Rich Talbot asked:


There are a large array of courses available for those who wish to improve their proficiency in Microsoft Office or Windows Training. Whether you are an individual or part of a business the difficulty is often matching your requirements with the most suitable course.

There are many variables that need careful consideration, such as the choice of program and version, the user’s level of experience and the type of course format. Of course all of these details can be discussed by making a quick call to a Microsoft Authorised Training Centre, but this article will give you the low down and is the perfect place to start.

Hopefully, selecting the appropriate application will not be too difficult. Training courses are available for all the various applications and versions in the Office suite, Windows and others Microsoft programs such as Microsoft Project and Frontpage.

Most levels for Microsoft Training can be split into Introduction, Intermediate and Advanced. The subjectivity of an individual’s choice according to their experience can be questionable at times and this is no easy task! Where possible it is always a good idea to look at the course syllabus or better still, contact a training centre for a better diagnosis.

Formats of Training

It is important to have resolved the above issues before proceeding in the decision of the most appropriate course format. We will now take a look at the various course formats available:

Public Schedule
Some of the leading Microsoft Training Companies in the UK offer daily public schedule courses for popular programs like Microsoft Excel training. Other business critical courses such as MS Project training are run as often as twice a week and are always in comfortable air conditioned environments in a variety of centres in and around London. These instructor-led classes typically have an average size of 6 with a maximum of about 8.

On-site

You may find it convenient for classes and trainers to come to your company site or home. You have the flexibility of covering a structured public schedule syllabus or tailoring the course to suite your individual requirements. It is often possible to combine syllabuses of different courses, which may include intermediate and advanced levels or two totally separate programmes.

It is handy to know that some of the leading Microsoft Training Companies have very competitive pricing policies and some even offer to beat any like for like training quotations – so do your research and ask! Many UK training companies offer on-site training UK wide and to other popular European locations.

Closed Company

Closed company training is sometimes preferred when there is a preference of training away from the work place and not in a public schedule course. Training companies provide training venues and Microsoft certified trainers that are able to train from a public scheduled syllabus or alternatively to specific tailored requirements.

One-to-one

One-to-one training, similar to on-site and closed company, can be done at your work place or at a training venue provided by the training company. It offers a more individual, highly tailored and personal approach that many often prefer. One-to-one training allows the individual to be trained at the most suitable pace and also allows time to be focused on critical business related subjects.

Consultancy

Businesses that require tailored training may also consider a mentoring approach in the form of consultancy. Consultancy provides a superb choice for businesses that need to understand or tweak an already existing application. For example, Excel Consultancy can help with spreadsheet design or re-design and development to improve robustness, efficiency and usability.

E-Learning

E-learning or blended learning solutions can help to sharpen Microsoft Desktop and general I.T. skills. This approach allows self paced learning to fit around your work or personal schedules.

Hopefully you should now have a clearer idea of what type of training course best suits your needs. Microsoft Training positively impacts on staff productivity and also helps in the communication of ideas and making informative business decisions in a fast and timely fashion. For more information about the right training course for you, a simple Google search will help find a reputable Microsoft Training company. They will be more than happy to discuss further your exact requirements.