[sclug] Training company recommendations

[Dr Adam J Trickett]

Hi everyone,

At work we are trying to get some training approved. We have two
requirements, one for me and one for a colleague.

I want decent Linux system admin training, and fancy Red Hat training to
Red Hat Certified Engineer status. I would also consider other training,
to say LPI Level 1&2 approved status.

I partially want this because I want to know stuff that is useful to
the company, and partially because I have to be cynical and say that
it's a very transferable skill, which is important in todays job market.

A colleague needs a broader more introductory skill set, a mix of Linux
overview, Apache, Bash, Perl and CGI/mod_perl. Seeing as I'm the resident
Perl expert and a single point of failure they are more keen that my
colleague gets some Perl skills than anything else, but I personally
think that just knowing Perl isn't going to help that much.

We're therefore looking for companies that offer training, any
recommendations?

GB Direct and LinuxIT seem to have the right ethos, but I don't know how
good they are. IBM does everything, but I have no idea if it's any good.

Training isn't cheap, looks like over GBP1000 per week, and I'd rather
spend the companies money on something that is actually useful. We'd
probably be happy to pay a smaller company to come in on site and do
bespoke training if the price was right.

As ever thanks in advance for any insight.
-- 
Adam Trickett
Overton, HANTS, UK

The test of the goodness of a thing is its fitness for use.  If it
fails on this first test, no amount of ornamentation or finish will
make it any better, it will only make it more expensive and foolish.
    -- Frank Pick, lecture to the Design and Industries Assoc, 1916