FAS ECDL course

Darksaga87

Hi, I'm looking for some information.

Could anyone with any experience/knowledge of the ECDL short course fill me on what goes on.

I put my name down with FAS on the off chance that I might get it, anyway, I did, as Im on the Dole anyway I might as well do something.

so if any could post their opinion on the course, tips and general info on it that would be great.
The FAS website is useless at finding info, so here I am at the old reliable. Boards!:D

Payments.
level of Certificate aquired.
requirments.
etc.

Thanks everyone!

TCHX

Info on allowances is at
http://www.fas.ie/en/Allowances+and+Grants/default.htm

Also if you use the search for courses option under jobseeker on the FAS site, under computer applications you will find an ECDL course with the other details you're looking for.

I finished their 3 month course recently. Ended about six weeks ago, I'd say. Everything I tell you will be from my experience with the course, and it may not apply to your course (i don't know if they're all run the same way or not). My course was paper based exams, and not the course where you do your exams on the computer itself (they'll explain to you).


I haven't received anything from FETAC yet (it usually takes a while) but I passed it anyway (they give you your percentage for every test you pass, in the event of you failing, you get to re-sit at the last week of the course).

Your payments are the FAS payment scheme. You'll get whatever they give (it alters for under 18s) but if you're already recieving a Welfare payment tha tis greater than their payment, then they will match it (so you won't be losing money).

You get the ECDL certificate from FETAC when it's all over and done (provided you have passed everything). It's a level four cert I think on FETAC's scale.

You don't really need any prior Computer knowledge, but it obviously will help if you do know your way around. On my course there were a fair few who didn't use computers that much, but had a good idea about them, and there were two who hadn't got a clue what was going on.


You spend about a week per module. The first week is spent using Windows 'Explorer' to locate files and stuff, so you can get used to the hierarchial layout, but they tell you if you prefer to just go to "my computer" etc. then you can do that. Whatever you think is handiest yourself.


For the first week of our course, we did the first day of registration, manual handling for the second day (you can skip this if you still have the cert) and non-certifiable First Aid for the other three days. It was the second week when we actually seen a laptop.



On our course, they were telling us that we would be able to take the laptops home with us, and we were given 2GB memory sticks and ECDL books that we could keep (look expensive, too). However, though we got to keep the book/memory stick, we never got to bring laptops home with us (because the only asshole on the course decidd to bring his home before we were actually allowed, and he never told the tutor, and damaged it). Thankfully, i already have a laptop and desktop at home, so I'm fine, but there was a girl on the course with no computer at home who would've benefitted greatly from being able to take it home. Moral of the story; if you don't have a laptop or desktop or whatever, try and mooch one off someone (though considering you have a boards account, im going to assume you're OK in that department).



The course I was on ran from 9:00 - 3:30 mon-thurs and 9:00 - 12:30 on friday. On exam days, we were split in two groups. One group would come in from 9-10 and the other from 10:30 - 11:30. Handy short day. There were about 18 people on our course.

Our course was run by a group called Oiliùna (FAS seem to get other companies to run their courses). Before that, i was on a "Starting With Computers" course run by a group called Hartley People. It varies.


You'll be using Windows XP and Office 2003.


Can't think of anything else to say about it really.

Darksaga87

Thanks mate, thats really helpfull.

Bad thing is though, my laptop goes away for repair on wednesday!! The girlfried dropped it and broke my disc drive!