Training Services

Have you ever thought that perhaps your computer can do more than just print letters? Perhaps you wonder about some of the more complicated parts of your word processor, like mail merging? Do you do calculations with a desk calculator, rather than use a spreadsheet? Modern business software is incredibly powerful and often very complicated! Thanks to the bloating introduced by vendors attempting to sell you the latest version, even the busiest users rarely use above about 10% of the features of many of these systems. There is also an element of "over-ambition" with these packages. Word processors are claimed to be capable of calculations. Spreadsheets are claimed to have "data handling capability". And databases are sold on the basis that they are simple to use. Setting up a computer system to gain the full benefit requires knowledge and experience. There are many courses on offer from many providers. Many of these courses are government funded at no cost to the user, and some even promise "a new career in IT". Unfortunately there is no control over this industry (it is government funded, after all!), and this means people can claim that a few months of their evening classes will make you as valuable as a student that has just completed a three or four year full-time degree! (What is also unconvincing is that often you will find the class being taught by last years "graduates" from the same class!) All too often people discover that these courses are too basic for their needs, and lead to qualifications that employers just do not ask for. We do not provide those types of course Instead we offer - Training on a one-to-one basis, or for small groups. Training for Microsoft Office, Access, Internet use, and others by arrangement. Training that can be provided at your site, using your software, and using real examples drawn from your business. Training that is customised to the needs of the students, and the needs of your business. Training that is in language that the students can understand! Key Benefits Gain a better understanding of the ways that IT can be used within your business to improve the service you provide to your customers. Training based on your business data allows you to create real solutions, and understand how the examples can be extended as your skills improve. Gain information handling experience and tools that can be re-used within your business time and time again. Make better use of your time and resources. Gain new skills and understanding of the business - and feel better about your job! Case Study Most computer users benefit from training, and we have taught: Typists who used word processors as typewriters - spaces at the start of each line, and a return at the end - because nobody ever explained it properly! A few one-to-one sessions, and productivity improved dramatically. Engineers who know what they want to put in a database, but don't understand coding variables or data integrity. Taking their data away, rebuilding it, and developing a system that they could use (without the worry of the underlying design) plus a few basic lessons, allowed them to concentrate on their job, and to use the information effectively. Teachers who arranged general computer lessons at home through fears that although their schools were being issued with computers, they were not being trained to use them, and worried about being "left behind" in the rat race. A creative writer who wanted wordprocessing lessons at home to allow her to produce a more professional product to send to publishers and tutors. Financial clerks and amateur treasurers who didn't realise how easy it was to do calculations in a spreadsheet, especially "what if" budget forecasts. Managers to develop, maintain and extend customised databases in Access, allowing better management information to be obtained and used.