3Com SA has upgraded its 3Star sales training programme and expanded its course content offerings in an effort to address the increasing demand for network sales training. This demand is being led by the fact that more and more businesses see networking as an essential technology tool to increase efficiency and productivity.
"3Star is a certification programme which provides entry level as well as advanced course delegates with a solid foundation of Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN) architecture on which they can build future knowledge," says Roy Hubbard 3Com SA`s senior trainer. "It offers the beginner an introduction to the basics of networking and a comprehensive overview of networking components, transmission media, techniques and protocols. For the more advanced students, a more in-depth look at all areas of network building is also covered."
3Com`s 3Star training programme provides comprehensive sales training covering networking technologies, as well as how 3Com products are positioned to meet the requirements of any network design. More specifically 3Star educates resellers and end users on workgroup, campus and building backbone solutions, high-speed technologies, WAN technologies and remote networking solutions.
"No prior networking knowledge is needed to enrol on the 3Star course which teaches the delegate the concepts of networking and how to design a network, ensuring that they are equipped with a solid foundation to apply the basic technical theory to their work environment," says Hubbard. "The programme specialises in 3Com products and the environments in which they are used."
The 3Star course is not only theoretical but also practical and interactive since the delegates are given the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge, he explains. "The delegates are split up into teams and are presented with networking case studies and design problems to solve. They are able to learn whilst having fun - the philosophy behind this being the belief that people tend to learn more when they are having a good time."
The original course syllabus came from the UK and was localised for the South African market. 3Com SA has updated the course regularly since its inception. "Since technology is constantly changing, the course needs to be continually updated to keep up with the changing trends. Consequently, the course has changed completely since we started the 3Star programme in South Africa two years ago," says Roy Hubbard.
The course is run over ten half days and there are seven modules which must be passed. There is no final exam but a test is written for each module and a minimum of 70% must be attained in order for the delegate to pass the module.
3Com South Africa`s first 3Star graduate qualified in 1996, and to date the programme has qualified over 200 networking industry sales personnel.
Delegates who have completed the 3Star course have given positive feedback. "This is a well rounded technology course on both the sales and the technical sides," says Craig Rosewarne, network sales executive of Datatec, who completed the course in July, this year. "I believe that I am now much better equipped to know what I`m talking about."
CCI`s Nazim Israel says: "I came onto the 3Star course knowing very little but left feeling comfortable and knowing more about the products. I am now feeling very confident that I can now communicate with my customers on a higher level."
3Star has been running successfully for the last two years in Johannesburg and Cape Town and is also available in Durban, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
"There is a huge interest in technology and networking in the rest of Africa and we have had an overwhelming response from delegates who have registered for the course," says Hubbard. "Once an infrastructure for information technology is in place for the neighbouring South African countries, the course will be run more frequently."
"The 3Star course was interesting and informative in all areas of networking," says Richard Mukarakate of Creative Computer Systems, who attended the course in Zimbabwe. "I found that emphasis was well placed on technologies relevant to the region and information provided on other non-relevant technologies was concise and well presented."
Editors note
3Com Corporation enables individuals and organisations worldwide to stay more connected by communicating and sharing information and resources anytime, anywhere. As one of the world`s preeminent suppliers of data, voice and video communications technology, 3Com has delivered networking solutions to more than 200 million customers worldwide. The company provides large enterprise, small and medium enterprise, carriers and network service providers, and consumers comprehensive, innovative information access products and system solutions for building intelligent, reliable and high performance local and wide area networks. For further information, visit 3Com`s World Wide Web site at http://www.3Com.com or the press site at http://www.3Com.com/pressbox.
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