Obtaining a GIS software education just became more convenient, thanks to the debut of Esri's new Training and Education Web site www.esri.com/training.

Starting from the colorful, easy-to-navigate home page, visitors will find all the Esri training and education resources in one location. Two former Web sites—one for the traditional instructor-led classes and the other for Virtual Campus Web-based training—have merged into www.esri.com/training.

"We felt that all the training we offer, regardless of what type it is, should be able to be found in one place," says Vicki Hill, project manager for Esri's Educational Services, who helped design the new Web site.

From the site, visitors can sign up for a class taught by an instructor at one of 50 U.S. learning centers, access free live training seminars broadcast monthly, or take a Virtual Campus self-study course. They also can sign up for and log on to a online classroom course taught live by an instructor over the Web.

Combining the training and education choices into one Web site gives visitors a clear picture of all Esri courses. Additional links guide users to their training history records, allowing them to track their progress through a learning pathway, and enable them to print course certificates of completion. Esri offers more than 150 GIS-related classes.

To help students find a class that suits their interests, the new Web site also was designed to include a search tool that lets people find classes by typing in a subject, topic, or title and, if they wish, narrow the search by choosing the software type and a training format, such as instructor-led or self-study.

The new Web site also lets visitors

• Request e-mail reminders for the free Esri live training seminars that air monthly on the Web.
• Listen to free Esri Instructional Series podcasts, which are audio files that can be downloaded to a computer or MP3 player.
• Access information tailored for first-time visitors or training managers, which introduces them to the types of training available, recommended courses, and pricing and payment options.
• Search the Esri Press catalog where they can buy books related to their GIS interests, as well as self-study training workbooks.
• Find the mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address for each Esri Learning Center, along with directions to the site and maps that offer pan and zoom capabilities.
• Browse the Esri Training and Education Library, which contains more than 40,000 entries of magazines, books, and papers related to GIS, remote sensing, mapping, and other topics.
• Tailor their GIS education by investigating the Recommended Courses section, which offers suggestions about what classes to take based on a person's previous training, skills, or job responsibilities.

The Recommended Courses search tool, a feature new to the Esri site, was added to help visitors choose the education and training that best suit their interests or careers. This tool will help people make more informed decisions about which components of education and training to focus on, guidance many have sought.

More Information

To access the new Esri Training and Education Web site, visit www.esri.com and click on the Training tab.