Magic SA, a division of Exsol, has been nominated the first official Magic-authorised training centre (MATC) in South Africa. As the sole authorised distributor of the Magic application development suite in the country, the company recently hosted an advanced training workshop for Magic instructors as part of Magic`s international certification programme.
Yossi Dover, manager of the Israel-based Magic University, presented the "Train the Trainer" workshop at Magic SA during his one-week visit to South Africa. He says most of the 100-strong Magic development (Magician) community in South Africa has extensive experience in implementing the product, but minimal experience in training aspiring developers.
"The most effective way of promoting Magic in South Africa, as it is in any country, is by training people to use the product," he says. "Qualifying Magicians to pass on their knowledge to the local development community not only encourages product growth, but also nurtures a product culture from grassroots level."
Magic SA extended an invitation to the workshop to its leading corporate clients in an effort to further expose them to the benefits of the technology, and to promote Magic training in Magic production environments.
"We consider the workshop a milestone in the development of Magic awareness in South Africa," says Magic SA GM Doug van Vliet. "By qualifying instructors we`re increasing and improving the quality and training services we provide our clients and users."
In June, Magic University launched a worldwide certification system to promote a consistent level of Magic training based on a recognised Magic-developed curriculum. Having attended a training workshop, Magicians can enrol for the Magic certification exam at any of the 1 800 Sylvan testing centres around the world, recognised globally as the leading testing centres for IT qualifications from Microsoft, Baan, Novell and Magic, among others.
As part of the training promotion, students attending the Magic-certified advanced training course receive a free voucher ($95 value) for the exam at a Sylvan centre.
"It`s a win-win situation, another positive step to encourage the implementation of certification courses in South Africa, and all over the world," says Dover. "Our students earn an internationally recognised qualification, launching them on a lucrative career path, and employers gain the benefit of recruits trained at the highest possible level."
Train the Trainer is a practical seminar presented in two sessions. The first teaches students how to prepare an effective presentation - how to define goals, analyse the audience and build the subject and content of each presentation.
"Presentation can either be marketing tools in front of large audiences, or technical courses in front of a small, select group of people," says Dover. "In both cases, students need to define measurable objectives for their audiences, and present their objectives as a practical exercise to the class."
The second session focuses on presentation techniques, including body language, speech delivery, eye contact, tackling "problematic" audiences, and reacting to audience questions. Using microteaching techniques (performance analysis with closed-circuit video cameras), each aspect is practised by the student in front of his colleagues.
Students who successfully meet the criteria of the workshop are awarded a certified Magic trainer diploma from Magic University.
"Our certification programme helps preserve the level of qualified Magicians around the world," says Dover. "As a result, we`ve localised our English tutorials in non-English speaking countries such as Germany, France and Japan, established branches in the US, UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, and Germany, and established distribution networks all over the world."
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