Resources are being stretched further these days than ever before. More of my customers seem to be taking on more of the work themselves. It is sometimes a matter of not being albe to find someone to do the work. Other times, it is that the budget does not allow for some of the necessary resources to be brought in. Even in large companies that have the resources needed for a project, it can be difficult to get scheduled time from the people that have heavily-demanded skills.

For those of you that need to turn yourself into that resource that you cannot get elsewhere, here are a few tips for finding training for yourself. Included here are a few places to find technical training, as well as personal and professional development training. I have not personally used all of these resources, so consider these suggestions a starting point rather than recommendations.

Starting From Scratch

Few of those people reading this article are in the situation where they do not know the basic computer skills and software packages. For anyone that might fall into this category, though, the best place to start is your local college’s continuing education program. Often, they will have short classes on basic computer skills, understanding the Internet, MS Excel, and similar classes.

Advanced Training

For someone that needs more specific skills, there are many advanced training classes available. If you need training on a proprietary software package, you would likely go to your vendor or one of their partners for that training. That aside, though, for the other skills that you might need, there are a wide variety of places to find training.

The Learning Tree (www.learningtree.com) offers classes on Web Development, Oracle, Java, XML, SQL Server, security, and other technical topics, as well as “soft” skills such as Software Engineering. They offer these classes in the US, and a few other countries. They provide certification classes, as well. Another company that offers classes in the US, as well as a few other countries, is Wave – Thomson Learning (www.wavetech.com). They offer hands-on classes, “boot camps” (intense classes), and self-study programs in Microsoft certification, Cisco certification, and several other classes.

If you are looking to set up a class on-site at your company, and want to find a collection of trainers, The Training Registry (www.tregistry.com) is just that – a registry of trainers. This site allows you to look for trainers on any topic, not just on computer skills, so you can look for technical skills or other professional development topics. Another site to find training on the “soft” skills, such as management skills or people skills, is the American Management Association (www.amanet.org). These classes are offered in the US, some available as self-study, and some topics offered in books.

For other personal and professional development classes, you might take a look at National Seminars (www.natsem.com) or SkillPath Seminars (www.skillpath.com). Both offer classes in a few technical areas, such as MS Excel and MS Word, but most of their classes are oriented toward topics such as developing leadership skills, dealing with difficult people, improving your writing skills, and project management techniques. Both companies operate in the US and Canada and offer many of their class topics in books.

If you are looking more toward getting a college degree or certificate, there are universities offering distance learning on-line. One example is RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) (www.rit.edu).

CBT (Computer-Based Training)

So many people cannot necessarily get to a class when it is offered, that CBTs are an attractive option. Although they do not provide the structure of a class (i.e., it is easy to put of doing the exercises and there is no instructor of which to ask questions), they are the only option some people have to get training. They are available on many of the same topics as the technical classes you would take in a training center, such as Microsoft products, Oracle, or SQL Server.

One place to find CBTs is a computer super store, if there is one in your area. My other suggestion would be to get on the Internet and search for “CBT” and the topic that you would like a CBT for. The CBTs I have seen, recently, have been on CD.

These are just a few of the many resources available to you. For those of you that do not have the time or the interest for training classes, this newsletter will feature a future article that will focus on non-training resources.