In this dark period of layoffs and declining work (for some anyway) one of the first things to go is a training budget. Lots of reasons why this isn't a good thing since you now actually have some time to sharpen the saw so to speak, but those reasons would also be different post.
I imagine most firms would love to have a dedicated space for training. Most manage with a conference room takeover now and then. The other issue is computers. A firm spends some serious money on workstations and now they need to drag them into a conference room for a training session. This assumes on-site training. Some training organizations have a mobile training setup where they ship computers (usually laptops) to the office and then the students use them. This isn't usually a free service but I suppose some might be giving it away these days.
For those firms who typical drag computers into a conference room here is an interesting solution. One firm I know has a small collection of older laptops and some new models that don't demand the high price of their workstations. These computers go in that conference room they hijack for a week. Heres the twist, the users login and launch a Remote Desktop session with their very own high end workstations back at their desks.
No need to install software on the training computer for class, they just need an OS and Remote Desktop...usually already part of the OS install anyway. If you are interested in more detail just let me know and I can put you in touch with Long Nyguyen with TKA in Harvard, MA. It's his technique and he said it was okay to share it here.
Thanks Long!!
For those interested in an off-site solution and near a Microtek center you may need to look no further. I've done some training at their Chicago location a few times over the last couple years and they've been really GREAT! In one instance the client forgot to book the training room!! I showed up to, "What training session Steve?!?" We'll they managed to turn around a room for Revit MEP training complete with server environment for worksharing or ten students in less than two hours. We started just ONE hour behind schedule. I couldn't believe it, Awesome service and attitude!
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We also have a set of training laptops (2x 9 laptops = 8 students + 1 instructor per class). It was an "investment" but it has been worth it. The laptops have enough power for training (no RDP neccessary) and they are pre-set with all our training files, etc. It assures consistency between trainers and classes, no matter what office they're in. We also bought cases to ship the laptops (hefty fedex bill...).
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