Computer training schools or computer training centers are one of the largest means of imparting computer literacy. The basic ability to use some features of a computer like typing out a simple letter in a word processor or being able to send an email and access the internet is generally considered as ‘computer literacy’. Computer literacy and computer training schools have only taken off since the mid 1990s. Before that, computers were prohibitively expensive for most individuals.

            Other than computer training schools, computer training is imparted as part of the curriculum in several schools across the world. However, it is a more common practice in first world countries and only in the elite schools in urban centers in second and third world countries. Since computer education is not a part of the curriculum in most schools or even if it is, it is woefully inadequate, computer training schools have mushroomed up all over the place to feed the demand of computer education. Computer training schools also cater to the demand of people who are out of school, especially those in college or those who are looking for jobs. Since most jobs require candidates to be computer literate, computer literacy is seen as a way of guaranteeing a job. Along with computer literacy, the knowledge of English is also seen as a necessary condition for most jobs nowadays. The predominance of English is related to the world of computers and the internet where languages not written in the Roman script have a miniscule presence. As a result, most non-European citizens are being forced to learn English so as not to be left out of the global business which is increasingly becoming reliant on computers.

            Computer training schools are however not always better than the computer education that is part of some school curricula. Most computer training schools charge quite hefty fees and since their course is short term, it inundates the first time computer user with too much technical information which the student is not able to grasp properly. Computer training schools are also thus part of a money racket where trainers with a limited ability to convey or teach students are employed to hastily conduct a short term course for which the student has to fork out quite a large sum of money.

Computer training centers are however not solely profit making institutes. With a certain degree of knowledge of English and a basic knowhow of what is a computer and having seen people use it, one can get a better understanding of these computer training courses.

At the other end of these basic computer literacy courses are computer training centers teaching advanced knowledge like programming in Java, web page designing etc. These courses are designed for computer literate people planning to acquire specialized skills and also for those looking for certain kinds of jobs which require specialized computer skills.

These are some of the functions that computer training centers serve – both basic computer literacy as well as specialized computer programming skills.