The hype about the Internet being the future is over. It is now reality and the e-business is emerging as the model on which companies of all sizes - from the corner shop to the multi-national conglomerates - are building their futures.
It is because of this move to e-business that anyone considering entering the Information Technology (IT) world should ensure that their training is focused on meeting this e-business future.
A recent survey of South African companies showed that within the next five years, 60% of them are considering using the virtual work place, enabled by e-business technology, to gain a competitive advantage. It is going to be a major challenge demanding people with skills covering a wide area of disciplines beyond the technical networking infrastructure.
The e-business model is based on enterprise solutions that automate and integrate processes across a company`s supply chain giving it the ability to track customer information from the point an order is placed right through to the time it is delivered.
Oracle, the world`s largest supplier of software for information management, is the first software company to develop and deploy 100 per cent Internet-enabled enterprise software across its entire product line - database, server, enterprise business applications and application development and decision support tools.
It is also the only company capable of implementing complete global e-business solutions that extend from front office customer relationship management, embrace data warehousing and business intelligence solutions, to back office operational application and platform infrastructure. It is because of this comprehensive enterprise-wide presence in the emerging e-business world that Oracle`s training has become so popular.
Globally, more than 500 000 students attended Oracle Universities and Academies during 1999. They came from customers, business partners and individuals looking to expand their computing knowledge gained from University and Technikon courses.
They were all looking to acquire the skills they need to apply Oracle technologies to meet the e-business future.
Oracle has developed a range of certified courses covering database administration, application development and, application consultancy, and solution development. Each qualification has an average duration of 20 days.
The company has developed an Integrated Training Method (ITM) known as "e-track" that combines e-mail, the Internet, and computer-based training (CBT) with instructor-led training to minimise the amount of time students need to spend in the classroom.
Students can access the extensive set of Oracle multimedia and CBT courseware via the Internet or deploy these on centralised servers or standalone PCs in their organisations.
Oracle`s CBT and Internet-deployed training tools have reached a level of sophistication that candidates taking any one of Oracle`s four main certification tracks can complete their courses without spending a single day in a classroom.
Apart from Oracle University`s own training facilities at its Midrand offices, the company will also offer e-track courses at their certified Education Centres across South Africa. Oracle University has appointed CS Training Services which has centres in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape town and Bloemfontein, as its primary supplier of training and services.
Oracle University also works closely with several South African Universities and Technikons offering IT diploma and degree courses to give them experience on Oracle database technology.
As part of Oracle`s social responsibility programme, the company, through the Oracle Academy, sponsors between 20 to 30 people a year on a six month course leading to Oracle certification.
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