SAN ANTONIO, April 30, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. today announced a first-of-its-kind pilot program that will change the way its approved independent training providers – Microsoft® Certified Technical Education Centers (Microsoft CTECs) – receive, customize and replicate Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC) courseware. Through the MOC Licensing Program, Microsoft CTECs can offer more unique training solutions to customers by integrating their own content with MOC, or have the option to just replicate the curriculum as Microsoft delivers it. These options will allow Microsoft CTECs to quickly meet on-demand training for Microsoft products.
Beginning in June 1999, the pilot program is scheduled to be accessible to more than
100 Microsoft CTECs in North America and Western Europe. Over 80 MOC courses are scheduled to be available for the pilot program in English, French and German. Information from the pilot will determine the procedures for the worldwide rollout in 2000.
“Customers are always asking for better and more efficient ways of training,” said Doug Upchurch, president, Information Technology Training Association (ITTA). “Companies and individuals need solutions-based training that fits their time schedule, meets their needs and gives them the skills they need to achieve their objectives. Receiving courseware online will help training centers give customers what they are asking for.”
“Customers are looking for customized training solutions that fit into their busy schedules and effectively support their network and applications infrastructure,” said Robert Stewart, product unit manager for the Business and Enterprise Division training group at Microsoft. “MOC needs to be flexible to allow Microsoft CTECs to create and deliver unique training solutions that meet their customers’ requirements. The MOC Licensing Program is aimed at doing this.”
Four Microsoft CTECs tested the online courseware licensing program before the pilot was announced. Infotec, The Information Management Group (IMG) Inc., Productivity Point International Inc. and ARIS Corp. have been using MOC delivered online since spring 1998.
“Having MOC in an electronic format has given us the opportunity to provide customized and, thus, more effective training solutions,” said Mary Jo Bader, director of education operations, ARIS Corp. “We get a better understanding of our customers’ business needs and then add our own content, which results in a more tailored approach to learning. This strategy has led to lasting relationships with customers who are ultimately more satisfied with our results.”
“We had just installed a new product based on Windows NT® and Exchange and needed to quickly get a large group of people up to speed on the new technology,” said Jim Rzegocki, training manager, Active Voice Corp. “We partnered with Productivity Point International, whose use of MOC allowed us to customize curriculum that addressed the specific learning needs of our students in a fraction of the time normally associated with developing a five-day class. Without customized MOC, we would still be in the curriculum development phase. Instead, we have been delivering live courses for the past two months.”
About MOC
Microsoft Official Curriculum is a hands-on, technical curriculum primarily designed for instructor-led training. MOC gives IT professionals the expertise to deploy, administer and support the most current Microsoft products. It is available at over 1900 Microsoft CTECs worldwide in over 14 languages.
MOC courses are available to support a variety of Microsoft products:
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Microsoft Windows® operating systems: Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation and Server, and Windows 2000 Professional and Server
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BackOffice® family of server applications
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Microsoft SQL Server
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Microsoft Exchange Server
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Internet and developer products
More information about MOC and curriculum syllabuses is available at http://www.microsoft.com/train_cert/ .
About the Microsoft CTEC Program
Microsoft Certified Technical Education Centers are independent technical training companies that are approved to offer Microsoft Official Curriculum. Courses are delivered in traditional classrooms and online by a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT). Microsoft CTECs offer a variety of training options, including online, self-paced and instructor-led courses, which can stand alone or be combined as a hybrid solution to deliver a complete training solution to customers. A directory of these training providers can be found through the Microsoft Training and Certification Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/train_cert/ .
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and
personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft, Windows NT, Windows and BackOffice are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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