QUESTION: How can I find material on technical skills training--for example, call-center training, systems training, and so forth?

First, meet with the department head who requested the training. Ask for an organizational chart and job descriptions, then take time to review exactly what knowledge and skills the department's employees need to perform their jobs. Once you have that information, it's like shooting fish in a barrel.

Here are two methods for finding the courses you need:

• Find a training supplier in your industry. For example, I'm in the Internet data industry, so I use Global Knowledge, KnowledgeNet, SmartForce, and NETg. They all offer technical courses, both CBT and instructor-led. You can create a curriculum from their courses by reviewing the course descriptions and the prerequisites for each.

• Find a training supplier offering the specific functional training you're seeking. My company runs a network operations center--a high-tech call center for technical network problems. Help Desk Institute focuses on this type of training, so that's an option for us.

Published: November 2000