LeaderQuest provides customized SharePoint training to Federal Agency

LeaderQuest, an Information Technology and Management training provider and a leader in providing Cloud Based Training environments was engaged by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide a customized training program for Microsoft SharePoint 2007 and 2010.

“With a very specific set of requirements, HUD needed a partner that knew how to run a complex IT training environment through the cloud, and had extensive experience in customizing the Microsoft Official Curriculum for onsite delivery” said George Cohlmia, President and CEO of LeaderQuest. HUD’s unique requirements for cloud-enabled training and custom content development rendered the traditional off-the-shelf training product less attractive. “Luckily, our experience in providing customized training permitted us to deliver exactly what HUD staff needed, meeting both their skills and time requirements” Cohlmia added.

With stringent network security policies, HUD’s onsite solution required that the SharePoint training environment be provided through the cloud without compromising network security or application performance. By deploying the customized courseware onto LeaderQuest’s “cloud-delivery” system, HUD staff was able to run hands-on lab scenarios for the entire course from their web browsers under the watchful eye of their LeaderQuest onsite instructors. Mr. Cohlmia stated, “This is yet another case where LeaderQuest can bring the tools to deliver what the client needs reinforcing our unique ability to deploy IT training solutions globally at a moment’s notice”.

ABOUT LEADERQUEST:

LeaderQuest offers a tailored blend of products, services, and technologies that help organizations deploy and manage strategic or tactical training investments in Information Technology.

LeaderQuest has trained thousands of IT and business professionals since its inception in 2001 and uses a range of capabilities in delivering its solutions including over 400 hands-on courses, over 12,000 E-Books, and a complement of Cloud-Based learning services. All of this is delivered by a team of technology and business experts bringing results-oriented solutions to individuals, companies, and government clients. Visit LeaderQuest

LeaderQuest to provide Statewide Training to CDOT in 2011 and 2012

LeaderQuest, an Information Technology and Management training provider and a leader in Microsoft Technology Training has been awarded a contract to provide Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) employees training in a number of IT areas including Microsoft Office 2010, Windows 7, Microsoft Project, Adobe Acrobat and Information Security.

LeaderQuest will employ a range of onsite delivery capabilities to conduct training in CDOT locations throughout the state of Colorado. George Cohlmia, President and CEO of LeaderQuest stated, “To be able to deliver advanced IT training to any location in Colorado, or anywhere in the world on a moment’s notice, is a capability that sets LeaderQuest apart from the pack.”

In recent months, LeaderQuest has claimed a number of multi-site IT training engagements utilizing its cloud-based delivery platform.  “By coupling our ability to customize courses based on the needs of our clients and our cloud-based delivery capabilities, LeaderQuest is uniquely positioned to address the most complex IT training scenarios nationwide”, Cohlmia adds.

ABOUT LEADERQUEST:

LeaderQuest offers a tailored blend of products, services, and technologies that help organizations deploy and manage strategic or tactical training investments in Information Technology.

LeaderQuest has trained thousands of IT and business professionals since its inception in 2001 and uses a range of capabilities in delivering its solutions including over 400 hands-on courses, over 12,000 E-Books, and a complement of Cloud-Based learning services. All of this is delivered by a team of technology and business experts bringing results-oriented solutions to individuals, companies, and government clients. Visit LeaderQuest

OK, installing SharePoint is probably not quite like taking the first steps on Mars, or maybe it is …

Until the recent runaway success of the Kinect for Xbox 360 “gesturing entertainment platform,”  SharePoint was the product that reportedly grew the fastest to the $ 1 billion mark in U.S. revenues and it had been the fastest growing Microsoft technology for three straight years before the advent of Kinect.

It has been well documented that SharePoint 2010 can:

· Improve efficiencies

· Reduce Costs

· Remove workflow bottlenecks

· Organize information

· Make information easier to find

· Standardizing data and forms

So what if your organization wants to benefit from of all of the features SharePoint 2010 can offer? What do you do next? What do you do first?

Attend the Free LeaderQuest class Friday, June 10,2011 from 9:30am until 2pm, “Microsoft

SharePoint 2010- First Steps.” This will be a Free 4 Hour Class that will go step-by-step in explaining what you need to do to get Microsoft SharePoint 2010 up and running or migrate from SharePoint 2007. We will address licensing, hardware requirements, support and maintenance issues. Steve Nardini, LeaderQuest’s Lead SharePoint Instructor will answer all of your questions and show you what you need to know to make your SharePoint installation a success. Free breakfast and lunch will be provided. You must register to attend and register early as this class will fill quickly.

SharePoint Installation Tip

Many times SharePoint installations are unsuccessful because they are not planned correctly. Abraham Lincoln supposedly said, “If I had eight hours to cut down a tree I would spend six hours sharpening my axe.”

In planning or changing a SharePoint installation create an ordered structure of domains that would be used to both organize SharePoint site structures and serve as a method to organize a “SharePoint Governance Team” that would establish enterprise-wide standards.

For each division/department/operating unit establish Governance Leaders as members of that Team.

These Leaders will communicate unit objectives and goals. The Team as a whole will then be able to develop enterprise-wide standards and policies.

Following this methodology helps ensure that your SharePoint installation will be not just a technical success but a business success.

Yes, it’s important if your car looks good and has a great sound system, but isn’t the most important item in your car the engine? 

If the engine doesn’t deliver what you think it should (in mileage and/or performance) then your ownership experience will not be a pleasing one. Therefore, the most important element of a car is its engine.

At LeaderQuest the most important element of our product, is our instructors.  Our performance is based on what they deliver to the students.  That is why we go to great lengths to seek out and find the best instructors. 

At the end of the day, our training needs to be delivered by people capable of transferring their knowledge and skills to the students.  By taking their knowledge and applying it to real world situations and answering student questions with detailed examples they can transfer that knowledge.  Students leave our courses with the skills they need in their chosen discipline. 

We believe our instructors provide the best performance available in the market today.

LeaderQuest Welcomes Corrie Ammon as its

Applications Lead Certified Trainer

Corrie Ammon, (MCP and CIW Certified Instructor) has been doing IT training for 12 years. Corrie holds certifications including; Microsoft Certified Professional, Microsoft Certified Specialist, Certified Internet Webmaster, and Certified Instructor for CompTIA iNet+ and Network+.  We welcome Corrie to the staff and are pleased she has joined LeaderQuest.

Just another example of LeaderQuest delivering the best in classroom training.

OK, we are not all math wizards.  However, obvious business basics derive results that can’t be ignored.

Without customers you don’t have a business.  The more you focus on long-term customer retention and satisfaction the stronger your business will become.  An important element in any type of economic conditions.  A big part of customer satisfaction is employee satisfaction. 

Confident knowledgeable employees tend to create satisfied customers.

A recent Knowledge Advisors (a learning measurement and software company) survey among almost 8,000 learners found that LeaderQuest Training solutions had a positive impact with clear, measurable benefits:

11.1% increase in employee satisfaction

10.4% increase in customer satisfaction

9.8% improvement in quality

8.6% increase in sales

8.3% increase in productivity

Unlock your business potential and get the benefits of these outcomes by calling LeaderQuest today or visiting our website at www.leaderquestonline.com. 

We believe that training is much more than a one-time classroom event.

Here's a scary proposition for those looking for a job:

Suppose you are sending resumes out left and right, but you are not getting calls.  You're not receiving as much as an email back letting you know you are not qualified.  You're frustrated.  You have no answer as to why you are not getting calls.  You check your resume for mistakes.  You are beginnning to get down on yourself and you are feeling inadequate and such.  You check and double check your email address and phone number.

Everything seems to check out, so what is the problem?

A LeaderQuest student recently was in a similar situation.  This person is very qualified and very talented.  He is currently enrolled in a certification program, so he should be very marketable and desirable.  But, he wasn't getting the calls he thought he should.

This past Friday, I got a call from a recruiter from one of our corporate clients.  The recruiter was very interested in talking with our student and thought he could probably find him a very senior role within that company. 

Unfortunately, the recruiter did not have the gentleman's contact information, so he had no way of contacting the student.  Fortunately for the student, I was able to get him in touch with the recruiter and an interview should be on the horizon.  The student swore up and down he had his information on the resume, so we were both perplexed.  

So what happened, you might ask?

As it turns out, the student had his contact information in a "header" on his resume.  Now, it would be safe to assume that most employers would see the header, but what if some can not, as was the case for this student?

What a scary prospect, the thought that such a small fix can mean the difference between a call and not getting calls.

Walk carefully, job-seeker!

Also, to follow Augie Frost (Manager of Career Services at LeaderQuest), find out about what jobs we are working to fill, get job-seeking information, etc., please join the Linkedin group, "Technology Careers Group."

Businesses succeed or fail on the quality of decision making.

It’s always been so. Executives, managers and staff at all levels use known information and data to steer their company and all facets of its operations. In some cases, decision makers rely on assumptions, anecdotal experience and the occasional hunch when planning their next steps.

Experience shows that by employing both the “science” and “art” of decision-making, businesses can gain measurable competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Business Intelligence (B.I.), a hot topic in leadership circles today, encompasses a set of techniques, processes and tools to enable fact-based decision making. BI empowers executives, managers and knowledge workers to effectively access, analyze and act on relevant, fact-based, business information critical to exercising sound business judgment.

We'd like to teach you to begin to make decisions based on what story the data is telling!

SharePoint 2010 has the potential to help you unlock hidden patterns and trends that are hiding in your data.

Contact us to learn more!

For Immediate Release: March 17, 2011
Centennial Colorado

LeaderQuest, an IT and management training provider and Planet Technologies, a leader in Microsoft SharePoint Technology integration have entered into an agreement that leverages each other’s strengths to help organizations effectively deploy and rollout SharePoint business solutions at the Enterprise level.

“By coupling LeaderQuest’s comprehensive and highly customizable SharePoint training capabilities with Planet’s uniquely experienced SharePoint practice, organizations of various sizes and industries will now benefit from a seamless business integration and change management methodology to support the entire breadth of their SharePoint implementation strategy” says George Cohlmia, President and CEO of LeaderQuest.

“Through this partnership, Planet clients will now have more flexibility and more options in the approach and modality of their SharePoint training strategy to better align with unique job roles, learning styles and workplace restrictions. With LeaderQuest, we can now deliver SharePoint training to thousands of users on a global basis through a combination of e-Learning, hands-on classroom training, or onsite training capabilities” says Clayton Cobb, Planet SharePoint Architect and Microsoft SharePoint MVP. (Clayton’s SharePoint blog at http://claytoncobb.wordpress.com/ offers some of the most renowned SharePoint content).

LeaderQuest and Planet will be holding a FREE one-half day seminar on using SharePoint and InfoPath on April 29, 2011. Go to the LeaderQuest Events page to learn more.

ABOUT LEADERQUEST:

LeaderQuest, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner - Learning Solutions offers a tailored blend of products, services, and technologies that help organizations plan, develop, deploy and manage strategic or tactical training investments in Information Technology and leadership development.

LeaderQuest has trained thousands of IT and business professionals since its inception in 2001 and uses a range of capabilities in delivering its solutions including over 400 hands-on courses, over 12,000 E-Books, and a complement of Cloud-Based learning services. All of this is delivered by a team of technology and business experts bringing results-oriented solutions to individuals, companies, and government clients. LeaderQuest

ABOUT PLANET TECHNOLOGIES:

Planet Technologies, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, is an international IT services and business consulting firm with expertise in the integration and customization of Microsoft technologies and data center solutions for the Public Sector, Service Providers and enterprise clients.  Planet is a five time Microsoft Federal Partner of the Year and a two time Microsoft State and Local Government Partner of the Year. Visit us at www.go-planet.com

Casey Smith made a great presentation on SharePoint Business Intelligence at last week's "packed" SharePoint event.

Take a look.

Casey's Presentation

Join the National Association of Workforce Boards and thirteen other national organizations in a Workforce Day of Action on Thursday, March 24, 2011.

Workforce development programs are an important part of our nation's economic recovery and job creation effort, yet the House Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations bill (HR 1) zeroes out all funding  for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) state and local employment and training programs, a cut of over $3.6 billion for the coming year (beginning this July).

Sign up today to participate in the Workforce Day of Action and stand united with the National Association of Workforce Boards and other national workforce organizations on Thursday, March 24 in support of adequate funding for workforce education and training programs.

Thank you all for rallying to support all of our efforts to educate our policy makers on the importance of federal workforce and training programs.  If you have not taken these following actions already, please do so ASAP.

Sign the Restore WIA Funding Virtual Petition - Sign and share the link with your colleagues and customers.

Sign the Congress Letter of Support - Workforce Investment Board chairs, sign the support letter to Congress.

Join and share the Facebook Workforce Cause Page - Weigh in on the proposed budget cuts and share it with your colleagues and customers.

Share this email and tell others now.  Keep up with campaign updates on our Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/WorkforceInvest.