Either way, you can get the best help by using a top quality distance learning course, from the select College that specialises in individual tuition. We help people to achieve the best-known qualification, the City & Guilds Certificate in Technical Authorship, commonly known as Tech 5360.

This Certificate is only awarded to people who have shown that they have consistent common sense, staying power, persistence and a logical approach as well as writing ability.

The City & Guilds Tech 5360 Scheme is in two parts:

Part 1 is Technical CommunicationTechniques, and
Part 2 is Technical Authorship.

Both Parts include practical work that demonstrates that the holder has the temperament and ability to produce documentation of the highest quality to a specification. Holders of these qualifications do not have to start at rock bottom and can usually contribute to the work output quite quickly.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN STUDYING AT A DISTANCE?
The course consists of textbooks and teaching texts which include tests for the individual to work through, then send to the College by mail, fax or e-mail, for assessment. The personal Tutor has a good knowledge of the background of each individual, and will comment on the work, suggesting improvements where necessary.

The course matches the syllabus and in Part 1 there are 8 assignments, carefully graded to bring you up to exam standard. The last three assignments are actual exam papers, by kind permission of the City& Guilds. The syllabus for Part 1 also includes a Project, for which you must collect information on a technical subject that is new to you, then write a report in a prescribed form. The teaching texts for Part 2 include six assignments and several examples of the practical exam.

The course starts with the Open University book "The Good Study Guide" which shows you how to study effectively, so that no time is wasted. For each Part there is another textbook to show you the expertise of a number of acknowledged experts.

You work at your own speed - you can tackle more assignments if you wish and take the exams when you are sure you are ready. Students in many parts of the world find that this type of study is rewarding, effective and convenient. Help is always available and distance does not create problems.

THERE IS A GROWING NEED FOR QUALIFIED TECHNICAL AUTHORS
When processes and machines were simple it was easy to see how they worked. Now, computers and electronic controls have replaced the simple mechanisms so there is more need for instructions, on paper or on screen, to show people how to operate machines safely. In addition, the Product Liability Laws now treat the documentation as part of the machine, for legal purposes. So any fault in the wording of a user leaflet, for instance, could make the manufacturer of a machine liable for damages.

There is a particular skill in writing documents that people understand easily, and that skill can be developed by women as well as men. There is also a link with technical journalism. An author could be researching river pollution one week and financial management in the next week, to write articles for technical journals. There is also scope for "ghost-writing" technical articles for experts who have the knowledge but not the time or ability to write up their knowledge properly.