IT & DATA MANAGEMENT RESEARCH,
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS & CONSULTING

There has been a lot of discussion lately about what ITIL training method is best to learn from. There are those who say classroom is best because it's where you have direct access to an experienced instructor as well as other IT professionals willing to share their thoughts and experiences. There are others who say e-learning is the way to go as it provides the student with scheduling and learning flexibility plus online mentoring services at a low price. There are others who say blended learning is best as it provides the best of both instructor led classroom and e-learning. The bottom line is they're all good as each delivery method is a nail to someone's training hammer. Listed below is a detail description of each delivery method along with a summary of how each method impacts training, travel and time out of the office budgets along with the student's ability to pass the exam on the first try (i.e., return on investment).

The Three T's and one R of ITIL Training

There are four basic things training coordinators need to think about when connecting a student with an ITIL training delivery method.

The first is Training budget. It makes no sense to go shopping at Tiffany's if you only have a dollar in your pocket.

The second is Travel. Most companies have put a hold on travel until the economy gets better. My gut tells me that even when it gets better there will still be a hold on it especially when management discovers that things still get done without people jumping on airplanes.

The third is Time out of the office. The downturn in the economy has forced companies into a position of doing more with less. With that being the case it's almost impossible for anyone to leave for a couple of days let alone a week.

The fourth is Return on Investment (ROI). That is, if employers (or wives) are paying for the training they want some assurance that the student will pass the exam on the first try and that he or she will return with knowledge they can be used on the job.

Listed below is a summary of the ITIL training methods available, their impact on a student’s training, travel and time out of the office budgets and their value in helping a student retain the content and pass the exam on the first try.

ITIL classroom certification programs are delivered by an accredited instructor to groups of students assembled in a physical or virtual (webinar) classroom with the exam being administered on the last day of the program. However, students willing to use a new web cam proctoring method now have the option to set them up on their own. Training options include:

• Public, open enrollment classes delivered in a training center to a group of students
• Public, open enrollment virtual (webinar) classes delivered online to a group of students
• Corporate classes delivered onsite to a group of six or more students
• Corporate virtual classes delivered online to a group of six or more students
• Courseware licensing programs for IT organizations looking to deliver their own program

ITIL blended learning training programs use a combination of online self-paced training programs combined with accredited instructor or mentoring resources plus student management services. Exams are typically delivered on the last day of the program however students willing to use a new web cam proctoring method now have the option to set them up on their own. Training options include:

• Public, open enrollment classes delivered in a training center to a group of students
• Public, open enrollment virtual (webinar) classes delivered online to a group of students
• Corporate classes delivered onsite to a group of six or more students
• Corporate virtual classes delivered online to a group of six or more students
• Courseware licensing programs for IT organizations looking to deliver their own programs

ITIL self-paced certification programs are delivered online using a self-paced, streaming video or traditional e-learning format with support from ITIL Experts and other students operating within a social network or proprietary support group. With this approach students are in charge of setting up their exam schedule. Training options include:

• Online self-study training videos or e-learning programs delivered direct to a student's PC, smartphone or tablet
• Corporate self-study e-learning training programs delivered over the corporate intranet