The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the association representing the international technology community. Its goal is to provide a unified voice, global advocacy and leadership, and to advance industry growth through standards, professional competence, and education and business solutions. In order to most efficiently serve the industry and its members, CompTIA has developed specialized initiatives and programs dedicated to major areas within the IT industry. They include, convergence technology, e-commerce, IT training, software services, certification, public policy and workforce development. This bundle offers incredible value for money for anyone looking to get CompTIA certified. It includes 6 separate certification courses, spanning a variety of disciplines and technical fields from IT technician skills, to networking, and IT security, plus more!
LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION Marilia Savvides founded The Plot Agency in 2024. She began her career in publishing at Peters Fraser and Dunlop, where she spent eight years, first as International Rights Agent, and later as Literary Agent, building her own list of authors. In 2019, she joined 42MP, where she worked as Literary Agent for four years, helping to launch and set up the Book Division. She is particularly interested in fiction that is beautifully written and cleverly constructed, but still accessible to a wide readership. She is often drawn to darker tales that weave together excellent characters and an impossible-to-put-down story, from immersive book club novels with a splash of suspense, crime and thrillers, accessible horror, and speculative, genre-bending or dystopian stories. She also adores smart, witty contemporary rom-com in the style of Emily Henry. In the thriller, crime and mystery space she is interested in most areas, except military thrillers and organised crime/ mafia / mob stories. Big hooks and clever set ups are a big bonus! She adores Karin Slaughter (especially her standalone novels) and Gillian Flynn. In the book club / reading group space, she’s particularly drawn to fiction in the vein of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng, and absolutely fell in love with Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll, both for the incredible voice, and the exquisite use of structure and time. Complicated family dynamics, empathetic and smart approaches to controversial issues, stand out protagonists (like Elizabeth Zott in Lessons in Chemistry or Bernadette in Where D’You Go Bernadette), long buried secrets, complicity, the road to justice, and impossible decisions, are all themes she finds herself drawn to. In the horror space, she’s a sucker for amazing female-centric stories in the vein of Yellowjackets, and the kind of contemporary, accessible horror that Stephen King always nails. She wants to get lost in a world that feels within reach of ours. In the speculative and dystopian spaces, she’s interested in genius ideas that set up big questions or reflect the most broken (and sometimes hidden) parts of society. She loves Octavia Butler, Margaret Atwood, George Orwell, and also adored The Leftovers, Station Eleven, Wanderers, and The Power. The what-ifs of life and fiction fascinate her. In the grounded sci-fi space, she’d love to find a smart, immersive, and accessible story like The Martian. She doesn’t represent fantasy or romantasy. In regards to sci-fi, unless it’s very grounded and has crossover potential to a mainstream audience, it’s not for her. In the romance space, she’s particularly drawn to smart, complex and witty characters, where the chemistry is jumping off the page. She loves contemporary settings and all the tropes, though the voice and characters must come first to make the reading experience fully immersive. She wants to be cackling, and rooting for the characters with all her heart. She is very hands-on editorially, and loves working with her authors to shape their manuscripts, and brainstorm ideas. The best part of the job is discovering debut authors, and helping them find a home for their books. Marilia would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 - 2 page synopsis and the first 5,000 words of your manuscript in a single Word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Marilia is kindly offering one free session for low income/underrepresented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print). By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Monday 17th February 2025
The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) is a globally recognised qualification. Having a Microsoft Office Specialist certification on your CV demonstrates that you have gained the necessary expertise to competently use Microsoft applications, giving you a competitive advantage when job hunting as well as in the workplace. It will significantly increase your confidence, skills and employability. It will serve to objectively validate your IT skills and assist in your advancement in your chosen career.
This course bundle is made up of three separate certification courses: 1. PRINCE2® Foundation; 2. PRINCE2® Practitioner; 3. IASSC Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. The PRINCE2® Foundation And Practitioner course includes the official certification exams. By passing the Foundation and Practitioner exams, you will be an officially certified PRINCE2® Practitioner. The IASSC Lean Six Sigma Black Belt course includes the official IASSC Six Sigma Black Belt exam. By passing this exam, you will be officially certified by the IASSC as a Six Sigma Black Belt. You have 14 months to complete all of the courses in this bundle and take the exams. Read below to find out more about the courses contained within this bundle.
This course bundle is aimed at absolute beginners to IT who want to start a career in Cisco networking or just develop their skills in this area. The course assumes you have no technical knowledge of IT whatsoever. To understand Cisco networking and practice it at a technical level, you must first possess an understanding of basic IT literacy as well as certain technologies, which you will be taught through this course. Through this course, you will gain a series of globally recognised networking certifications from CompTIA and Cisco. You will also possess a set of networking skills you can apply to a vast range of IT job roles. From the beginning, we teach you about basic IT literacy, basic software features and functions, basic networking, operating systems, and basic security threats. From there, the course steps up a notch exploring these areas in more depth. As you progress through the various stages, your knowledge of networking will gradually begin to develop. The course bundle is comprised of five separate courses in total. Once of which is skills based only with no exam, and four certification courses with a final exam after each course. The final course being the Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA). The first course (CompTIA IT Fundamentals) provides a soft introduction to basic IT terminology, concepts and technology. To help you grasp the concepts and develop the skills within the course, simulators are also included. These allow you to practice your networking skills learnt on the course. In the IT world, these simulators are otherwise known as ‘Live Labs’.
This course bundle is ideal for anyone looking to launch their Cisco networking career, specifically in Cisco cyber ops and security. It consists of one Cisco Certified Technician (CCT) certification in Routing and Switching, one Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification, one Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate certification, and one Cisco Certified Networking Professional (CCNP) certifications, specialising in Cisco security. Although there are no formal prerequisites to enrol on the CCNA, or CCNP certification courses and sit the exams, learners should have a good foundation knowledge in networking. The Cisco Certified Technician Routing and Switching (CCT Routing and Switching) certification focuses on the skills required for onsite support and maintenance of Cisco routers, switches, and operating environments. It’s a great starting point if you’re new to Cisco networking. Technicians in this area must be able to identify Cisco router and switch models, accessories, cabling, and interfaces; understand the Cisco IOS Software operating modes and identify commonly found software; and be able to use the Cisco Command Line Interface (CLI) to connect and service products. Achieving CCT Routing and Switching certification is considered the best foundation for supporting other Cisco devices and systems. Earning the CCNA is usually the first ‘major’ certification step in preparing for a career in Cisco networking technologies. To earn your CCNA certification, you only need to pass one exam – which covers a broad range of fundamentals for IT careers, based on the latest networking technologies. The Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate certification program validates the day-today, tactical knowledge and skills that Security Operations Center (SOC) teams need to detect and respond to cyber security threats. The certification validates the fundamentals needed for associate-level job roles, with one exam and one training course to help you prepare. The exam and training cover knowledge and skills related to security concepts, security monitoring, host-based analysis, network intrusion analysis, and security policies and procedures. From a recognized provider of security solutions and certifications, the CyberOps Associate certification and training program is your pathway to a career in cyber security operations. The CCNP Security certification is designed to help you prove your skills in the ever-changing landscape of security technologies. The program prepares you for today’s professional-level job roles in security technologies. One of the industry’s most respected certifications, CCNP validates the core knowledge you need while providing the flexibility to choose a focus area. To earn your CCNP Security, you must pass two exams: a core exam and a concentration exam of your choice. This course bundle includes the core exam and concentration exam. The core exam’s focus is ‘Securing Networks with Cisco Firepower Technologies‘ – Cisco CCNP Security SNCF (Exam 300-710).
Agile PM vs. Waterfall PM (Virtual) The concept of Agile project management refers to the use of a number of tools and techniques that are based on enabling project teams to deliver products to a predetermined and agreed timeline. The concept of Waterfall project management refers to the use of a number of tools and techniques that are based on enabling project teams to deliver products to a pre-determined and agreed specification. The selection of the most appropriate project management method has, historically, been a choice of 'either/or' when it comes to these two approaches. It is now becoming clear that for many projects, the selection of a single project management method does not satisfy the professionalism of the project team nor does it optimize the return on investment for the sponsoring organization. A radically different approach is needed. This course presents an approach to project management which capitalizes on the most appropriate elements of each method tailored to the specific project being undertaken. In this course, the Waterfall approach will be based on the PRINCE2 model. Each method will be presented to highlight its particular strategy and strengths. The course will then propose project scenarios which will require the project team to use a hybrid method which brings together aspects of both methods. The overall goal of the course is threefold: · To introduce the Waterfall approach to product development. · To introduce the Agile approach to product development. · To explore how a combination of both approaches can bring added value to the sponsoring organization and their customers.
Building High-Performance Teams: Virtual In-House Training This course pulls together the most current and popular theories and writings on this complex topic and presents this amalgamated view in a highly interactive workshop and activity-based approach. Students will understand and have the skills required to build and participate in high-performance project teams and will possess the insight to proactively affect change within their respective organizations by guiding the existing culture to one that promotes high performance. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Define a team and describe the optimum team size for effective performance Describe characteristics and guiding behaviors of high-performance teams Describe the major elements of each development stage in two distinct models Recognize cultural barriers in achieving high performance List the attributes of a high-performing corporate culture Assess your own corporate culture Discuss corporate leadership as a factor in building high-performance project teams Describe the three A's of selecting team members State three leadership responsibilities Describe leadership responsibilities, styles, and roles List and describe the eight components of the team charter model for building high-performance teams Foundation Concepts The Nature of Teams Characteristics of High-Performance Teams Understanding Team Development Stages of Team Development - Model 1 Stages of Team Development - Model 2 Designing a High-Performance Culture Corporate Cultures Corporate Leadership Establishing the Attributes of High Performance Choosing the Right People Team Effectiveness Team Leadership The Team Charter Model
Recovering Troubled Projects: Virtual In-House Training Despite our best intentions, many of the projects that organizations undertake either don't achieve their intended business results or end in complete failure. Most seasoned project managers have had their share of experiences with difficult or troubled projects and unless they are careful, they will encounter more. This workshop does not focus on 'failed' projects but rather on those projects which without appropriate intervention would be headed for failure. Failed projects are those beyond help and which should be terminated. Here we focus on projects that are salvageable. It is an exercise-driven, no-nonsense, professional practice-focused workshop positioning the participant to immediately apply the tools and lessons learned in the classroom. The workshop employs the use of both illustrative and practical/working case studies. Illustrative case studies will examine insights from real-world troubled projects. Participants will be asked to bring descriptions of their own examples of troubled projects on which they're currently working or on which they have worked in the past. A number of these will be used as the basis for the practical/working case studies. The approach builds on and complements the disciplines addressed in Project Management Institute's PMBOK® Guide and also addresses issues that arise when managing projects in a complex environment. What You Will Learn You will learn to: Recognize the value of a structured project recovery process Explain the reasons most projects fail Analyze the causes of a project's troubles Construct a negotiation process to use with key stakeholders Apply an effective strategy to planning the recovery effort Manage, evaluate, and adjust the ongoing recovery effort Foundation Concepts Recognizing a troubled project Defining the project recovery process The Reasons Projects Fail Putting failure in perspective Reviewing management issues Analyzing planning issues Exploring complexity issues Assess the Project Stabilizing the project Determining preliminary Go / No-Go Conducting a detailed recovery assessment Negotiate the Recovery Reviewing the basics of negotiation Setting reasonable expectations Obtaining appropriate PM authority Securing key stakeholder support Plan the Recovery Planning for recoveries Rebuilding the project team Reshaping the project plan Managing parallel activities Planning for change management Implement and Adjust the Project Implementing project recoveries Facilitating change Enabling continuous learning Fostering the project team Sustaining stakeholder engagement
LOOKING FOR: PICTURE BOOKS, YOUNG FICTION, CHAPTER BOOKS, MG, YA Penny Holroyde has worked in children's publishing for almost 30 years from foreign rights at Walker Books to Rights Director at Candlewick Press in the USA, before becoming an agent specialising in children's books with the Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency. In 2015 Penny co-founded Holroyde Cartey with Claire Cartey, former art director in children's books at Hachette. The agency focuses exclusively on authors and illustrators for the children's book market. Penny has a particular love for picture books but is looking for authors and illustrators working across fiction and non-fiction for all children's ages from pre-school to crossover. She's always looking for humour in picture books and chapter books and heart with some messaging in MG. In YA she's looking for strong character with contemporary settings. She'd also be interested in seeing some horror in YA. Penny is offering 121 sessions for young fiction, middle grade, YA and picture book writers. For chapter books, MG and YA fiction, please submit a covering letter, synopsis and the first three chapters of your manuscript in a single word document. For picture books, please submit a covering letter and two texts formatted in 12 point font in continuous stanzas (and with illustration notes if you wish to include them). Please send EITHER picture books OR another genre, not both in one submission. (In addition to the paid sessions, Penny is kindly offering one free session for low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print). By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Tuesday 18th February 2025