IT Skills Academy - Low Cost Access to Training Materials

[penfold_99]

I came across this while attending the Learning Technologies Exhibition.

 

The Skills Academy is a not-for-profit organisation set up by and for employers, and to support the entire IT sector. It has used its purchasing power to put together an unequalled package of learning and development resources that subscribers can access at their desks. It includes:

- Over 1000 e-learning courses across the full IT professional and certification areas, developed by Skillsoft, the UK’s No.1 e-learning provider

- 24/7 mentoring to help you if you have any questions

- Test Preps to prepare for exams, e-books, articles, news and insights

It is constantly updated, always on, and subscribers can access it anywhere – so you can build on your skills wherever and whenever it suits you.

 

This simple cost-effective solution is only £95 per user per year for as much learning as you want to do, whether its to get a certificate or just develop IT skills in a particular technology.

 

The full list of learning can be found at https://www.itskillsacademy.ac.uk/learning/subscription-contents/

[gl3nnym]

Looks too good to be true. Tons of resources on there!

[danfromacademy]

Looks too good to be true. Tons of resources on there!

 

I promise you it is true! The subscription is currently on sale as an introductory offer - we only launched in June 2011. The Academy is backed by e-skills UK and we're trying to create a resource that benefits IT professionals around the country. We're developing our supported certification tracks at the moment (itskillsacademy.ac.uk/certifications) and our process is entirely based on the feedback we receive, so if you have any comments or questions we'd love to hear them.

[gl3nnym]

Hi danfromacademy

 

At the moment I am studying for my 70-640 and looking to achieve the MCITP:SA certification. By paying £95 per year, will this site offer the information I need? I struggle learning from books and learn best by videos, online and labs.

 

If the site can provide this, I will be telling everyone!

 

Thanks

 

EDIT: This https://www.itskillsacademy.ac.uk/certifications/microsoft/microsoft-certified-it-professional-server-administrator/

Edited March 5, 2012 by gl3nnym

[danfromacademy]

Hi gl3nnym

 

The section under the 70-640 exam titled "Online courses" lists our courseware. Those are interactive videos (requires Java) to teach you about the topics. You can see a quick demo of them in the video on the Certifications page - itskillsacademy.ac.uk/certifications

 

Any other questions - don't hesitate to ask. Thanks!

[mac_shinobi]

Hi gl3nnym

 

The section under the 70-640 exam titled "Online courses" lists our courseware. Those are interactive videos (requires Java) to teach you about the topics. You can see a quick demo of them in the video on the Certifications page - itskillsacademy.ac.uk/certifications

 

Any other questions - don't hesitate to ask. Thanks!

 

1. Can you pay monthly instead of a lump sum for the year ? ( If so how much would the monthly payments work out at ? )

2. Probably a daft question but if you pass a course ( so for example ICND parts 1 and 2 so effectively a CCNA afaik ) do you get a certificate online as well as a physical paper certificate ?

3. Do all courses come with and have videos / labs etc as I am the same ref doing something physically and watching videos and although I can read it doesn't make much sense to me unless someone ie a video or lab is going through it.

 

Thanks

[Steve21]

2. Probably a daft question but if you pass a course ( so for example ICND parts 1 and 2 so effectively a CCNA afaik ) do you get a certificate online as well as a physical paper certificate ?

 

That depends on the exam centres you get it from normally. Most of the bigger ones (MS etc) only give paper certs if you pay for it, else it's only online. As far as from this site, it's only research isn't it, not actual exams?

 

Steve

[danfromacademy]

1. Can you pay monthly instead of a lump sum for the year ? ( If so how much would the monthly payments work out at ? )

2. Probably a daft question but if you pass a course ( so for example ICND parts 1 and 2 so effectively a CCNA afaik ) do you get a certificate online as well as a physical paper certificate ?

3. Do all courses come with and have videos / labs etc as I am the same ref doing something physically and watching videos and although I can read it doesn't make much sense to me unless someone ie a video or lab is going through it.

 

Thanks

 

Hi mac_shinobi

 

1. Not currently. We're reviewing internally how we might structure pricing differently once we exit this early phase and drop our introductory offer. I will pass on this as a request for consideration by the team - thank you!

2. Our learning subscription simply provides resources to teach you core skills towards that vendor certification. We currently link our subscribers to Prometric and Pearson Vue if they show an interest in taking the certification exams, going forward we'd like to develop closer ties with training providers - time will tell.

3. I am responsible for building each certification page, using a checklist each time to make sure that we include: Courseware (interactive video), TestPrep, eBook, Mentoring, and examiner contact details. Details about what each of those mean are on the Certifications page. If one of those resources isn’t available, I make sure that information is explicitly stated up-front. Additionally there is a page dedicated to certifications we cannot support within a certification track or learning pathway - itskillsacademy.ac.uk/certifications/unsupported-certifications

 

Hope that helps!

[mac_shinobi]

Hi mac_shinobi

 

1. Not currently. We're reviewing internally how we might structure pricing differently once we exit this early phase and drop our introductory offer. I will pass on this as a request for consideration by the team - thank you!

2. Our learning subscription simply provides resources to teach you core skills towards that vendor certification. We currently link our subscribers to Prometric and Pearson Vue if they show an interest in taking the certification exams, going forward we'd like to develop closer ties with training providers - time will tell.

3. I am responsible for building each certification page, using a checklist each time to make sure that we include: Courseware (interactive video), TestPrep, eBook, Mentoring, and examiner contact details. Details about what each of those mean are on the Certifications page. If one of those resources isn’t available, I make sure that information is explicitly stated up-front. Additionally there is a page dedicated to certifications we cannot support within a certification track or learning pathway - itskillsacademy.ac.uk/certifications/unsupported-certifications

 

Hope that helps!

 

Thanks - would be good to know once there is integration with the Prometric / Pearson vue and also is there a trial period or some courses ie CCNA where you can get a trial of say one month ?

[danfromacademy]

Thanks - would be good to know once there is integration with the Prometric / Pearson vue and also is there a trial period or some courses ie CCNA where you can get a trial of say one month ?

 

We keep everyone informed of our progress through our email newsletter (you can register for that free through the site), blog and Spiceworks community page.

[Paid_Peanuts]

If a school wanted to purchase access to this resource for its technical staff is this possible?

Currently this would have to be done through purchase orders etc.

[danfromacademy]

If a school wanted to purchase access to this resource for its technical staff is this possible?

Currently this would have to be done through purchase orders etc.

 

Hi Paid_Peanuts

 

Of course. itskillsacademy.ac.uk/tools/subscribe/subscription-form - is the page to visit for registering your interest in multiple subscriptions.

[penfold_99]

I have had an update from the IT Skills Academy detailing when their introductory offer will end.

 

Our introductory offer of a year’s unlimited online learning for just £95 per person will expire on Thursday 14 June 2012.

 

You could save up to 70% - and gain access to many new features - by subscribing now.

 

Why subscribe?

 

When you have staff at different career stages with varying learning needs, it can be expensive and time-consuming to plan IT training. Instead, the Skills Academy gives you total flexibility - for a low, fixed annual price per learner, your employees get unlimited access to a wide range of training to use whenever they need.

 

Since launching a year ago, we have introduced new content and features, responding to feedback from the IT employers and professionals already subscribed.

 

The Skills Academy now offers more than ever, enabling you to:

• Train your whole team. You can access over 90 relevant certifications - including Microsoft, Cisco and Oracle - which are suitable for entry-level staff through to IT managers. These include new and updated courses from leading e-learning provider, SkillSoft.

• Keep your staff happy. With professional development vital for employee satisfaction and loyalty, learners can now use the IT Professional Profile to benchmark their skills against national standards, identify gaps in their knowledge and plan the training they need to progress.

• Support your learners. A subscription also includes useful resources such as 24/7 online mentoring, a fresh selection of over 200 e-books related to popular certifications and exercises to test knowledge. In addition, learners can benefit from informal professional skills courses, including project management and team leadership.

 

Subscribe now

 

Until Thursday 14 June 2012, a year’s Skills Academy subscription will cost just £95 per person, whether you’re training one employee or your entire organisation. After that date, a tiered pricing structure will be introduced, with a maximum price of £359 per person, which reduces as you train more staff.

 

To benefit from this limited offer and save up to 70%, please complete our group subscription form or buy online. Or contact [email protected].

[penfold_99]

Just a reminder that there are only 22 days left to register before the price increases.

[nutso]

Thanks for pointing this out! I don't usually browse the training forum (being that training is something that I don't actually receive and can't really afford to pay for myself), but I happened to see this. Lucky because there's only one day left of the introductory offer! I'm all signed up now and hoping I can get work to reimburse me.

 

So I would just click the thanks button, but by bumping this thread I hope I can help somebody else see this because time runs out

[Tech1]

I have also signed up for this, it was just too good of a deal to miss. Now which course do I do first........

[jdoyle]

ditto. Just signed up.

 

Listed edugeek as the lead generator.

[plexer]

Good job everyone who signed up before as it's now gone up to £323???

 

Ben

[Tech1]

Good job everyone who signed up before as it's now gone up to £323???

 

Ben

 

Even at £323 I still think it's an excellent price.

[plexer]

£95 would be better, shame we can't get an edugeek discount

 

Ben

[plexer]

All change it's now Welcome to e-skills UK

 

Ben