Andrew Critchlow
Competition IT PC & Network Support Age 21 Qualifications Cisco Certified Network Associate Hometown Choppington, Northumberland Training Provider City of Sunderland College Training Manager Jen Bell
"Competing in skills competitions has done wonders for my confidence, both on a professional and personal level. I enjoy interacting with the other competitors and learning from their experiences."
Profile
Andrew has been interested in computers since he was a student at high school. His interest in IT was so strong that his school offered him a position as an IT technician, one that Andrew was more than happy to accept:
"Operating computers came very naturally to me. It started out as a hobby, but as time went on I began to think about it as a career. I find it very interesting learning how computers are assembled in terms of hardware and software."
In preparation for WorldSkills 2007 Andrew is continuing to study for his Cisco Certified Network Professional qualification at the City of Sunderland College and is training intently alongside training manager Jen Bell: "I will be working on an intensive training plan with my training manager. I plan to make sure that I learn about everything I need to know in order to complete my tasks at WorldSkills effectively and efficiently."
Although happy in his current position at Bedlingtonshire Community High School, Andrew hopes to progress his career further and be working for a large corporation in the IT industry within five years.
In his spare time Andrew enjoys watching motor racing, computing and networking.
Employer
Bedlingtonshire Community High School in Northumberland.
Competition Requirements
Andrew's tasks will include the installation, configuration, maintenance and upgrading of PC hardware, software and networking, as well as fault-finding, diagnosis and trouble shooting.
