News & ViewsMany of you would have heard about or even used so-called Adobe Acrobat PDF files. This format is fast becoming the standard for the way documents and files are distributed online via e-mail or across the web. PDF documents are relatively small, have exactly the same format as they were originally created, and do not require the same fonts or same printer set up to appears exactly the same on paper or the screen as they were intended. We have created a new Adobe Acrobat (Producing Online Documents) course which will show you how to create these PDF files and all the things you need to be careful of. How to convert your Word documents and Excel files to PDF, how to implement security features, how to implement efficient browsing and navigation capabilities are all covered. Inquire here at CLASS Training for more information.
More information is available in our Course Content for Adobe Acrobat.
Evaluating Your Staff’s Training Needs
While no-one would doubt the importance and necessity of computer courses, the problem with them is firstly you need to find the time to attend, and then secondly you need to determine which course or level will be most suitable.
This is where CLASS Training comes in to determine the best content to deliver and the best way to deliver that content to your staff or personnel.
While the following steps are not exhaustive nor necessarily in the correct order, they will give you some ideas on what to think about when determining what to learn and how to learn it with regards to computer courses:
Step 1: Determine Present Level
The first step is to determine the present level of your staff or personnel relating to what they already know. This could take the form of a completed staff survey or hands-on pre-course ‘tests’ to determine their present level of skills. In most cases, however, while the hands-on tests are very efficient in determining present levels, they are not practical time-wise and the idea of ‘tests’ will scare many off. The next best thing is a written survey for personnel to complete, usually consisting of a list of skills or outcomes for various applications which staff check off if they know that particular skill. An example of such a list for Microsoft Word is as follows:
Tick the skills below you are confident with:
Step 2: Determine Present Roles
The next step is to determine what are the roles of your staff (which you would more than likely know anyway) or at least what are the documents and projects they must produce, and uses they have for the PC, such as for accounting, e-mail and meeting management, and so on. Again, a survey may help here, such as the following:
Tick the documents/projects you need to produce or work with on the computer:
Word Processing
Spreadsheets
Databases
Accounting
PC Basics/Maintenance
Internet
Step 3: Determine Type of Course
The final step in your needs analysis is to determine how to have the courses delivered to your personnel. It is most important at this stage to ask your staff or personnel for their opinions as to how they would like to be trained in particular applications. However, if you have a larger number of staff, then this could be impractical, but nevertheless some input from your personnel will help make the chosen training even more effective.
There are a number of obvious methods for training your personnel, including the old inhouse ‘gather-round-the-PC-so-Johnny-staff-member-can-show-us’ method, which is basically the do-it-yourself method of training. However, if Johnny is very good at the PC but not very good at getting the message across to his peers, then time and money will be very much wasted. Also, studies have shown that peers do not train their own peers very effectively, so outside help is what you need.
The next main decision to make is whether onsite training (i.e., in your offices) or offsite training (i.e., in the training company’s offices) is your preference. There are many advantages and disadvantages for both, and your decision will depend on geographical accessibility, costings, resources in your office, possibility of distractions onsite, travelling, and many others. Again, a survey to some or all of your personnel may help here, along the lines of the following:
Tick the type of training you would like delivered and give a brief reason for your choice:
The above suggestions are only a guide to ensure your required training is both efficient and effective. Other important issues such as pre-course consultancy and post-course support, would also need to be considered. Obviously, contact us here at CLASS Training if we can be of further help.
It is our great pleasure to introduce to you a new member of the CLASS Training team, Roberta Huntley, who comes to us with a wide range of experience. From office accounts manager at a number of businesses, to working as an accountant at KPMG and Coopers and Lybrand, to teaching computer courses at TAFE, Roberta has the flexibility and versatility to help you with your accounting software needs. Roberta will be undertaking most of the accounting software training here at CLASS Training, as well as assisting you with your accounting support questions and queries.
As many of you would be aware, with the advent of the GST we have been inundated with people requiring courses and assistance in setting up and using their accounting software. With Mark previously trying to run all courses and provide support, many of your queries were being answered a little more slowly than what we would have liked. So, in response to that demand, Roberta has come on board with her extensive accounting and training experience to make things more efficient and even more professional. And, if the courses she has taken already are any guide, you can be assured of getting the same excellent services. Some comments from her courses so far:
| "Roberta’s explanations
were very easy to understand; all my problems were solved; and she tells great jokes too!" (Libby, Clerical Assistant) "My specific questions were answered
straight "Course was well set out; logical,
very good "Starting with no knowledge about
QuickBooks |
We wish Roberta all the best in her new employ and trust she can cope with Mark and Kate.
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