Get results from end-to-end training solutions offered by Microsoft Learning Partners

Posted on April 14, 2021 by carlos

This blog post is the second in a series of three that examines the results of a recent IDC study, Leveraging Microsoft Learning Partners for Innovation and Impact.* The first post, New study shows the value of Microsoft Learning Partners, provides a high-level look at the benefits of using a Learning Partner to meet your technical skilling needs.

We commissioned IDC researchers to explore the value of Microsoft Learning Partners, a worldwide network of authorized training providers that work with organizations to fill skill gaps and meet their strategic learning and business goals. In the first post, we explored how Microsoft Learning Partners can play a key role in delivering learning results that make a measurable difference in organizations’ cloud initiatives and digital transformation efforts.

Among the findings, four areas consistently stood out as essential capabilities. In this post, we dive into two of them—specifically, that organizations benefit from working with a Learning Partner which provides:

An end-to-end solution that starts with consultation to identify needs and wraps up by evaluating the program’s success.
Value-added services that support learners, such as hands-on labs and custom content.

The study identified two other top-of-mind areas that we’ll cover in our third post—the quality of the training content and delivery, and the flexibility, scale, and speed of the partner.

To learn more about all four qualities, download Top reasons to get IT training from a Microsoft Learning Partner.

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Customized, end-to-end services help you assess gaps, simplify learning, and meet goals

Learning initiatives are usually complex, involving many people and moving parts. Rather than spin out various tasks to different providers, organizations can benefit from working with one provider that can deliver an end-to-end training solution.

Microsoft Learning Partners provide a range of capabilities that help enterprises build and execute successful training initiatives, including:

Identifying an organization’s skill gaps. As consultants, Learning Partners work with their clients to offer proactive guidance and solutions. They work with organizations to identify the requirements and then align their services to meet a client’s specific needs, coordinating and delivering the resources that meet the objectives.
Simplifying the learning initiative. By shifting the task to a Learning Partner, organizations can efficiently move their training programs forward. Learning Partners take care of the details, aligning the curriculum to the requirements, coordinating activities, and managing learning outcomes for their clients.

A mix of value-added services meet learners’ needs and deliver results

People learn best from a variety of tools and approaches, and flexibility is important, as Dan O’Brien notes. O’Brien is the President, United States and Canada, of Fast Lane, a worldwide provider of advanced IT education for leading technical vendors. “When we train [a large professional services firm], many of their staff are billable resources who can’t sit in a five-day class. We built a tailored training model specifically for this use case: We trained one day a week over five weeks, minimizing the impact on work performance.”*

Learning Partners make a difference in their scope of offerings, including hands-on labs, a mix of self-paced and instructor-led training, custom content, role-based learning paths, mentoring and discussion groups, and assessments before, during, and after the training. Services may also extend to preparation for certification exams.

Learning Partners give organizations the tools they need to successfully meet their business and learning goals through:

Customized learning programs. Authorized Microsoft Learning Partners make training programs as relevant as possible for learners. They can use standard courses and learning paths, and they can tailor the content or flow to suit an organization’s unique situation.
Training delivery aligned to client requirements. Some organizations want instructor-led training and boot camps, and some prefer e-learning. Learning Partners are experts at finding the right delivery model and experience for their customers.

Next step: Get the training program that’s right for you

Microsoft Learning Partners can help organizations get the most impact from their learning initiatives. The key is to find providers that offer end-to-end solutions and value-added services for learners of all types.

Find a Microsoft Learning Partner