Mission Critical Systems, Mountain States Employers Council pronounce technology training partnership a success

Denver, CO—A joint technology training program initiated by Denver IT management company Mission Critical Systems (MCS) and Mountain States Employers Council (MSEC), is receiving high marks from both trainers and trainees at the six-month mark.

Hurdling typical training obstacles—inconvenient scheduling, boring curricula and poor retention—the courses offer basic to advanced instruction on a variety of Microsoft applications. These include 2003 and 2007 versions of Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, 2003 versions of Visio, Access and Publisher, and Vista Basic. There is also a PowerPoint class to train the trainer. MCS offers these courses both to MSEC members and the general corporate community.

The training partnership grew out of on-site IT services MCS provided MSEC starting in 2006. Evan Abbott, MSEC Management Development Training Manager, notes, “MSEC has been thrilled with the partnership with Mission Critical. They have assisted us with not only our ‘in-house’ technology issues but we are now able to provide another level of training and development for our member companies through the technology training joint-partnership. Members have raved about the quality of the courses and the adaptability of the instructors to address individualized needs in class.”

Timeliness of this assessment is underscored by the June issue of Training Magazine. A story entitled “Wake-up Call” points out that, “Snore-fest PowerPoint slides, rambling classroom lecture, and e-learning drier than a burnt steak are no longer the norm. Companies today are finding new ways to teach old concepts—and inspiring employee idea generation and collaboration in the process.”

Training class evaluation sheets have been peppered with such comments as, “The small class and ‘one-on-one’ attention is perfect for retaining the material. There is no fear of asking questions!,” “The time in the class was perfect – covered just enough to be useful and not overwhelming,” and “Quick to the point – fast paced, easy to understand and enthusiastic. Never boring or down time,” and, “Great info – I felt like I knew PowerPoint, but this beginner class taught me SO much.”

Instructor quality also has been singled out for praise, with repeated references to a variety of adjectives, including fun, non-intimidating, comfortable, friendly, lively, knowledgeable and awesome.

MCS Director of Training Jenny Douras emphasizes, “We find that our clients really enjoy the smaller size classes and shorter four-hour training session format. By limiting class size to only 12 people, the classes move faster and allow for more one-on-one attention. This half-day approach increases retention, minimizes work-day disruptions and allows people to start using their new skills the same day.”

MCS General Manager Gene Smith adds, “Companies often overlook training for their employees when implementing technology. Implementing new technology without adequate training is an exercise in futility.”

“Adequate” appears to be critical to the equation. A May 20 article in Crain’s Cleveland Business notes, “Many small companies rely on ‘on-the-job training’ and other informal types of employee development in order to ensure that workers understand their jobs. However, this haphazard approach to training often results in lower employee retention and engagement.”

An August 1 Training Magazine article reinforces the importance of training done right: “…organizations need to focus on keeping the ‘massive middle,’ which includes 75 to 80 percent of workers at the core of their workforces…[In a study of more than 15,000 workers] to determine what makes them stay in their jobs, the second most important factor cited across ages, genders, positions and locations was ‘career growth, learning and development.’”

The Mission Critical Systems Training Center is located at 621 17th Street, Suite 2121. For more information or registration, call 303-383-1627 or go to www.mcstech.net and click on the “Training” tab.

About Mission Critical Systems

Mission Critical Systems is a Denver-based IT management company offering technology planning, deployment, monitoring and maintenance to small-to-midsized businesses.

About Mountain States Employers Council

Founded in 1939, Mountain States Employers Council (MSEC) is a non-profit membership organization that partners with large, small, public and private employers alike to maintain effective employer-employee relationships. With more than 2,600 members across many industries, MSEC is a one-stop resource for human resource management, employee law, surveys and training.