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Copilot for MCTs
I participated in the February 2024 Training Services Partner Community Call (TSPCC) about an hour ago, where numerous Copilot courses and Applied Skills Assessments were announced. However, a critical concern remains unaddressed: the accessibility of Copilot for Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs) to effectively teach these courses and conduct assessments. The current guidance of "Bring your own subscription" (which was provided to me as a response in the TSPCC Q & A today) for training organizations is impractical and does not align with the needs of MCTs and training service providers (TSPs). The lack of a feasible solution for accessing Copilot presents a significant barrier to entry, particularly for individual trainers and small to medium-sized TSPs. The financial burden of procuring a Copilot license, with its substantial upfront cost and lack of a monthly payment option, is a deterrent to many, including myself and many TSPs in my region. This situation creates an uneven playing field, favoring larger enterprise TSPs capable of acquiring multiple licenses, thereby monopolizing the market and client base. It is imperative to recognize that the demand for instructor-led training in Copilot is high, with students seeking guidance and consultation in navigating this revolutionary tool. The self-learning route is not a viable alternative for all learners. I urge Microsoft WWL to expedite the development of a solution that provides MCTs with complimentary access to Copilot, enabling us to deliver the high-quality training that is in demand. The current model is not sustainable and risks alienating a significant portion of the training community. It is crucial for Microsoft WWL to address this issue promptly to ensure the successful rollout of Copilot courses and to maintain the integrity and inclusivity of the MCT program.Badge redemption is received poorly by our students
Hello everyone, I would like to address a matter concerning the new partner program requirements set by Microsoft. While I understand the need for new KPI metrics, we have encountered a significant challenge in getting our students to redeem their badges. There are multiple reasons contributing to this issue, but one stands out the most: once the badge is activated, everything related to the course in MS Learn is marked as completed. As a result, students lose track of their progress within MS Learn, leading many of them to refrain from redeeming their badges. Despite our efforts to prompt students to redeem their badges towards the end of the course, a significant number of them still choose not to do so. Furthermore, we have observed that many students do not perceive the added value of these badges. They enroll in courses with the intention of acquiring new knowledge and skills, placing little importance on the badges themselves. Consequently, these students are less likely to redeem their badges, regardless of how frequently we remind them or emphasize the importance of these metrics. This situation directly impacts our standing as a Microsoft Learning Partner. It can be frustrating as a Learning Partner to be held accountable for an aspect that is largely beyond our control and influence. While we can and do ask students to claim their badges multiple times, we cannot force them to do so. Another source of frustration is the lack of visibility regarding the response rates for badge redemption. There is currently no dashboard available to Learning Partners to track this information. This creates uncertainty and makes it challenging for us to effectively manage this aspect, despite its significant impact on our performance as a Learning Partner. Essentially, for a Learning Partner, it feels like operating in a black box. Please note that I am aware that a dashboard for badge redemption is planned to be available after the summer. However, it is important to highlight that even during this interim period without visibility, we are already being held accountable for these KPI metrics. Although I remain optimistic about the new partner program and understand Microsoft's motivations, I believe there is a need for greater transparency. When Learning Partners are measured on specific KPI metrics, it would be beneficial to provide them with insights into those same metrics. For our other initiatives, such as MTM, we perform daily data extractions and visualize the results through Power BI dashboards. However, when it comes to badge redemption, we lack such tools. Please understand that my intention is not to be disrespectful. I simply wanted to share my thoughts on this matter. Thank you for your attention. Kind regards, Marnix WolfLabs Update 5/30
Hello TSPs, As you are likely aware, Worldwide Learning continues to experience impacts to training labs as work progresses on Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative. These updates are important to ensure that Microsoft continues to be a market leader in protecting both partner and customer data. We know how critical these labs are for your success and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to navigate the challenges of the evolving security threat landscape. As of this week, all M365 tenant types are available for classes. Please note that increased security measures require a longer lead time to provision tenants. Depending on the course and quantity of tenants, Authorized Lab Hosters (ALHs) may not be able to immediately meet partner demand. We are working on resolving the issue and hope to have everything normalized within a week. Please keep collaborating with your ALH to prepare for future classes. D365 tenants remain offline due to the continued security work. Our team continues to make progress on resolving the D365 issue but there is no current ETA for D365 tenant availability. This work impacts the following courses: MB-210T01: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales MB-230T01: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service MB-240T00: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service MB-910T00: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM) We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or disruption these issues may cause to your business and your customers. We value your partnership and support, and we are doing our best to mitigate the impact and provide you with the best possible lab experiences for your learners. We will continue to keep you updated on the progress and the resolution of these issues here in the Forum and on the monthly partner Community Calls. DanRequest for a content-rich M365 tenant for M365 Copilot training purposes
Dear Microsoft Community and Team, I am writing on behalf of our team, a dedicated Microsoft Training Services Partner (TSP), with a keen interest in delivering comprehensive M365 Copilot training to end users. Our goal is to ensure that users can fully leverage the capabilities of M365 Copilot, thereby maximizing its benefits. Typically, an empty M365 tenant would be sufficient for training purposes. However, M365 Copilot's unique functionality hinges on the presence of substantial content within the tenant – including SharePoint sites, files, emails, meetings, chats, calendars, and contacts. This content is crucial for building M365 Copilot’s Semantic Index, which is essential for the tool to operate at its full potential. Consequently, providing hands-on training in such an enriched M365 environment becomes imperative. During the last TSP Community Call in January 2024, Michael Kophs, the Content Portfolio Manager, acknowledged the necessity of such a tenant for training purposes. However, there were no further details provided on how Microsoft might support TSPs in this regard. We recognize that setting up and maintaining a content-rich M365 tenant for training is a complex task, and it is beyond our current capabilities. Additionally, using our own corporate tenant for this purpose is not a feasible option. In light of this, we kindly request guidance or support from Microsoft in providing access to a suitable M365 tenant. This tenant would be used exclusively for training purposes, allowing participants to fully experience M365 Copilot and potentially continue to explore post-training, thereby fostering advocacy for this innovative GenAI-based service. We are open to discussing the financial aspects of accessing such a tenant for our training needs. We eagerly anticipate Microsoft’s response on this matter and are looking forward to your support in empowering end users through effective training. Thank you for considering our request. With kind regards, Marnix WolfCopilot Licenses and Evolution of Benefits Packages
Hi all, If you haven't already heard the news, Microsoft is making updates to the product licensing in benefits packages:partner.microsoft.com/en-US/blog/article/innovate-with-partner-benefits. This includes Copilot for Modern Work and Biz Apps benefits. What is changing? Beginning January 22, 2025, we are adding over 20 in-demand product licenses to our benefits packages. This includes game-changing Microsoft Copilot products, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, and Microsoft GitHub. These product licenses will be accessible in select partner benefits packages and Training Services Partner Solution Area designations. For information on changes by benefits package type, see our benefits transition walking deck. Additionally, the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program benefits guide has been updated to include the upcoming license availability (starting on page 45). As part of this benefit transition, we are also announcing that Microsoft will no longer sell Microsoft Action Pack, Microsoft Learning Action Pack, or legacy silver / gold benefits starting January 22, 2025. We will continue to offer the three new benefit packages that were released in January 2024: Partner Launch Benefits, Partner Success Core Benefits, and Partner Success Expanded Benefits. These are optional benefits packages and not required to participate in the Training Services Partner (TSP) ecosystem. Timeline January 21, 2025: partners will be able to purchase or renew Action Pack or legacy silver / gold benefits through this date. All existing legacy benefits purchased on or before this date will be valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. January 22, 2025: new product licenses will be added to qualifying benefits packages. Existing Action Pack and legacy silver / gold benefits packages will not receive the new licenses. Next Steps Having a benefits package as a TSP is optional, but recommended. Aside from product licensing, partners receive Azure credit greater than the cost of the package. Additionally, Solutions Area partners have access to elevated badging and the customer-facing partner directory (coming soon). Partners may opt to participate in the TSP ecosystem with no benefits package. Partners looking to receive benefits who have an Action Pack or legacy silver / gold renewal date on or before January 21, 2025, have the ability to: renew legacy benefits for one more 12-month period and / or transition to Partner Launch, Partner Success Core, or Partner Success Expanded benefits, available now and / or meet Solution Area badging requirements in one or more Microsoft Solution Areas (note: TSPs can simultaneously have all 3 options above) Partners looking to receive benefits who have an Action Pack or legacy silver / gold renewal data after January 21, 2025, have the ability to: transition to Partner Launch, Partner Success Core, or Partner Success Expanded benefits, available now and / or meet Solution Area badging requirements in one or more Microsoft Solution Areas Resources Familiarize yourself with the transition walking deck and updated benefits guide Review the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program FAQ Compare offerings across the Partner Launch, Partner Success Core, and Partner Success Expanded benefit packages Join the TSP Community Calls for additional information as it becomes available (August 28 th call invites are attached) Ask questions of other TSPs and Microsoft program managers via the Training Services Partner Forum We will continue to provide updates through our regular communication channels as we work towards January 2025 and beyond. As always, if you have any questions please reach out. Thanks for your support. DanUpdate on Credit Card Requirements for M365 Tenants
Update on a solution for credit card requirement issues on M365 tenants for the remaining courses: MS-700:Managing Microsoft Teams Resolved.There should not be any further issues, and Trainers can continue with their deliveries. MS-721:Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Fully resolved by FridayDecember 8 th . ALH’s are onboarding a new tenant solution for the course GitHub is being updated with new instructions to help resolve the issue. NOTE:Please reach out to your ALH to find out when you can resume utilizing the labs Thank you.NEW: MS-203 Retirement Update
The new retirement date for MS-203: Microsoft 365 Messaging will now be December 29th, 2023. We understand that the initial retirement date did not support future scheduled deliveries of this course, and we always strive to provide course retirements in a timely manner to allow for appropriate planning. Please continue to reach out with any questions you may have. Thank you!
