Having been a Value Added Reseller of Autodesk software for over 20 years, we have experienced the transition of training techniques.  For the type of software we support, newer methods rarely provide clients a level of learning comparable to traditional training.

We still offer open enrollment In-Person training because we understand and value our client’s actual business.

In 1997, all of our open enrollment training classes were always full.  AutoCAD was just integrating with Windows and some of our larger architectural clients were still implementing internal company email.

Through the years, the software has changed.  We have more architectural clients on Revit than AutoCAD.  Our civil engineers and surveyors use AutoCAD Civil 3D.  However, we have a large client base of contractors who still use AutoCAD.

When clients were hiring new employees, they would send them to training.  When clients were making the transition from 2D to 3D, they had full implementation services that included classroom and project-based training.

When intranet bandwidth grew and travel budgets tightened, we saw the evolution of online training.  The next progression was the explosion of pre-recorded online videos.

Business Owners and Managers tend to take the path of least resistance.  This is especially true when it comes to making sure employees are (and stay) trained properly in a software system that accounts for 6-8 hours of use a day.

Investing in training for employees goes beyond work productivity and efficiency.  According to an ASTD study, companies that invest in comprehensive training show:

• increased income of 218%, per employee than those with less comprehensive training
• higher profit margins by 24% than companies who spend less on training

Students learn better and retain more when training is in an uninterrupted, scheduled environment.

Clients’ ROI of new software and versions are the poorest when end users are left to their own schedules to watch videos.

Students who attend a live presentation via the web are directly dependent on their own ability to not multi-task during training.  Those in the architectural, engineering and design fields are typically caught up in projects.  When not physically removed from the computer or environment of normal work, the chances of poor understanding and retention exponentially increase.

In-Person training allows the trainer to walk the room during exercises to see if commands being taught are being executed properly.  It also makes it easier for students to ask questions by being truly interactive.

Some clients do not have enough students for a dedicated class of their own.  Or if they do, they cannot afford for all of them to be taking training at the same time.

We still offer open enrollment In-Person training because we understand and value our clients’ actual business.  Training classes for our core products are offered at our training center in Smyrna, GA every 6-8 weeks.