7th April 2015
Keeping staff skills at the cutting edge, particularly in IT, has a direct influence on project success, sales, profit, as well as employee retention. Many Microsoft Partners would like to upgrade or add new skills to their portfolio but sometimes find the cost of official Microsoft Curriculum training prohibitive.
Broadly, there are 3 ways to reduce the cost of attending public training courses: cut corners, use cheap e-learning alternatives or use more cost-effective ‘in-house’ training providers.
1. Cutting Corners
Cutting corners normally involve a reduction in quality (e.g. deleting course material, reducing the number of days, etc.) or employing a generalist or low budget trainer rather than a specialist. This option tends to fail, where highly competent staff need the very best training possible.
2. Cheaper e-Learning
Some e-learning providers claim a 50% saving, which is logical given minimal office infrastructure, zero travel and accommodation costs and low-cost service delivery. But there is one big problem with e-learning – it’s boring. Typically it’s a one-way conversation, sometimes a video monologue with little opportunity to interrupt and ask questions or truly engage with other students (an important part of learning).
3. ‘In-house’ Training
Public Training courses often come with a very high price tag. Many Microsoft Partners have commented to us on the cost of this type of training so we decided to do some research. To make a fair comparison we have assumed coverage of the three Windows Server MCSA Courses (410/411/412) for a team of 10:
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Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012
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Administering Windows Server 2012
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Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 Services
Table I: Public Training ‘Windows Server MCSA’ Courses
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Courses |
No. of days |
Basic per person |
Extras* per person |
Total cost |
|
A leading UK Training Provider |
15 |
£1,955 x 3 wks |
£700 x 3 wks |
£80,850 |
|
An Accelerated Training Provider |
9 |
£5,450 |
Nil |
£49,050 |
* Extras include travel, accomodation, food, certification exams, etc.
The advantages of face-to-face training are a more engaged audience and greater depth of understanding. Staff are able to ask for clarification on key points, exchange views on what they have learned with other students and learn in a dynamic and lively environment.
We believe that In-house Training gives all the above, plus more, and at a substantially lower price as illustrated in Table II.
Table II: In-house Training ‘Windows Server MCSA’
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Courses |
No. of days |
Basic per person |
Extras* per person |
Total cost |
|
Curo Talent |
10 |
£2,865 x 2 wks |
Nil |
£28,650 |
So savings of over 50% are possible if you choose this approach. The reason for the lower cost of Curo’s training is simple – we come to your office. This considerably cuts down on the price you are charged as well as lost time in travelling, particularly for teams.
We believe the quality of training is also higher as many of our trainers are ex-Microsoft MCTs, and often at MVP level. They are able to give ‘real-world’ anecdotes of how the technology can be applied as they are also working consultants, architects and engineers. Just like other providers, our official Microsoft Curriculum training leads to full certification.
To learn how Curo helped Freedom Communications with their Microsoft Curriculum training programme download our IT Training Case Study.
