Firebrand Training News Desk

IT must go ‘back to basics’ to survive the downturn

~ Firebrand Training witnesses increased demand for basic IT courses and Prince 2 ~

January 08, 2009

Businesses are investing more money in basic IT training courses in order to ‘sweat their assets’ during the downturn.

Firebrand Training has seen a 53 per cent year-on-year increase in demand for basic IT courses as organisations look to guarantee maximum value from the IT assets they already have in place.

For many companies, new technology will be a luxury item in 2009, but previous and ongoing investment in existing technologies is too costly and important to let in-house skills expire or stagnate. Investing in skills, rather than replacing kit remains the most cost-effective approach.

Businesses are also improving efficiency by putting more staff through Prince2 qualification. Organisations can no longer afford to carry inefficiency on their books, or risk hard-won IT spend failing to deliver the intended results so smarter project management is proving an essential investment.

Among those courses in greatest demand are CompTIA - A+ and CompTIA Network+.

Executive quote

Robert Chapman, CEO at Firebrand Training, said: “Getting the basics right is a must in a downturn. Failing to do so is unforgiveable. In boom times firms rarely explore the full potential of what they already own, they just bolt on more expensive technology. But businesses must learn how to use more than ‘ten per cent of their brain’ and make the most of everything available to them.”

“During post-war rationing, housewives had a hundred recipes for spam. Now IT departments must show the same kind of resourcefulness with the kit and the software they’ve got available. That means understanding exactly how it works and what it can do.”

About the company

Firebrand Training is challenging the way in which professional training is delivered.

Firebrand Training, formerly known as The Training Camp, has pioneered Accelerated Learning courses for busy IT professionals. The organisation’s innovative approach to course delivery has led to its status as the Institute of IT Training’s “IT Training Company of the Year” for the past three consecutive years.

Students are totally immersed in the subject matter, receiving an average of 12 hours intense tuition per day at a residential training site. Subject experts implement a range of teaching methodologies designed to fit with how we best understand and retain information during different periods in the day. Accelerated Learning is an attractive proposition for contractors, whose time commands very high premiums, and employers who need to minimise staff absence. Firebrand Training has an above average pass rate of 85% - confounding critics’ claims that Accelerated Learning fails to produce results.

Firebrand Training was founded by Robert Chapman and Stefano Capaldo in Summer 2001 as The Training Camp. Stefano was a former student in the US and rated the company’s approach so highly that he decided to launch a programme of courses in the UK. The organisation has since been recognised by Microsoft as a Gold Partner for Learning Solutions (MCPLS) and over 12,000 students have been trained in the UK to date. The success of the company enabled the management team to relaunch as Firebrand Training, which is focused on delivering training courses specifically designed for a European market.

Firebrand Training offers a range of courses covering all major vendors such as Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Sun, and Novell, as well as specialist certifications in the areas of security, business intelligence, project and business process management.

Contact details

For press enquiries, please contact Account Manager at LEWIS:
Tel: +44 (0) 161 601 7740
Fax: + 44 (0) 161 601 7741
Email: firebrandtraininguk@lewispr.com
Internet: http://www.lewispr.com

Technorati tags: Firebrand Training | downturn | investment | skills |

Bookmarklets: