Verhoef  Training

News and Events

"Going the extra mile with ICT"

PO Box 2466, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
tel: 0861-102017 • fax: +27 21 856-0042 • e-mail: training@verhoef.co.za

 

 

As part of our long term commitment to Social upliftment we are continually looking to identify and partner with local institutions that directly affect nearby communities.

We identified the Hector Peterson Library which opened on 9 November 1997 in an effort to get people to read. The membership of the library is estimated at 3600 which presents a few challenges to the library due to staff and book shortages.

Verhoef Training donated technical computer books of various disciplines to assist the members of the library who uses the five computers available to them. We trust that this will enrich the members through skills development and possibly provide the impetus for them to move forward in their careers.

 

by Linda Leung (Nov2007)

When the threat of Y2K reared its head, many of us IT reporters wrote heaps about luring programmers out of early retirement to make sure that Cobol-based applications didn't go kaput when the clocks ushered in the New Year. Now enterprises are once again seeking folks with Cobol programming experience to replace the Cobol Baby Boomers who are entering retirement. According to a survey of 650 customers by enterprise software vendor Micro Focus, 70% said recruiting Cobol skills would be important in the next five years.

With the Cobol skills shortage a reality (70% of survey respondents said it has been difficult to recruit Cobol expertise in the last five years) Micro Focus in Nov created the Micro Focus Academic Connections (Action) Program to encourage colleges and universities around the world to start teaching Cobol again. Already the program has signed on 22 U.S. colleges and universities to which Micro Focus is providing free software, including Net Express Academic Edition, Mainframe Express Enterprise Edition Academic Edition, plus free online Web support and manuals. Micro Focus is also offering subsidized training for faculty and free books for student reference.

 

by Juan Carlos Perez (Aug2007)

Job description: Systems administrators install, upgrade, monitor and maintain software and hardware to keep IT operations running smoothly. They often do data backup and recovery. In small IT departments, they are jacks-of-all-trades. Very large organizations can have dozens of systems administrators, each focused on specific areas.

Things they typically maintain include operating systems, business applications, mid-range server hardware, local and wide area network hardware and software, security tools, Web servers, e-mail systems and PCs. The job is as unglamorous as it is essential, says Jim Lanzalotto, vice president of strategy and marketing at Yoh, a recruiting and outsourcing provider. "It's like the offensive line guys protecting the quarterback," he says. "If they do their job right, you never hear about them."

Why you need one: Systems administrators are experts in the nuts and bolts of the company's IT engine, doing mundane but essential tasks every day to prevent problems and improve systems' performance. When something does break, they do early-stage diagnostics. They also must stay on top of the fast and constant technology changes affecting the company's systems, and as such are repositories of granular and critical knowledge. It's a role that will be in demand for the foreseeable future, says John Estes, vice president at Robert Half Technology, a technical staffing company. "Systems are growing in numbers and complexity, and of course there are always new product innovations," he says.

Desired skills: Minimum of three to five years of experience, depending on the work's complexity. For higher-level positions, some companies require a bachelor's degree in computer science, but many employees have just a two-year degree from a technical institute or specific vendor certifications. Common certifications are Cisco Certified Network Associate and Cisco Certified Network Professional.

How to find them: CIOs often grapple with whether to "buy or build" talent, but when it comes to systems administrators, consensus is that it's better to hire from the inside, says Dave Van De Voort, principal human capital consultant at Mercer Human Resource Consulting. "There is a value in having systems admins who are familiar with your business processes and IT infrastructure," he says. If looking outside your organization, avoid using traditional job advertisements, the old "post and pray" approach. Instead approach trade associations, network in conferences, and look in online forums and blogs.

What to look for: Excellent problem-solving skills, current knowledge of technology and the ability to be a constant learner. They should be comfortable multitasking and dealing with crises. "They must remain calm and composed under pressure, able to deal with users rattled due to a systems problem," says Van De Voort.

Growing your own: Typically, these employees start as hardware technicians, in charge of PCs and peripherals, or providing desktop software support, and move up through the ranks. Groom those who have always liked technology, who took computers apart in their teens.

 

As part of our long term commitment to Social upliftment we are continually looking to identify and partner with local institutions that directly affect nearby communities.

We identified Bergzicht’s Training Centre which runs training courses aimed at unemployed persons in and around the Cape region whereby we sponsored two students for their foundation phase course. Reinach and Anthea had their graduation in December 2007 and we are very proud of their achievement.

Bergzicht’s training programme represents a planned combination of learning outcomes with the purpose of providing qualifying learners with applied competence and a basis for further learning. This includes enriching students through personal life skills development and basic generic and workplace competencies needed in any workplace situation. Emphasis is placed on self-development, effective communication, conflict management, goal setting, problem solving, team work and leadership.

We are pro-actively translating our BEE Strategy into goals and will continue to enhance our contribution to Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment through these initiatives.

 

Verhoef Training looks at social responsibility as a long-term commitment and as such are continually looking to identify and building relationships with local social institutions involved in the upliftment of previously disadvantaged black people.

Verhoef Training currently supports the Khayelitsha Site B Hospital in their efforts to service the poorest communities of the Western Cape. Khayelitsha Site B Hospital treats in excess of 35 000 patients a month of which a large percentage are diagnosed as HIV positive.

Previously Verhoef Training has supported the Somerset Hospital for the acquirement of equipment vital to support their HIV/AIDS initiative. Verhoef Training also provide and enabled the setup of a computer science centre at Tereo to give the previously disadvantaged black children in the Helderberg Basin the opportunity to gain the necessary computer skills.

 

by Linda Leung (Oct2007)

A recent Forrester Research survey of technology skills sought by IT decision-makers found that 55% of the 280 managers polled believe project management is a “missing skill set.” Kyle Gingrich, who has 15 years experience of software project management isn’t surprised by the figure and says all IT pros, whether they lead projects or are “techies” should consider honing their project management skills.

I guess it's not surprising that Gingrich would say that, given she is skills development director at certification organization CompTIA, but she maintains that the projects she has worked on during her career would have gone much more smoothly if the techies - the developers, network administrations, security specialists, and so on - in the team had a better appreciation of how their work affected the bigger picture of the project and how to better communicate with project stakeholders.

Gingrich says that CompTIA’s foundational Project+ certification is useful way to get formal training on managing projects. She says the certification isn’t just geared for people managing projects – large or small – but is suitable for all the players whose job tasks affect the outcome of the project.

For instance, at CompTIA, some of its sales people are going through Project+ certification because of their involvement in projects; the individuals Nov not necessarily have project management in their job titles or job descriptions. If everyone involved in a project is able to appreciate its goal and is able to communicate to different audiences how their work affects – whether negatively or positively – the project, then the project is much more likely to succeed, says Gingrich. Team members who are unable to communicate effectively can adversely affect the project, she adds.

Candidates for the Project+ certification learn about project initiation, planning, execution, closure and support. Candidates are advised to have 12 months practical project management experience, but this is not necessary. The exam is 90 minutes long and no additional hours of continuing education is required to maintain the certification.

For IT pros who are interested in making project management into a career, they could go on to consider the certification programs of the Project Management Institute, says Gingrich.

 

by Linda Leung (Feb2007)

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Foote Partners has released its most recent quarterly skills pay survey and guess what … bonus pay for non-certified IT skills is up and skills pay for certified skills is down … again. The average premium pay for non-certified workers grew from 7.0% in Q4 05 to 7.6% of base pay in Q4 06. Average skills pay for certified skills for the same period remained flat at 8.2% of base salary.

A similar picture was painted in Foote Partner’s skills pay survey for Q3 06, which saw average skills pay for non-certified skills increase to 7.48% of base pay, compared to a 0.10% decline of average skills pay for certified skills to 8.16% of base pay.

Every quarter, Foote Partners surveys IT pros – 60,000 individuals for the most recent report – to measure the premiums employers are paying for IT skills. The survey found that in Q4 06, 52% of respondents receive some form of tech skills pay as part of their overall compensation – the highest since Foote Partners’ records began.

“Pay for IT certifications Nov have been flat for the year, but the important finding is that for the last six months of 2006, the certifications tracked posted an overall decline of nearly 2%. This is obviously a disturbing trend for both independent training companies that focus on certification test preparation and the many vendors who rely on certifications to help maintain a foothold in IT departments for their products,” said David Foote, CEO and chief research officer at Foote Partners, in a statement.

But he added that “it would be foolish to imply that gold standard certifications like the Project Management Professional, Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert, and Certified Systems Security Professional and others are not highly valued by employers who continue to reward certificants with annual pay premiums worth 10% to 6% of base pay.”

However, average certification pay grew only 3.2% over the past two years, compared to a 13.3% gain in non-certified IT skills in the period, the report adds. The only certified IT skills category – out of numerous categories that include IT security, project management and networking and internetworking skills – to see a growth in skills pay was Web development-related certifications.

Foote says employers want workers who understand the industry they’re in and have experience in specific systems and software. “And they want workers who can operate under tough deadlines and withstand a certain amount of organizational discomfort,” says Foote. “If you’re that kind of person and you have demonstrated technical skills, not being certified will probably not matter if you have other important strengths – business, customer, interpersonal – in the right proportions for the job.”

 

by Bob Weinstein (Dec2006)

What are the signs of a bright future at a potential employer? Here are six components of a great job:

1. Company is a high-profile industry leader. If the company has a great name and reputation, by association you have immediate recognition by merely working there.
2. Excellent people. Combine a high-profile company with the opportunity to work with talented people, and you have a chance to learn and contribute to a stimulating environment. Now you know why the best and brightest techies on the planet would just about kill to land a job at Microsoft.
3. Training opportunities. Training, whether on or off the job, amounts to a powerful incentive for taking a job.
4. Good pay and benefits. Salary isn't the whole picture, but it's certainly important. It's nice to enjoy three squares a day and be able to afford to pay your mortgage, but it's also nice to earn enough to buy cars, boats and planes. Nothing wrong with dreaming.
5. Enlightened management. Every company thinks it has an incredible management team. But if you actually get the real deal, you've truly lucked out.
6. Excellent promotional opportunities and regular performance appraisals. Whether it's a large, midsize or small company, you want one that's committed to recognizing and promoting talent rather than letting employees languish.

 

In the latest issue of Top ICTe Companies published by Corporate Research Foundation, Verhoef Training is listed as one of only 6 companies that provide both technical and business skills training to the IT industry in South Africa.

Quoted from the publication:

Verhoef Training is an international technology training organisation that delivers training courses to the ICT community in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe and in the United States. The company was established in 1980 by Brian Verhoef, with a simple mission to provide the highest level of technical education to computer professionals. Verhoef has worked in the ICT community in South Africa since 1996.

The company’s service-driven commitment to its clients is to provide the highest-quality training given by specialist instructors with many years of training and broad-based experience in the Corporate ICT world. In line with its client service philosophy, Verhoef strives to accommodate clients’ needs by providing special smaller group training, onsite training and customised packages.

An established SMME company that has taken special care to ensure they have a balanced and customer service driven team that is focused about what they do and the needs of their clients. Experienced lecturers, who are specialists in their field, are sourced to provide training, some of whom have been part of Verhoef’s training team for a number of years. Verhoef recognises the integral part they play in the success of producing hands-on outcomes based training. Verhoef is a member of the Information Technology Association (ITA) and adheres to its strict ethical code, which ensures that high standards and professional competence are maintained at all times. Verhoef is also Proudly South Africa, and is committed to skills development in South Africa.

Verhoef is excited about the future of ICT in South Africa and actively supports Black Economic Empowerment. The Company is committed to forming a long term relationship with a BEE Partner that is a value-added process providing enhanced opportunities for all in the new South Africa. Verhoef is embedded in the ICT industry and strives to build on positive relationships with existing and new clients providing them with a strategic training advantage rather than short term solutions.

 

If you want to build the most powerful company possible, then your first job is to help every person generate compelling answers to 12 simple questions about the day- to-day realities of his or her job. These are the factors, argues Marcus Buckingham and his colleagues at the Gallup Organization, that determine whether people are engaged, not engaged, or actively disengaged at work.

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have materials and equipment that I need in order to do my work right?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the past seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission or purpose of my company make me feel that my job is important?
9. Are my coworkers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
11. In the past six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
12. This past year, have I had the opportunities at work to learn and grow?

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