Scheidegger - An Unbiased Opinion
CIW Website Design Manager Course
Who are Scheidegger?
I have not formed an opinion of Scheidegger - The Company, as I have had little direct communication with them. I'm quoting from their own literature here, where they claim to be Europe's No. 1. computer and IT training college. Established for over 50 years, Scheidegger have, in this time, trained over 5 million students from 11 different countries. This equates, very roughly, to 10,000 students per year, per country
Exams looming! Time to knuckle down!
Are the Courses any Good?
I can only comment on the CIW Website Design Manager Course, which I have found to be very good. I only came to this opinion when I got into the second half of the course and the subjects became a little more advanced. I have a computing background so I found the earlier parts of the course too basic but I understand the need for them to be there.
Are the Accreditations worthwhile?
YES! Very Definitely. The Certified Internet Webmaster is a universally recognised qualification. What should be borne in mind, is that Scheidegger do not run the examinations nor do they issue the accreditations.
What are the Scheidegger Tutors like?
I need to try and be a little diplomatic here. The Scheidegger tutors are helpful, or at least they try to be. On the few occasions I have contacted them, they are responsive, but have not always answered the question I have asked.
Is the Course Material of good Quality?
Yes and No! The printed course notes, supplied by Scheidegger, are good and comprehensive with, in many cases, lots of screen-shots to illustrate the topic. However, the Interactive Training CDs that accompany the course notes are, in my opinion, a complete waste of time.
Who are Skills Train?
I only recently became aware that Skills Train and Scheidegger are one and the same company or, at least, are closely associated. The Skills Train website does acknowledge association with Scheidegger but the reverse does not appear to be the case. I have received communications from both companies throughout the duration of my course.
In Summary
I am often asked the question: Are Scheidegger a good company? Having done one of their courses successfully, I suppose the answer has to be Yes! I also know that this question is, frequently, posed of the search engines, which I see when I study the keyword statistics from this, and my other websites. The communication could be improved upon, as a student you are left very much to your own devices. I feel that they do not publicise all features available to students. Classroom training has never been mention, exams fees I had to find out about from another student extending the course was mentioned at the start, but the associated charges were not.
I think that if they were more open and up front there would be far fewer complaints circulating the Web. What's wrong with a student cancelling their course if they have a good reason - like emigrating, which is one I was told of recently.