This pandemic, and your response to it as training providers and educators, has highlighted three key things:

1. Virtual training has become the new reality. Schools and training have to change, according to Professor Scott Galloway, and going virtual is the best chance they have to stay relevant in our “new normal”.

2. Data Science, AI, and Security by Design are all very hot topics for businesses right now. With increased emphasis on getting more out of less, these fields are only expanding as organizations look to capitalize on the advantages of new technologies while avoiding the pitfalls of them.  

3. Training has become increasingly important to businesses and educators alike. Closing the “skills gap” has never been more important, and with an estimated 40 million people able to now effectively work from home, there is also more time for training. Training initiatives around all key topics are likely to increase in the second half of the year.

While organizations and schools will continue to expand their virtual footprint, you can grow your business and reach new clients as we settle into the new normal.  

Microsoft® Excel® is a core offering for many training providers. Based on the volume of materials provisioned through LO CHOICE and the Logical Operations store, that is clearly the case. But our research indicates that students want more. 

What’s the fastest way to grow your student enrollments?  One answer is to provide Excel students the skills training that they are looking for—Advanced Skills. Here’s what’s new that you can use: 

1. Data Analysis & Visualization with Excel®— It has Excel in the title and focuses on techniques an advanced user can employ to perform complex analytics and create more impactful visuals using a tool they already know. 

2. Tableau® and Power BI®— Excel users “graduate” into these offerings. For analysts from any department (Marketing, Sales, Operations, Production, Customer Service, etc.) who work with datasets from multiple sources, Tableau and Power BI provide more powerful platforms for working with data. 

3. Python® and SQL— For the very advanced data analyst, building skills that allow them to work with tools like SQL and Python are critical to success. These students want to wrangle data into analytical datasets for advanced analytics exercises, and Python and SQL provide the basis for doing this. 

Over the past year, Logical Operations has invested heavily in data analytics and data science curricula.  This was in direct response to the explosion of data that is being used every day in businesses of all sizes.  The demand for data skills has never been higher, and the best place to start is by offering your Excel students a path to doing more with Excel and/or pushing them beyond Excel. 

See our complete data analytics learning path!

If you’re like me, your social media feeds are filled with posts from individuals about their lockdown self-improvement projects. These are inspiring!  (The occasional lockdown self-improvement shaming, not so much.) 

The LO Content team is always driven by learning and self-improvement, and they’ve kicked this into high gear during the pandemic pause to ensure that we are ready with a great portfolio of instructional offerings for you as the economy re-opens and new learning opportunities arise.   

Content team members are expanding their capabilities by taking classes both formally and informally; assisting with class deliveries; researching and studying the intersections of technology and business; installing and exploring new software and tools; and interacting with our trainer and subject-matter expert communities to expand mutual understanding.   

Individuals on the team are stretching their skills in data analysis and visualization; ethics and emerging technologies; programming and scripting for data science; and tools and best practices for virtual and hybrid training delivery. It’s no coincidence that these are the hottest “what’s next” areas for instruction as society enters the next phase of the economic and social restart.   

We’ll be ready – so you can be ready, too. 

In the past few months, we have relied more on technology to do the heavy lifting as we connect with co-workers, shift business strategy, and even try to find toilet paper and hair trimmers online. As we navigate through the new digital normal, the power of Artificial Intelligence makes our experience with technology faster, smoother, and more streamlined.  Machine Learning algorithms guide our viewing preferences and help us discover new shows to make staying indoors tolerable and interpret customer patterns from massive data sets so that we can pivot our business strategy to meet the new needs of customers during the pandemic. AI is no longer just for the data giants but is achievable for all organizations to grow their business.

Our partners at CertNexus not only had the foresight to recognize the AI trend long in advance, but have already released the next great course and certification, Certified Artificial Intelligence Practitioner™ (CAIP). CAIP offers a uniquely rigorous, hands-on, vendor-neutral program for technical professionals who are tasked with implementing AI solutions in their organizations now, or who simply want to extend their skill sets for career growth for the future. 

What if you’re not a technologist, but rather a business professional challenged to understand AI issues to support organizational decision-making? CertNexus has you covered with AIBIZ™. This streamlined program provides business leaders, project managers, and other stakeholders with the AI concepts and fundamentals they will need to drive a successful AI strategy.   

The CertNexus AI programs are perfectly positioned to meet the need for AI training and credentialing both now and post-pandemic. Check out CAIP and AIBIZ to take advantage of these opportunities today.   

• AIBIZ: AI for the Business Professional (Exam AIZ-110)
• CertNexus Certified Artificial Intelligence Practitioner (Exam AIP-110)
• CertNexus Certified Cyber Secure Coder® (Exam CSC-210)
• Data Analysis and Visualization with Microsoft Excel (D.A.V.E.)
• Python® Programming: Introduction
• Python® Programming: Advanced
• HTML5: Content Authoring Fundamentals

Necessity is the mother of invention. That phrase rings especially true at the current moment. A few months ago, as the mandated shutdown across the globe forced you to start teaching virtually, we launched our discounted Modern Classroom Certified Trainer (MCCT) program. To date, we have currently taught over 2,000 instructors best practices when delivering in a virtual modern classroom.   

At the beginning of each class, we would notice that many of the instructors attending were high school teachers. While MCCT was built for technology and soft skills trainers, the needs of those working at the K-12 level were not being fully addressed. Realizing that they were struggling with this mandated change to virtual education, we designed Certified Virtual Educator (CVE) to speak directly to their needs.

CVE is built on the foundation of MCCT but addresses the number one concern of all educators: engagement. Rather than being a technical class on the variety of delivery toolsets, CVE focuses on how to use any online platform to keep student engagement high.   

Using Zoom Meeting, teachers will get best practices around: 

• Nonverbal engagement 

• Verbal engagement

• Collaborative engagement and breakout rooms 

• Asynchronous engagement 

• Technology Setup 

• Troubleshooting 

As we all adjust to the “new normal”, the educators in our communities need to feel reassured that they will be able to keep their students engaged when school starts. Certified Virtual Educator will give them the knowledge they need and the confidence they should have when school starts back up in the Fall. If you are interested in partnering with Logical Operations to offer this class, please visit www.certifiedvirtualeducator.com for more information.  

Have you ever wanted to take three different books and scale them down to a 5-day bootcamp?   

For example, you might have students with some programming background but no Python experience who need to become functional with both Python programming and the most important principles of secure coding, all within a compressed 5-day time frame. We can help you make that happen!

In this case, the content you want covered in class would be found in each of the following three books: 

• CertNexus Certified Cyber Secure Coder® (Exam CSC-210)

• Python® Programming: Introduction

• Python® Programming: Advanced

You can mix and match lessons and delete unwanted topics from each of these titles to make a 5-day Python Secure Coding Bootcamp of your own!  

Create your content using only the subject areas that pertain to your students, and then personalize it with subtext and footers plus your logo on the front cover. Looking to just add your logo?No problem! 

• View a sample Custom table of contents

• View a sample Custom cover

How to Order: 

You can submit an order for a quote online using our CustomCHOICE tool:

Go to → store.logicaloperations.com → Log in → Choose “My Account” at the top of the screen → Choose “CustomCHOICE” on the left-hand navigation.  

View short CustomCHOICE demo to see how easy it is to get started:

Or call me for a 1:1 demo today!  

Andrea Montanarella, Manager, Custom Production

cprint@logicaloperations.com | 800-456-4677—Option 4 | Direct: 585-350-7014