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This occupation is found in organisations, large and small, in all sectors, and within public, private and voluntary organisations.
Organisations increasingly rely on computer and communications systems in all areas of their operations and decision-making processes. It is therefore crucial to ensure the optimal performance and maintenance of systems. An Information Communication Technician (ICT) is critical to achieving this.
The broad purpose of the ICT occupation is to deliver efficient operation and control of the IT and/or Telecommunications infrastructure (comprising physical or virtual hardware, software, network services and data storage) either on-premises or to end-users provisioned as cloud services that is required to deliver and support the information systems needs of an organisation.
The occupation includes contributing to the preparation for new or changed services, operation of the change process, the maintenance of regulatory, legal and professional standards, the building and management of systems and components in virtualised and cloud computing environments and the monitoring of performance of systems and services in relation to their contribution to business performance, their security and their sustainability.
The Information Communications Technician makes their contribution through the application of infrastructure management tools to automate the provisioning, testing, deployment and monitoring of infrastructure components.
An Information Communications Technician (ICT) provides support to internal and/or external customers, by using tools or systems to problem solve and trouble-shoot routine and non-routine problems. This occupation supports clients/customers with their systems. They achieve this through monitoring and maintaining the systems and/or platforms to maximise productivity and user experience.
An ICT could be installing and configuring computer systems, diagnosing hardware and/or software faults, solving technical and applications problems, either remotely or in person. Some examples of these issues are slow performance, connection problems, and an inability to access data.
The work of an ICT involves undertaking a vast array of specialist roles supporting business critical requirements and focus on customer solutions. Networking, Server, IT Essentials, Secure Communications, programming, and databases are just an example of typical tasks and projects undertaken within the likely areas of employment.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a wide variety of internal or external users of digital systems, through digital channels, remotely and/or face to face.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for prioritising systems support tasks as they arise and for monitoring and maintaining system performance. They may work alone or as part of a team but will escalate problems in line with their organisation's policies and Service Level Agreements. For example, if the task may not be completed on premise, it may have to be referred to an external specialist.
The Support Technician role is desk based resolving system user queries and resolving faults in a helpdesk environment. For example, a Support Technician in a Travel Agent would use a system to manage their customer bookings and when the system fails it needs rectifying rapidly in order to reduce the financial impact and damage to customer reputation. The business would contact a Support Technician to report the problem and either get it fixed or escalated to an engineer.
A Network Technician role is usually desk based but may involve visits to client’s premises to resolve issues. For example, a Network Technician working in a university or a college they may be installing a computer lab as a training suite including cabling and hardware requirements. They may be required to install cloud services to support a business expansion and provide better network services.
In a contact centre environment, they may use network management tools to collect and report on network load and performance statistics to improve commercial outcomes.
In a retail bank they may contribute to the implementation of maintenance and installation work using standard procedures and tools to carry out defined system backups, restoring data where necessary.
A Digital Communications Technician may be desk or field-based resolving faults and issues with communications systems. For example, working in a defence organisation operates as an Online Network Technician they would be at the heart of every mission solving complex issues, enabling the secure exchange of mission critical and often Top-Secret information. It would be their responsibility to administer and provide specialist communications and IT equipment including classified information and cryptographic material to guarantee Operational Capability is delivered to the Command.
A digital communications technician working for a large telecom’s organisation could be involved in the build, test and integration of end-to-end customer solutions to support customer order delivery. Not to mention the build, test and maintenance of core and mobile radio access networks, working with both internal and external customers.
A digital communications technician working for a large telecom’s organisation could be involved in the build, test and integration of end-to-end customer solutions to support customer order delivery. Not to mention the build, test and maintenance of core and mobile radio access networks, working with both internal and external customers.
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| Duty | KSBs |
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Duty 1 Provide technical support to customers both internal and external through a range of communication channels |
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Duty 2 Establish and diagnose ICT problems/faults using the required troubleshooting methodology and tools |
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Duty 3 Interpret technical specifications relevant to the ICT task |
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Duty 4 Apply the appropriate security policies to ICT tasks in line with organisational requirements |
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Duty 5 Undertake the relevant processes with the relevant tools and technologies to resolve ICT technical issues |
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Duty 6 Communicate with all levels of stakeholders, talking them through steps to take to resolve issues or set up systems, keeping them informed of progress and managing escalation and expectations |
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Duty 7 Apply appropriate testing methodologies to hardware or software or cabling assets |
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Duty 8 Practice guided continuous self learning to keep up to date with technological developments to enhance relevant skills and take responsibility for own professional development |
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Duty 9 Document or escalate ICT tasks as appropriate to ensure a clear audit trail and progression of issues |
| Duty | KSBs |
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Duty 14 Complete cabling tasks for example coaxial, copper, fibre or remotely. |
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Duty 15 Administer mobile devices on a network |
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Duty 16 Deliver network tasks prioritising security with a view to mitigatingand defending against security risks. |
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Duty 17 Install and configure relevant software and physical or virtual hardware as appropriate for example: network devices, switches androuters |
K24: Principles of OSI layers
Back to Duty
K25: Principles of cloud and network architecture (including Wi-Fi)
Back to Duty
K26: Principles of DNS / DHCP
Back to Duty
K27: Awareness of Cloud platforms, such as AWS, Azure, or GCP
Back to Duty
K28: Principles of LANs and WANs
Back to Duty
K29: Approaches to virtualisation of servers, applications, and networks
Back to Duty
K30: Principles of network protocols
Back to Duty
K31: Principles of API's and Web Services
Back to Duty
K32: The different types of cloud storage
Back to Duty
K33: Back up procedures and their importance
Back to Duty
K34: Principles of databases and migration
Back to Duty
K35: Key principles of Cloud Security and firewalls
Back to Duty
K36: Awareness of DevOps methodology and tools, such as Puppet, Chef, Git, Docker
Back to Duty
K38: awareness of the purpose of firewalls
Back to Duty
K39: different types of connectivity and cabling for example physical and remote
Back to Duty
K40: awareness of network protocols
Back to Duty
S19: Use a range of Cabling or Connectors equipment in line with technical requirements for example physically or remotely
Back to Duty
S20: Test and evaluate network environments
Back to Duty
S21: Monitor performance and usage of a network
Back to Duty
S22: Deploy applications on a network
Back to Duty
S23: Set up storage and data access for staff
Back to Duty
S24: Apply necessary security measures, in line with access requirements to a network
Back to Duty
S25: Carry out routine maintenance across network systems, ensuring organisational compliance
Back to Duty
S26: Monitor network-related workloads including DNS and firewalls
Back to Duty
S27: Install or undertake basic upgrades, either physically or remotely
Back to Duty
S28: Establish digital communication or telecommunications systems through, for example cabling and connecting equipment.
Back to Duty
B1: Works professionally, taking initiative as appropriate and acting with an ethical approach
Back to Duty
B3: Demonstrates a productive and organised approach to their work
Back to Duty
B4: Self-motivated, for example takes responsibility to complete the job.
Back to Duty
Awarding organisation: NCFE
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