected
• When the courses have been scheduled
• The cost of the courses already attended

The amount of funds received from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)

It's important to note that liability costs are only applicable if your apprentice leaves their apprenticeship. We have a number of checks and balances in place to mitigate this, including employer mentors who'll work closely with the apprentice and a Learning Mentor from Firebrand who'll provide support through the entirety of the programme.

We also employ a 'red, amber, green' system which the Learning Mentors use to identify any early concerns with progression of the apprentice. This is communicated to the learner and workplace mentor.

Why do you charge a Liability Cost?

Firebrand’s viability in any individual apprenticeship is almost entirely based around the successful completion of the whole apprenticeship programme. This is a function of the funding profile paid by the ESFA to Firebrand through the duration of the programme. This makes our partnership with each employer the cornerstone of the contractual relationship for seeing the whole apprenticeship programme through.

Our experience in helping thousands of individuals with IT skills acquisition has led to an approach where we accelerate IT training within apprenticeship programmes. As a result, learning occurs in blocks of off the job training that can then be consolidated by experience gained at work.

Firebrand's accelerated training approach benefits learners and employers as learners can be more productive in the workplace quicker. Consequently Firebrand ‘invests’ in the programme ahead of receipts from the government to make this possible and relies for its return on successful completion of the whole programme.

In a situation when an apprentice leaves an apprenticeship programme early for a reason that lies beyond Firebrand’s control, our accelerated approach agreed between you and us creates a loss-making scenario for Firebrand in that apprenticeship.

In this situation, Firebrand reserves the right to charge you, as an employer, to cover our reasonable costs to ensure that Firebrand is not out of pocket having delivered in accordance with this agreement.

Firebrand courses are mapped against the relevant vendor’s official curriculum, which is designed to be delivered in a classroom environment by a Certified instructor qualified to deliver the content.

The British Computer Society (BCS) content for the End Point Assessment is mapped against the wider Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA).

The contents refer to the same concepts but the focus and detail varies, which is why Firebrand provides apprentices with access to Pluralsight which has resources mapped against the BCS curriculum. Pluralsight is an interactive course provider offering learning resources.

Its ‘sandbox’ learning environment gives apprentices virtual practice of new skills before taking them onto live systems. 

This additional content helps our apprentices fully understand the syllabus and fully prepares them for the relevant vendor Certification exams, all of which are sat onsite at our fully immersed training centre. 

What is the SFIA Framework?

The SFIA Framework is a Skills Framework for the information age. It is the world’s most popular way of describing the skills needed and required by IT professionals. SFIA was formally established in 2000. It is claimed to be the globally accepted common language for skills and competencies required in the digital world. It is kept up to date constantly, providing a single definitive framework for the IT industry. It is kept up to date through a collaborative effort of consultation, constantly drafting and reviewing updates to the Framework.

Although an apprentice is a workplace employee with a genuine job and a workplace contract (this is outlined in the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) apprenticeship funding rules: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/706505/Employer_rules_v3.pdf), an apprenticeship is a genuine job with an accompanying skills development programme.

So in essence, they are also a student working towards a formal qualification. This qualification is interlinked with their employment and as such they need to be able to put aside a number of hours or a percentage of time to work towards completing this qualification.

The ESFA have defined Off-The-Job training as "training received by the apprentice, during the apprentice’s normal working hours, for the purpose of achieving their apprenticeship". It is not training delivered for the sole purpose of enabling the apprentice to perform the work for which they have been employed.

Off-The-Job training activities include:

• Classroom-based learning
• Shadowing colleagues
• Practical help
• Mentoring
• E-learning
• Peer-to-peer forums
• Industry-related events

The ESFA has declared that at least 20% of the apprentice’s paid hours must be dedicated to Off-The-Job training and that all Off-The-Job training must take place during the apprentice’s paid hours. It is important that employers note that if an apprentice cannot demonstrate this, they may not achieve their qualification.

Firebrand will always ensure its employers can support the time their apprentices will need to dedicate to work. Our apprenticeship documents will include the minimum number of hours apprentices should spend completing assignments and projects, preparing for courses and how much time, in hours, an apprentice will spend at our training centre completing courses.

Firebrand can assist in calculating the amount of time an apprentice should spend completing their Off-The-Job training (e.g. one day a week/ two afternoons a week). So although, an apprentice has a job to do, they are not a typical employee in the sense that they also have a skills/experience/ a qualification to gain.

Prior to each course our support staff brief the students and apprentices. We have a separate section in the brief afterwards for apprentices around bar usage. They are also briefed on how to access any information on safeguarding, for example:

• Whistle-blowing
• British values
• Bullying

We also try to get as many of the apprentices hotel rooms close together if possible. This information is sent out by our apprenticeship team in our welcome pack and is also accessible on the internet cafe PCs.

All Firebrand apprenticeships contain a number of different elements required to complete and pass the qualification. For example, some elements include a summative portfolio, Off-The-Job training, Ofqual-regulated Knowledge Module exams with BCS and sometimes vendor qualifications.

Each apprenticeship has a written standard (these can also be found on the Tech Partnership website) which details the knowledge modules each apprentice needs to pass in order to achieve the apprenticeship qualification. All Firebrand apprenticeships have between two and five Knowledge modules, depending on the programme. In each standard it is detailed which knowledge modules and vendor exams the apprentice will need to complete.

In some programmes, there is a mix of vendor and Ofqual exams and others require just the Ofqual exams. Firebrand don’t swap vendor exams for British Computer Society (BCS) exams. In most casesFirebrand will include a vendor qualification because the standard specifies that the apprentice must achieve one professionally recognised vendor qualification in the standard.

The Firebrand Level 4 Network Engineer programme is a good example of this. The programme has three knowledge modules, of which the apprentice can attend a variety of accelerated training courses to cover these. However, the standard states “Apprentices must achieve one internationally recognised vendor or professional qualification.

This then exempts them from one of the Ofqual-related knowledge modules”. As outlined in the standard, if an apprentice completed all the vendor exams for this programme they would still need to pass two Ofqual regulated BCS exams.

Firebrand will not use BCS exams to replace vendor qualifications as often the vendor qualifications are not necessary or relevant to the apprenticeship.

Yes. Apprentices follow the same principals as a commercial student with regards to retaking a particular course, where we offer a Certification Guarantee. Students can return to the same course as many times as required within 12 months after students first attendend the course. 

This is subject to availability of courses and payment of accommodation fees, any exam fees and other incidental expenses or charges (if any) that may be incurred by the student or which may reasonably be levied by Firebrand. 

Travel to the training center is not covered by Levy funding for apprentices. Please refer to the Ineligible costs sub section (point 81.2) here: Apprenticeship funding: rules and guidance for employers.

Whether you can get extra funding for your apprentices depends on the apprenticeship costs that are agreed at the beginning of the programme with Firebrand, according to the apprentices’ job description, the skills required and digital apprenticeship standard.

If upon agreeing the apprenticeship programme, employers don't not use all the budget up to the maximum funding band, they can add extra Firebrand courses to cover this gap and further train their apprentices.

Firebrand apprenticeship programmes have a preselected course schedule that cover all knowledge modules from the standard to ensure that apprentices are thoroughly educated and set up for success.

However, if an employer contacts us who has an experienced and partially educated employee they would like to enroll on the programme they may find it necessary to remove a course in our preselected schedule and replace with another. This can be done as long as the final cost does not exceed the maximum funding band.

Why does Off-The-Job study and projects happen during in work hours when employers are paying apprentices wages?

Although an apprentice is a workplace employee with a genuine job and a workplace contract (this is outlined in the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) apprenticeship funding rules) an apprenticeship is a genuine job with an accompanying skills development programme.

So in essence, they are also a student working towards a formal qualification. This qualification is interlinked with their employment and as such they need to be able to put aside a number of hours or a percentage of time to work towards completing this qualification.

The ESFA have defined Off-The-Job training as "training received by the apprentice, during the apprentice’s normal working hours, for the purpose of achieving their apprenticeship". It is not training delivered for the sole purpose of enabling the apprentice to perform the work for which they have been employed.

Off-The-Job training activities include:

• Classroom-based learning
• Shadowing colleagues
• Practical help
• Mentoring
• E-learning
• Peer-to-peer forums
• Industry-related events

The ESFA has declared that at least 20% of the apprentice’s paid hours must be dedicated to Off-The-Job training and that all Off-The-Job training must take place during the apprentice’s paid hours. It is important that employers note that if an apprentice cannot demonstrate this, they may not achieve their qualification.

Firebrand will always ensure its employers can support the time their apprentices will need to dedicate to work. Our apprenticeship documents will include the minimum number of hours apprentices should spend completing assignments and projects, preparing for courses and how much time, in hours, an apprentice will spend at our training centre completing courses. Firebrand can assist in calculating the amount of time an apprentice should spend completing their Off-The-Job training (e.g. one day a week/ two afternoons a week). So although, an apprentice has a job to do, they are not a typical employee in the sense that they also have a skills/experience/ a qualification to gain.