AST IT Consulting Academy: The preferred CompTIA partner for EMEA

AST IT Solutions division, AST IT Consulting Academy, leader in the delivery of project management training, project administrator training and the transfer of project facilitation skills, has been contracted by Novell International to train its employees and channel partners on project management methodology in Europe.

AST IT Consulting`s Jenny Fysh is the only CompTIA-certified trainer in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region to provide training on the CompTIA IT Project + Courseware and examinations, originally developed by the Gartner Institute to address the statistically high rate of failure of IT projects.

In addition, Fysh has been contracted by CompTIA to provide `Train-the-Trainer` courses for its Project IT + Courseware in Europe.

"The course focuses on the work that needs to be done by a project manager in order to achieve successful delivery of projects," explains Fysh. "It differs from PMI training in that the course is structured around the project phases and the work that needs to be done in each phase, rather than just focusing on the project management knowledge areas as defined by PMBOK."

However, these knowledge areas are addressed throughout the phases of the project. "Emphasis is placed on ensuring that projects are aligned with the organisation`s strategic direction," adds Fysh. "We have developed a customised training courseware that is aligned to project management methodologies developed for AST`s clients, while still adhering to the CompTIA IT Project + standards."

At the end of the course, candidates write the CompTIA IT Project + exam, which will give them an international accreditation in IT project management.

AST IT Consulting Academy has also recently joined CompTIA as Cornerstone Member, and is the preferred training vendor for IT Project + in SA. Other AST divisions that are CompTIA-certified are AST Namibia and WS&L in Cape Town.

Loraine Vorster, sales and marketing executive at CompTIA, explains the necessity behind genuine certification and the association`s ongoing quest to rid the industry of fly-by-night trainers and raise the standard of training provision in general.

"As an industry-representative organisation we would like to stress the importance behind certification in the IT market. It is really the most effective means of providing credibility, quality assurance and recognition of achievement. We are excited about the AST IT Solutions` commitment to IT Project + and the value it provides as a cornerstone partner."