Re: Database (and other) training

Swiego wrote:

> Hi! I am a [new] manager of a team of DBAs who among other things
> will be responsible for departmental training for an IT
> administration/development department of about 75 developers and DBAs.
> We currently do not have a formal internal training program; only
> contractor DBA/developer/analyst who occasionally moonlights holding
> various "classes" or presentations on creating objects, shell
> scripting, random DBA stuff (i.e. "the good, bad and ugly of
> materialized views", that sort of thing) and so forth.
>
> I'd like to look into establishing a more formal training strategy,
> and I'd love some advice on what others have tried, and what has
> worked or not worked. Obviously a focus is on DBA training for a
> small group of DBAs (how should they self-train each other as a
> group?) but broadly this same group of DBAs (and app server admins)
> likely would be responsible for managing the training of the
> development staff in their various platforms. It's just something
> that comes with the territory here, where the DBAs generally are
> former accomplished developers as well.
>
> Any thoughts? What training patterns or structures work? What
> political issues (i.e. measuring the "unmeasurable" in order to have
> ROI numbers to justify the overhead cost) exist and what are some
> strategies to maneuver past them? Are we alone as a shop that puts
> the burden of technical training (even for non-DBAs) on the DBAs? If
> not, any thoughts would be GREATLY appreciated!
>
> Swiego

I teach Oracle at the University of Washington and am an advisor to the program at UC Berkeley. In addition I also do a lot of training for private firms, lecture for Oracle user groups and am the Education Chair of the Puget Sound Oracle Users Group. My comments, below, should be understood in this light.

1. Most training programs, including almost all by Oracle, are targeted toward those that are beginners to intermediate level.
2. Most managers after sending their employees for training report that they received little or no value for the investment.
3. Inquire as to how much of the training is hands-on and how much reading PowerPoint slides?
4. Any attempt to just justify training is a waste of time. What is the cost of an extra hour of downtime?

My suggestion would be to determine, internally, the specific requirements you have for training that will affect specific areas of weakness in your staff. Then locate a consultant that is an expert on that subject and pay them to:

1. Come on-site and train your people.
2. Provide on-going support for 6mo to a year for those items for which training was provided

Anything less ... and there is an oval shaped receptacle down the hall with a small handle that can be used for removing money from the premises.

-- 
Daniel Morgan
http://www.outreach.washington.edu/ext/certificates/oad/oad_crs.asp
http://www.outreach.washington.edu/ext/certificates/aoa/aoa_crs.asp
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu
(replace 'x' with a 'u' to reply)