A gold-level status is introduced for Certified Technical Education Centres offering enterprise-level instruction and customisable learning to large clients.
Microsoft has introduced a gold-level status for its Certified Technical Education Centres (CTECs) to help identify training organisations that can customise courses for large firms.
The status will be awarded only to Microsoft training partners offering enterprise-level instruction and customisable learning to large clients.
Marsha Kabakov, director of business and channel development for training and certification at Microsoft, said the move was part of its plan to encourage corporate custom. "This is in keeping with Microsoft's need to identify astute partners in the learning space, to provide large-scale enterprises with their learning needs," she said.
Gold-level CTECs must provide references to demonstrate expertise in in-depth developer training and customisable learning programmes and consultancy. Microsoft expects only 5 to 10 percent of CTECs to qualify for the gold-partner status.
But Kabakov denied that other Microsoft CTECs were underperforming, although 50 percent already claim to develop customised solutions for large customers. "The market (for gold-level CTECs) is not as broad. It's a particular opportunity and denotes not a higher value, but focus," she said.
Meanwhile, the software giant is beefing up the security elements of its certification tracks, and is offering a three-hour online security clinic through its CTECs to highlight security elements within its portfolio.
Microsoft has also released some elements of its Windows.Net Server curriculum. Robert Stewart, general manager of the training and certification group at Microsoft, said he expected demand for the Visual Studio curriculum, available since July, to increase over the coming months.
