Testimonials

Article in The Sun

Serving to Server – Barman Luke retrains as IT Specialist

Former barman Luke Kavanagh has carved out a successful new career in IT after training with Cerco. The 29 year old from Putney, south-west London, switched from pulling pints to sorting out computer problems. Now he is working in the IT department of a major bank in the City. And Luke says it is the best career move he has ever made. He said “I had always had an interest in computers and decided to look seriously at a new career. Friends had trained with Cerco and I’d had good reports about their courses and the level of training. I also did my own research and felt they offered the best value for money”.

Cerco runs a 15 day vocational course with a mixture of theory and practice. The course has been taught for more than 20 years and it is constantly being updated.

If you go on to work for Cerco’s own contract division after completing the course, the firm offers a bonus. For every 4 months of fully paid contract work, cerco will pay for you to take additional courses until you become and Microsoft MCSE IT professional. 

Fees are £3,999, which includes all coursework and accommodation. You don’t have to hand over a deposit and can delay full payment for 12 months (subject to approval).

If you are interested in Cerco’s IT training you need to pass its online test and then attend an evaluation appointment where there is a short presentation. A further test is followed by a personal interview to ensure the suitability of the course and the career for the applicant. Cerco will also pay for prospective students to visit its training centre in Crewe.

Cerco Managing Director Steven Emden said: “Our certificate in systems and networking is an exclusive qualification allowing immediate entry into the industry. After just 15 days of intensive training you will be ready to begin your new career. Because of our combination of theory and practice, employers know a Cerco trained graduate can be put straight to work after graduating. This is why graduate obtain fully paid work rather than unpaid work experience as offered by some other training providers. Whether you are dissatisfied with your work, stuck in a dead end job of have recently been made redundant, this could be the career change you are looking for. Along with our choice of payment options as well as two different ways to take our 15 day fast track course it has never been easier or quicker to get started in the IT industry”

“Hello,
Saw your advert on television.... took me back 15 years when my son Jonathan Tidmarsh was one of you FIRST to be trained by you at Nantwich.
He is now very successful and works for the French Bank ‘Parabas’ in their Manhattan New York offices with a highly skilled position in IT and he is handsomely paid for his duties.
We are profoundly thankful for your best of training 15 years ago.”
Dad ... Ray Tidmarsh     

“I was in the 601L class in London for the Fast Track 4 week intensive course, not only were the instructors informative and helpful, they will actually get down to a personal level with me if I don’t understand, and make sure they won’t rest until I do understand. The experience has been totally life changing for me; helping me get into the world of IT quickly and most importantly giving me the knowledge to apply my skills that I have gathered when in the course to the real world!

After only waiting for 2 weeks on completion of my course I also have to give a big thanks to the guys in the recruitment department, they were very helpful and got me a job with ACL, a company that deals with Sainsbury’s, Jessop’s and also has a major contract with Hewlett Packard. I am given a company van, and a mobile, I work from home where I get my job sheets through e-mail, so as far as flexibilities go it all really depends on what my work load is and how quick I work!

I am thoroughly grateful to everyone at Cerco and in my opinion, the course is worth every penny. If you want a life changing experience and the way to step forward, I would recommend Cerco to anyone that has an interest in IT and wants to go in the direction to make some good money while doing something you enjoy!”
George Wong, Islington, Course 601L, former Tactical Instructor (US Forces) (EPOS Engineer, ACL)

“The knowledge gained was up to date, valid and useful and the fact that Cerco will tirelessly work to find you an opening in the IT industry is testament to the caliber and standard of training that is provided.
 
Anybody thinking of entering into the IT field should seriously consider this course as a stepping- stone to employment.  As I have said, it is intensive but well structured and will give anybody with the correct aptitude the basis for advancement in the industry.
 
With the knowledge that I have gained and the help that I have received from the course and from the staff, I can realistically see myself knocking on the door of a very good, well paid position in the next five years.  I am personally aiming for Security Analyst, and the information that I have gleaned from the course, shows me that it is not unrealistic and with hard work, dedication and determination is well achievable. I could only give Cerco and its staff the utmost praise and look forward to working with them all again in the future.”
Paul Cooper, Course 501N, Forces Leaver, Winchester, (Site Support Engineer, Fujitsu)

“I finished my training at the end of September 2001 and landed my first role with Steria in January 2002. The boss at Steria at the time was a good friend of the person who started Cerco many years ago and it was as a direct result of Cerco's good name that got me this first role.

The role consisted of general rollout duties including server and pc installation. I was working alongside EDS personnel and in July 2003 I managed to hear of roles available at EDS on the Jobcentre Plus rollout. I got one of the roles and was involved in server installation and configuration to a higher level than before, so it was progress career-wise.

I stayed at EDS until May 2004 when I progressed to a 2nd line server support role at CSC working on a major contract for BAE. I stayed there for 6 months until the end of the contract and then came to Fujitsu on a 3 month rolling contract with the Home Office. I am still here now, over a year later. It has taken me as far away as London and Aberdeen and I am now based in Liverpool rolling out laptops involving top level security and encryption software.

Each role has seen me progress from a career point of view and a wage point of view. I was lucky enough to be sponsored for Security Clearance whilst at Steria and this has opened up a lot of doors. I started my own company in 2004 and this means I am my own boss.

All in all taking the Cerco course has changed my life so much for the better. It's been the best decision I have ever made”
Jeff Clarke, Course 150N, former Chemical Processor, Widnes (IT Contractor, Fujitsu)

Chris Luffman is a busy, successful man. At aged 47, the Manchester based Cerco graduate is now a Service Manager for an international IT company Computacenter with up to 130 employees beneath him at any one time. He is also a no-nonsense London man with a phenomenal work ethic, which has seen him move comprehensively through the Computacenter ranks.

So what are the secrets to Chris’s success? How did he move from the Fast Track to his current role? And why does he continue to bring new Cerco graduates into his engineering teams? Connect decided to find out.

‘Like many Cerco students, I began my career in the armed forces,’ begins Chris, ‘leaving after 24 years’ active service as a Warrant Officer. Resettlement in 1998 saw Chris making those crucial decisions for his future. ‘I saw Cerco, heard what they had done for other forces leavers and decided to retrain with them using my resettlement money and my own funds. ‘Thinking back on my training. I didn’t know anything about IT when I came on the course and had to work really hard. I remember staying up until silly-o-clock in the morning studying. It was a great challenge and one I’ll never forget.’

Those late night sessions paid off with Chris’s renowned photographic memory being put to good use. He had soon passed the course.

‘After Cerco I took two weeks holiday before starting work as a Customer Service Engineer with Computacenter on August 3rd, 1998.’ It was the start of Chris’s meteoritic rise.

‘I think it’s in my nature to roll up my sleeves and get stuck in. I always wanted to do well and did, at times, feel as though I was representing myself as well as Cerco. It was another reason to want to succeed. I had not long been with Computacenter before I sat on a National Engineering Forum as one of the North Region representatives. It was that active participation that got me noticed. I think that would be my first piece of advice to anybody starting out on an IT career: Volunteer, get involved and speak up! It worked for me: 18 months later I became a Team Leader, responsible for 26 engineers.’

It was from there that Chris’s success continued to grow culminating with being awarded a three day all expenses paid trip with 18 other high performers to Switzerland. Following the award Chris was briefly made Operations Manager before internal restructuring saw him again promoted to his current post of Service Manager.

‘For a short while I had three Team Leaders, each with 15-20 engineers, in my team. That number quickly rose to eleven Team Leaders and approx 230 engineers. Due to this growth which is still happening there is now another Service Manager onboard. The predicted number of Team Leaders is 13-14 with approx 260-280 engineers.

So how many of those engineers are Cerco graduates? ‘As many as we can accommodate,’ explains Chris. ‘I know exactly what I’m getting with a Cerco graduate. The standard of each candidate is high and they are committed to their careers; I know – I was there myself.’ Cerco also makes the take on of their candidates very easy, cutting through unnecessary red tape and paperwork.

So what does the future hold for Chris Luffman? ‘There are no limits if you’re willing to work hard; I think that would be my advice. I look for that drive in the Cerco graduates I employ. My decision to enter IT was the right one. I’ve come a long way but I’ll never forget where I came from, my training at Cerco and how that got me my start. It’s great to be able to return the favour to new students now coming through the course.’
Connect Magazine article, featuring Chris Luffman, course 98N, ex-forces, Manchester.

Born and brought up in Stratford-Upon-Avon, John Allison, 33, has enjoyed a career that spans baking for Yasser Arafat in northern Egypt to the Territorial Army. At the age of 28 he collapsed and was in a wheelchair for a year struck down by crippling arthritis. Fortunately, he made a complete recovery and now works as an IT support engineer, a job that he describes as so fulfilling that he has never skipped a day for “fear of missing out”.  

It was thanks to John's determination and Cerco IT Training and Recruitment that John was able transform his life.  Owing to his arthritis, John could not return to his former career as a baker as this involved too much standing. Not one to give up easily, he searched the Internet for possible alternatives in the IT sector and discovered Cerco, an IT training and Recruitment Company distinguished by its ability to place its students directly in employment.

John visited his local Job Centre in Longton and showed the disability officer; Sylvia Gardner details of the Fast Track training course that he felt would provide the best option. Sylvia recommended that he write a strong business case to secure the funding from the Job Centre.

John was determined to change his life and wrote a compelling business case, which outlined that relying on benefit of approximately £70 per week would prove far more expensive and less productive than training whereby he was guaranteed a 98 per cent chance of getting a job. He won his case and received funding to attend the course in just four and a half months and started in July 2004.
  
While attending the course he was offered work, via Cerco by both Dell and Mastercare the after-sales service provider for Dixons, Currys, PC World and The Link. Now working as a mobile engineer he is subcontracted to Atos Origin and working within the NHS on the National Program for IT (NPfIT). The program will connect over 30,000 GPs in England to almost 300 hospitals and give patients access to their personal health and care information.
 
Steven Emden, managing director of Cerco explains that ‘John’s case is just one of thousands in which we have been able to transform people’s lives literally from ‘apparent hopelessness to the sky’s the limit’. Cerco is unique in that we not only train people to certificated computer engineer level we also ensure that those who follow our courses find work. This may sound an ambitious boast but over the past nine years, of the 3,172 students to have completed our courses we have found work for 3,118 a 98.3 per cent success rate.

 “The reason for this is that our selection process is very rigorous, we are not simply in the business of selling computer courses but matching people with the right skill set and then helping them find work.

 “There are a number of courses but the Fast Track is probably our most successful. We are also considerate of applicant’s financial circumstances and offer a number of payment terms including maintaining half the fee with our solicitor’s and not banking it until the applicant has been placed in employment.
 
“We have placed literally thousands of former servicemen who have found it incredibly hard to find work coming out the services perhaps in their early 40s and yet these candidates make the most loyal, committed and hardworking members of staff that an employer could wish for.

John used the NPfIT “Chose and Book” to find a specialist who was able to see him in just five and a half months as opposed to 18 months. He said it took him just a minute to use the program from which he both benefits and supports. The story doesn’t end there John has just been emailed by Mastercare with an offer of a senior engineer position, a job which should take him up to £30,000 a year. He’s come a long way since he was a baker for Safeway on £18,000 and found a career that is sufficiently absorbing to take his mind off his constant pain.
Pathfinder Magazine, featuring John Allison, course 407N, Forces Leaver, Staffordshire, (Senior Engineer, Mastercare)

Hi all,
At the end of 2008 and closing in for 10 years after I made the decision to attend Cero training in Nantwich, I thought I would touch base and give you a little career update. I am now working for Nokia in Bristol as the Head of Service Delivery, Music. My salary has increased 100% in the last 4 years and my responsibilities, stature and confidence have exploded :)

This is the article you published a while ago about me and the success is a tribute to the foundation training and the methodology encouraged.

Training for an IT career can be a positive move. When, in April 1999, Drew Nash made the decision to do just that, he never imagined how far that decision would take him.

Nash chose IT along with training provider, Cerco IT Training and Recruitment, after leaving the Forces on a medical discharge. ‘I decided that IT held the best prospects for the future.’ He decided on Cerco after testing with them in London. That choice, for Nash, was crucial.

The training with Cerco took 6 weeks. It was fast and intensive. ‘You needed to be alert. This was real world training. There was constant examination. We were learning through the sort of practical, hands-on emphasis you don’t find elsewhere.’ The pressure was on to perform.

Retraining involved more than taking classes. ‘The atmosphere at Cerco was fantastic. They had great facilities and good accommodation – I self-catered with eight guys.’ Nash thrived on the camaraderie. ‘We’d go out in the evenings to revise as a group. With the fast pace, it helped to get ahead for the next day.’

Part of Cerco’s draw is their tested recruitment programme. This put Nash into his first IT role. ‘Employers come in to interview throughout the course. PC Service Call interviewed then hired me as a customer service representative. I graduated straight into full time employment on 16K and a company car.’

Nash has not looked back. His salary has grown with his movement through the industry. Within two years of Cerco he was a Senior Engineer on 25K. Still the promotions came. ‘2004 has been my best year. I’m now with an international technology company, earning 40K and managing desktop support for a huge fleet of mobile sales staff.’

Nash believes success lies in effective training and a positive attitude. ‘I’m a massive advocate of Cerco. A confident attitude and belief in your ability are vital. You must be willing to step up and have a go. That’s what I did when I started at Cerco.’ Five years on and Nash is proof of the opportunities in IT. His advice to those considering a similar path is clear. ‘If you want something to happen then work at it until it does. Companies like Cerco will help but put yourself forward and take the opportunities. They are out there.’
Daily Mirror Article