Cloud, networking and digital support courses, online and NCFE approved
Cloud systems, secure networking, and the digital support roles that keep an organisation running. Four qualifications, from Level 3 to Level 5, studied online.
The school currently holds NCFE approval for 4 qualifications in this subject, from Level 3 to Level 5. 4 are open for enrolment now, from £995 to £3,495. All of them are studied online from anywhere in the UK, and every one is awarded by NCFE and regulated by Ofqual.
Every qualification below is awarded by NCFE and regulated by OfqualThe qualifications
Not sure which of these fits you? Tell us where you are now and what you want the qualification for, and we will say which one suits and which does not. Ask us a question, or call +44 207 0990 956, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.
The Level 3 diplomas need you to be working, or on a placement
Check this before anything else.
Both Level 3 Digital Support diplomas need access to a real workplace, or to a work placement.
That is not a preference. Six assessment criteria can only be evidenced by working with real end users. Two of those six sit in the pathway unit, so neither route can be finished without them.
You also need to be 19 or over.
Two Level 3 pathways, and they lead to different desks
The two diplomas share a core. The pathway is what differs.
Digital Application Technician is about the software an organisation runs on. You support the systems, and the people using them.
Digital Service Technician is the service desk. You take the incident, work out what is wrong, and put it right.
Both run to 360 guided learning hours. Most people take one to two years alongside work.
The Level 5 diplomas are Higher Technical Qualifications
Two qualifications sit at Level 5. One is Cloud Systems and Secure Networking. The other is Data Engineer.
You need to be 18 or over. No particular prior qualification is required, although a relevant Level 4 helps. Sound English and maths are recommended, because the content is technical.
For the cloud diploma you need a computer and internet access. The practical units also need access to appropriate networking and cloud tools.
Both run to 540 guided learning hours. The progression routes listed for them include cloud engineer, network engineer, security architect, data engineer and data architect.
{'h2': 'Cloud and digital support are two different jobs', 'paras': ('People use the two names as if they meant one thing. They do not.', 'Digital support is the job of keeping an organisation working. You fix what has broken. You set up accounts and devices. You show people how to use the tools they have been given. Much of the work is with the person, not the machine.', 'Cloud and networking is the job of building what everyone else relies on. You design the systems. You connect them and you keep them secure. When it works, nobody notices it at all.', 'One is not a junior version of the other. They are different jobs, and they sit at different levels here for that reason.')}
{'h2': 'What UK employers actually ask for', 'paras': ('Job adverts in this field ask for two things together. Evidence that you can do the work, and something recognised that says so.', 'A portfolio answers the first. These qualifications are assessed on work you produce, so you finish with a record of what you did.', 'A regulated qualification answers the second. These are awarded by NCFE and sit on the Regulated Qualifications Framework. The certificate is issued by NCFE, so it is verifiable by anyone, including an employer who has never heard of us.', 'We make no claim about what either is worth in your sector. You can judge that better than a course page can.')}
{'h2': 'Who these are for', 'paras': ('The Level 3 diplomas suit someone already in a digital support role, or on a placement in one, who needs the qualification that proves it. The workplace requirement above is the first thing to check.', 'The Level 5 diploma suits someone with experience who wants to move from running systems to designing them.', 'No degree is needed for either.', 'If you are not sure which fits, ask us before you enrol rather than after.')}
How you study, and how you are assessed
The taught content is online. There is no classroom.
These four qualifications are not self-paced, and we do not describe them that way. Their specifications require a qualified assessor from the centre to watch you carry out practical work.
That observation is arranged with you. It is the reason the Level 3 diplomas need a workplace or a placement.
The rest of your evidence is work you produce and send in. A tutor marks it and tells you what to change.
The course page for each qualification gives its fee, its units, and how to pay.
Other ways people search for this
If you arrived looking for any of these, this is the page for it: cloud computing courses online, networking qualification UK, digital support technician course, digital service technician qualification, level 3 digital support, level 5 cloud, IT support course online.
Worth reading first
- NCFE Level 5 Data Engineer HTQ: The Qualification UK Employers Are Asking For
- What a digital support technician actually does, and who employs them
The other subjects we teach
- AI for the workplace, online and NCFE approved
- Business, HR and teaching qualifications, online and NCFE approved
- Cyber security courses, online and NCFE approved
- Data and analytics courses, online and NCFE approved
- Coding and programming courses, online and NCFE approved
- UX and UI design courses, online and NCFE approved
- Functional Skills courses in English, maths and digital
- Every qualification in the catalogue