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Hi there, I am an HR Manager for a small software company, and am keen to
encourage some employees to achieve Microsoft Certification. I was wondering
if any of you have incentives offered by your company to encourage
completion within certain timescales. I would really appreciate any ideas.
Many thanks
Cathy

1.Offer to pay for passed exams.
2. In the past (before the IT crash), I was given a bonus ($300) for each
passed exam and then given a Sony DVD player once I earned my MCSD. Times
are different now.

Good luck. I like to see companies encouraging their employees to grow.
Davin Mickelson


"Cathy" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Hi there, I am an HR Manager for a small software company, and am keen to
> encourage some employees to achieve Microsoft Certification. I was
wondering
> if any of you have incentives offered by your company to encourage
> completion within certain timescales. I would really appreciate any ideas.
> Many thanks
> Cathy
>
>

Excellent thought Cathy. Refund of course costs with some timeframe is a
good idea (I would think).
Letting MCSD people to put an MCSD.net as a part of their could raise some
wareness among colleagues
Cheers
Sunil
"Cathy" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Hi there, I am an HR Manager for a small software company, and am keen to
> encourage some employees to achieve Microsoft Certification. I was
wondering
> if any of you have incentives offered by your company to encourage
> completion within certain timescales. I would really appreciate any ideas.
> Many thanks
> Cathy
>
>

In my company:
$100 bonus for every MCP exam
$300 bonus for MCSD, MCAD, MCSA ,...
They reimburse you the exam fees and materials (Books or transcender) if
you pass

MM

Cathy wrote:
> Hi there, I am an HR Manager for a small software company, and am keen to
> encourage some employees to achieve Microsoft Certification. I was wondering
> if any of you have incentives offered by your company to encourage
> completion within certain timescales. I would really appreciate any ideas.
> Many thanks
> Cathy
>
>

I worked for a company in New Jersey that paid for all exams, pass or
fail. Most times people passed. Because they didn't have to worry
about losing $100, it was a great incentive for people to train and
try the exams. As a result we had 2 MCSDs, 3 MCSEs (one +I) and
several MCPs. Since they also were good profit sharers, the more
learned programmers and techs made even more money for the company,
and bonuses ran from $5000 to $15000 per person in 1998.

Too bad internal bickering among owners destroyed the company, but
that's off-topic.

Offer free exams, don't put a time-retainer-payback clause on people
taking the tests, and you'll end up with lots of employees studying
and increasing their knowledge. Even if they don't get certified,
you'll have better employees doing a more productive job, increasing
your bottom lines.



On Wed, 13 Aug 2003 13:36:09 +0100, Kline Sphere <™> wrote:

>>In my company:
>>$100 bonus for every MCP exam
>>$300 bonus for MCSD, MCAD, MCSA ,...
>>They reimburse you the exam fees and materials (Books or transcender) if
>>you pass
>
>...Then you leave and they're left with the bill, cool!!
>
>Seriously I expect they place a clause in your contract whereby you
>have to payback a percentage of the costs in you leave within X
>years/months. If not they're mad!

>Offer free exams, don't put a time-retainer-payback clause on people
>taking the tests, and you'll end up with lots of employees studying
>and increasing their knowledge.

Maybe, maybe not.

> Even if they don't get certified,
> you'll have better employees doing a more productive job, increasing
> your bottom lines.

Totally agree that training is an investment, but only if that
investment can be realized (i.e. people don't leave).

This does have a great deal to with ms certification though, as the
exams are simple and easily passed without an understanding of the
subject matter. Example, a guy here took the three VB dot net exams
two days after passing his last C# exam. He has 'never wrote a vb.net
application in his life', his own words.

the VB.Net and C# exams arent really syntax exams, there are actually
about "programming in .Net".

there should really be only 1 exam eg. 1 Web app exam for .Net
Programming, 1 Win App exam for .Net Programming, etc

Since this is the case, it shouldnt be surprising that someone can
pass the VB.Net exam without having written a VB.Net app THE WAY THE
EXAMS CURRENTLY EXIST

Thats not to say there shoudln't be some part of the exams that test
your syntax knowledge


Kline Sphere <?> wrote in message news:<>. ..
> >Offer free exams, don't put a time-retainer-payback clause on people
> >taking the tests, and you'll end up with lots of employees studying
> >and increasing their knowledge.
>
> Maybe, maybe not.
>
> > Even if they don't get certified,
> > you'll have better employees doing a more productive job, increasing
> > your bottom lines.
>
> Totally agree that training is an investment, but only if that
> investment can be realized (i.e. people don't leave).
>
> This does have a great deal to with ms certification though, as the
> exams are simple and easily passed without an understanding of the
> subject matter. Example, a guy here took the three VB dot net exams
> two days after passing his last C# exam. He has 'never wrote a vb.net
> application in his life', his own words.

>the VB.Net and C# exams arent really syntax exams, there are actually
>about "programming in .Net".
>
>there should really be only 1 exam eg. 1 Web app exam for .Net
>Programming, 1 Win App exam for .Net Programming, etc
>
>Since this is the case, it shouldnt be surprising that someone can
>pass the VB.Net exam without having written a VB.Net app THE WAY THE
>EXAMS CURRENTLY EXIST

Which makes it rather pointless have two sets of exams which do not
test one's knowledge of the actual language.

Thanks all for your suggestions - it has been really helpful.
Cathy


"Cathy" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Hi there, I am an HR Manager for a small software company, and am keen to
> encourage some employees to achieve Microsoft Certification. I was
wondering
> if any of you have incentives offered by your company to encourage
> completion within certain timescales. I would really appreciate any ideas.
> Many thanks
> Cathy
>
>

Cathy,

I think the best option is to offer your staff minimum 15% pay
increases. Although personally I'd settle for a free vend mars bar
dispenser if I worked for your company

Simon.


"Cathy" <> wrote in message news:<>...
> Thanks all for your suggestions - it has been really helpful.
> Cathy
>
>
> "Cathy" <> wrote in message
> news:...
> > Hi there, I am an HR Manager for a small software company, and am keen to
> > encourage some employees to achieve Microsoft Certification. I was
> wondering
> > if any of you have incentives offered by your company to encourage
> > completion within certain timescales. I would really appreciate any ideas.
> > Many thanks
> > Cathy
> >
> >