3000 training strives for venue
July 19, 2006
As Computerworld reminded us yesterday, the HP user group Interex shut its doors in a rush one year ago this week. The user group had decided to go an independent route, rather than let HP steer content in HP World. Part of that content was once training in the basic use of the HP 3000, as well as savvy from experts who cut their IT eye teeth on the system.
Earlier this summer a couple of those experts announced they planned to hold a training session on MPE/iX Fundamentals, the first such class in several years. Like Interex, HP's gotten out of the training business. It's up to independents like Paul Edwards and Frank Alden Smith to step in where an $8 million user group or an $80 billion vendor used to serve education.
Unfortunately the duo's MPE-Education.com effort fell short of finding its paying customers in time for the July 24 start date. Sometimes classes don't "make" because of scheduling conflicts, and other times cost is an issue. Travel couldn't have gotten in the way this time, because MPE-Education.com was offering its classes online.
Commitments in cash turned out to be the roadblock to getting the training started next week. "The problem was that we had 12-15 prospective students with requests from various companies, including some from HP India," said Edwards. "We finally only had a couple of students registered after we announced the schedule to the prospects. But,when it came time to pay in advance, we got no payments. We needed at least three paying students to cover the cost of the Virtual Classroom technology. We plan to try another date later in the fall based on our schedules."
Rather than looking backward at an Interex that couldn't sustain a brick and mortar user group, Edwards and Smith are still looking forward to offering their classes in the months to come. Encompass is forming up some of the remaining Interex Special Interest Groups under its user group banner. But training in 3000 skills doesn't look to be among the user group's offerings to the 3000 community.