Six Questions You Must Ask to Ensure
Your Training Will Truly Build Competence Every Time

1. DOES THE TRAINING EMPHASIZE FACILITATED HANDS-ON PRACTICE?

Hands-on practice, facilitated by an expert instructor, is the only way to assure competence and retention of skills. Training structured to spend less than 50% of the time engaged in hands on practice will likely be ineffective in building competence.

2. CAN STUDENTS CHOOSE TRAINING MEDIA THAT SUITS THEIR OWN LEARNING PREFERENCES, INCLUDING FACE-TO-FACE TRAINING, REMOTE-LIVE TRAINING, AND SELF-PACED TRAINING?

Learning styles and circumstances vary a great deal. While budgetary limitations may lead some to be attracted to training solutions that eschew travel, many students prefer and learn best when they are working in a classroom with other students. Others prefer an instructor-led experience but are comfortable with remote-live options. Still others will benefit most when they work on their own, at their own pace, as long as there is someone to help them along when they get stuck. HOTT is alone among training providers by offering all three options.

3. DO THE SELF-PACED TRAINING OPTIONS INCLUDE A FACILITATOR WHO ASSURES THAT STUDENTS NOT ONLY FINISH THE COURSE AND HAVE SOMEONE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, BUT ALSO SEES TO IT THAT THEY SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE LAB EXERCISES?

To become competent on complex technical topics, students must complete complex hands on exercises. To believe that even dedicated, sharp professionals can complete all such complex exercises without assistance is unrealistic: if no one ever needs assistance, the labs are too easy, and the training will not achieve its goals. Therefore, HOTT's self-paced training includes a personal facilitator for every student and every course. These are the same seasoned, experienced professionals who develop and deliver our courses. No other provider offers this level of personal mentoring and facilitation.

4. DOES THE TRAINING PROVIDER CONTROL COURSEWARE CONTENT?

You should be leery of providers who don't create their own courseware. Off-the-shelf courseware cannot provide the necessary emphasis on comprehensive hands on exercises that is key to learning and retention of complex topics. Ownership of our courseware allows us to incorporate comprehensive labs and continually upgrade the content, using both instructor and student feedback regarding what works best.

5. WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF THE PROVIDER'S INSTRUCTORS?

If all of a provider's instructors are consultants, watch out. You are dealing with a virtual training company. A virtual training company has no instructional staff and owns no courseware. It is a marketing company that makes money by selling training. When a sale is made, an instructor broker is contacted to provide an instructor, usually with pay rate and geography the deciding factors, and courseware is provided by the instructor or leased from a courseware leasing company. The results of such training are, at best, uneven.

HOTT's instructors, both staff and consultants, are experienced professionals, cross-trained in several technologies. They can relate the strengths and weaknesses of products and present alternative solution strategies when they are warranted. Only a tiny fraction of the instructors who teach for our competitors and apply to teach for us meet our strict standards and are considered qualified to teach for HOTT.

6. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER TRAINING? FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT IF A STUDENT FEELS THAT EVEN AFTER COMPLETING COURSEWORK, THEY NEED ADDITIONAL HELP TO PASS A CERTIFICATION TEST OR JUST GET FULLY UP TO SPEED?

HOTT strives to make every student comfortable within their newly learned skill-set. If a student is not, they have the option to retake all or part of the course again for no additional charge. If a student lacks confidence we will work with them to develop the understanding that leads to confidence as well as competence.

BONUS TIPS

• For live training, small class sizes are optimal. Large classes assure some students will not receive an excellent training experience. HOTT's open-enrollment classes are kept small, generally under 10 students, assuring each student gets personal attention.
• Make sure you have the necessary flexibility if circumstances, schedules and needs change. HOTT offers unparalleled flexibility and convenience. To minimize your cost and maximize your convenience, we offer not only face-to-face, remote live and self-paced options, but also on site training. Our on-site training manager will coordinate with you and your technical staff to arrange a mutually convenient time to conduct the on-site training class. At HOTT there are no penalties for rescheduling or switching study tracks. You are in control of when, where, and what you study.
• Look for help with travel costs. HOTT minimizes your travel expenses in several ways. We schedule classes at regular intervals across the United States so there should be a class near you. For students who are not near a metro area with scheduled classes, HOTT also offers fixed-price packages covering air and/or hotel. For students unable to travel, HOTT offers remote attendance capability with full duplex video and audio so the experience is as close to sitting in the live classroom as possible. HOTT also provides lab equipment with instructor remote access/control capability so that facilitation can be as timely and effective as for students physically in the classroom. HOTT offers on-site training as a cost-effective alternative for larger groups. However, if your IT staff is distributed in multiple locations it may be more convenient and cost effective for some of them to attend our public classes. There is a 10% discount for 3 or 4 students attending the same class on the same date, 15% for 5 or more. Students can change their registrations at any time without penalty. There are multi-course tracks available in a variety of locations, so students can take a single week of training and then wait to take the rest.
• Beware of hidden costs. HOTT has no registration fees, cancellation fees, or any other fees other than tuition. HOTT's prices are among the lowest in the industry for instructor-led training. When deciding on a training provider, you want to compare total costs including tuition, travel, and time away from work. HOTT concentrates on efficiency through condensed training. We take less time to teach you the skills you need to be effective on the job. Our combination of training effectiveness, multiple locations, and reasonable tuition provide you the best overall value.