You've made the decision to increase your
professional value by seeking quality IT training? Well, remember:
Quality is the key word here. Whether you made your decision
because you're trying to find a new job, you seek professional growth at
your current job, or you simply believe extra training will offer you
some job security, at least, you have decided to be proactive. Some
people choose a wait-and-see mode to their career, but you have decided
to take charge of your career direction; thereby, affecting your own
personal and professional growth.
According to the 2004 Workforce
Development Survey conducted by the Information Technology Association
of America, 55 percent of hiring managers placed value on their
employees skills when they pursued formal, on-the-job training programs
and 56 percent placed value on the skills attained from certification
programs.
Meanwhile, 71 percent of employers perceived
certification or continuing education programs to be important or very
important to the career advancement of their employees.
Don't
underestimate the importance of experience, which ranked as the highest
predictor of employers seeing value in the technical skill of current or
future employees. But experience with new or improved IT skills packs a
powerful punch when attempting to advance your career.
Now that
the decision has been made to seek training; the big question is, what
do you look for when seeking quality training? You know you want to find
training that will allow you to walk away with the skills necessary for
career growth. The big question is, what will give you the most value
for your dollar?
To help answer this question, I turned to some
experts in the field of IT training that would give us deeper insight
into how to determine if the training being pursued is a deal or a dud.
-- How would you define quality IT training?
Robert
Vaughn, veteran IT consultant (who also happens to be my husband and
business partner): "Quality IT training consist of exposing students to
real-world challenges and teaches them the skills to solve these
challenges".
James Smith, sales manager of Texas-based training
provider EduCorp: "The experience should provide students with a variety
of learning methods and real world examples that reinforce the concepts
covered in the class."
Michael Chevalier, market research analyst
for North Carolina-based Global Knowledge: "There are many ways to
define quality, but if we define it based on what is important to IT
professionals, then the answer would be a training program that focuses
more on current, applicable skills than on passing an exam for
certification."
-- What should prospective customers look for
when seeking quality IT training?
Smith: "Prospective
customers should look for an organization that has a good reputation,
has been in business for a long time and has the ability to customize
classes."
Chevalier: "Students will achieve better results with
courses that are hands-on and that include peer participation directed
by industry-experienced instructors."
Vaughn: "Check for at least
five references and find out if they stand behind their guarantees.
Compare cost, curriculum, instructor qualifications, references, and
guarantees." He also believes the customer should find a training center
that is certified by their state agency that oversees education and
training facilities.
-- Is there one distinct primary element
they should initially focus on when inquiring about different training
programs?
Chevalier: "Certainly not price first. Consider
instead the quality of the course content."
Vaughn: "Make sure
that you're comfortable first with the company."
Smith: "The most
important distinction that a training provider can offer is their
customer satisfaction policy."
The bottom line is that you must do
your homework and be diligent when seeking a best fit training program
for your needs. In the end, I'm sure you will find your efforts were
well worth it.
Felicia H. Vaughn, M.Ed., is a certified career
management coach. E-mail her at fhvaughn@hotmail.com.
