Business
Solutions
As part of a reengineering project entailing the design of a new system, a proud, accomplished corporate information systems group was to be moved from traditional mainframe programming to a 4GL application development environment. The group was both resistant to change and threatened by the new technology.
Working closely with the training and systems management, BPI developed a population-specific prescreening device (Skills Assessment) to determine students’ background technical knowledge and analytical aptitude for object-oriented programming. Recommendations for remediation or reassignment were a part of this segment of the program. As BPI was also building a computer-based training course and certification program for end users, the programmers’ certification and training initiative was integrated into a company-wide program, Can Do!Second, BPI designed a five-day course to introduce Windows® in a LAN environment and object-oriented programming, built around the client’s real-world applications. The course includes lecture, visuals and hands-on student exercises, a student workbook with problems and an instructor guide. The course is not a comprehensive 4GL training course; it is a thorough and effective introductory course designed to prepare successful students for the next step.
Third, BPI delivered a pilot class, and several train-the-trainer sessions to provide the client the in-house capability for ongoing training. (After the pilot class, it was decided to break the course into two parts.)
- The Skills Assessment was so successful it was expanded to cover the entire programming staff in all locations. An interesting sidebar: Analytical skills proved to be a weakness in a surprising number of the test population, pointing the way for effective remediation and new-hire screening.
- The LAN/Windows trainer has successfully completed several solo flights.
- As the client was unable to identify an in-house person as a 4GL trainer, BPI adapted this custom course for delivery by third-party training companies.
From the Benchmark Publications portfolio of informative briefs, Business Solutions.
Go to Typical BPI Projects for a quick look at some other examples