Flexible, high-quality training helps teams prosper, says IDC study

This blog post is the third in a series of three examining the results of a recent IDC study,  Leveraging Microsoft Learning Partners for Innovation and Impact.*

Upskilling is a key requirement in today’s IT centers, and Microsoft Learning Partners can help your organization get the greatest impact from your learning initiatives, development programs, and digital transformation efforts. Given the importance of staying ahead of quickly evolving technology, we asked IDC researchers to find out what makes a Learning Partner valuable to an organization.

Our first post in the series, New study shows the value of Microsoft Learning Partners, took a high-level look at the benefits of using a Learning Partner to meet your technical skilling needs. Among the findings: the right partner, along with high-quality content, improves outcomes. The second post, Get results from end-to-end training solutions offered by Microsoft Learning Partners, highlighted the tremendous value Learning Partners bring to organizations through their capacity to provide an end-to-end solution and to deliver value-added services to support a learner’s ability to gain and retain needed skills.

This final post explores the additional benefits. Working with a Learning Partner provides:

• Scale, flexibility, and speed. Learning Partners have the scale to support global organizations, the flexibility to tailor programs to client needs, and the speed to stand up complex programs quickly.
• Quality content and delivery. They also deliver the latest in accurate, relevant content using Microsoft Official Courseware (MOC) delivered by Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs).

Programs with scale, flexibility, and speed meet learning goals

Learning Partners have the scale, flexibility, and speed to set up your IT skills initiatives quickly, provide all the necessary resources, and make sure programs stay on track. As learning experts, they know how to adapt to changing circumstances and schedules and to help ensure that learning initiatives succeed.

The IDC study emphasized three areas where Learning Partners make a difference to organizations:

• The scale to work locally and globally. Whether your IT group is big or small, a Learning Partner works with you to scope and adapt their programs to your organization’s needs, such as rolling out learning across time zones.
• The flexibility to adapt to change. Learning Partners have the flexibility to adapt their deliverables to your changing requirements and business constraints.
• The speed to stay ahead of the tech. Learning Partners not only keep up with the technology but also anticipate changing requirements and help you prepare for the road ahead.

Quality always makes a difference

Quality in learning programs helps accelerate your organization’s business goals, including digital transformation. Tom O'Reilly, Head of Group Strategy at QA, talks about quality as meeting the unique needs of learners and circumstances. “You cannot execute a transformation program without offering a breadth of learning modalities and a high-quality offering in each of them," he points out.

The IDC study emphasized that high-quality training comes from using official courseware and current content, delivered by certified instructors. Quality extends to the way that Learning Partners address every aspect of the learner experience—beginning with an assessment of your training needs and, for some, ending in certification exam preparation.

Some organizations view certifications as a natural outcome of a quality learning experience. Certified IT pros perform their role better,** and certifications can lead to improved IT performance. Learning Partners can help your workforce prepare for the industry’s most trusted certification.

Next step: Ask an expert about their services

To move forward with your skilling needs, consider working with a Microsoft Learning Partner with the scale, flexibility, and speed to deliver the resources that work best for your workforce—along with the quality content and instructors that can help everyone succeed.

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Download the IDC study white paper, Leveraging Microsoft Learning Partners for Innovation and Impact

Download the IDC study datasheet, Top reasons to get IT training from a Microsoft Learning Partner

Find a Microsoft Learning Partner

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* IDC white paper, sponsored by Microsoft, Leveraging Microsoft Learning Partners for Innovation and Impact, #US47225021, January 2021.

** Global Knowledge, 2019 IT Skills and Salary Report, as quoted in Ten reasons to earn a Microsoft Certification.