I used to be a MCT (I’ve been decertified this year, when they changed their requirements). The new requirements to be a certified trainer are:
- Become certified as a MCSD, MCSE, or MCDBA
- Attend a Microsoft course (any course)
- Provide proof of instructional skills
And then, each year, you must renew your certification; to do this, you must do a number of things, including attend classes and strive to improve your instructional technique.
My problem with all this is that once you’re certified as a MCT, you can teach any Microsoft class. In the past, you at least had to pass a test for the particular class you wanted to teach, and attend the class. Now, once you’re certified, you can teach anything. Yes, anything. So I could teach course 981 – Supporting Microsoft SNA Server 4.0, even though I’ve never even started up SNA Server.
So sure, you’re saying, no one would do that. Fair enough. But when I go to training, I expect the instructor to be an expert in his/her field. If it’s clear to me that the instructor only has cursory knowledge of the subject at hand, or only has “book knowledge”, I’m very disappointed. I think this new certification policy will encourage “professional trainers” to fire up SNA server (for example), spend a week or two learning about it, and start teaching the class.
That’s too bad…I don’t know about you, but I want real-world experience brought into the classroom.