ESRI launched a new, streamlined Training and Education Web site this summer to help geographic information system (GIS) professionals easily find all the company’s educational resources in one location on the Internet.

The user-friendly Web site www.esri.com/training replaces two Web sites that separately handled registration for instructor-led classes at ESRI learning centers and the Virtual Campus training conducted via the Internet.

From the new Training and Education site, visitors can register for any ESRI class anywhere and access Web-based self-study courses and seminars. Getting started on a Virtual Campus course is now as simple as visiting www.esri.com/training, clicking Go to My Training, and selecting My Virtual Campus Courses.

“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.

ESRI offers more than 150 courses, such as traditional classes held at one of more than 50 U.S.-based learning centers, Virtual Classroom courses taught live by an instructor over the Web, and self-study Virtual Campus courses.

The web site 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 address, telephone number, and e-mail for each learning center along with directions to the site and maps that offer pan and zoom capabilities.

· Track their training history and print out their course transcripts and completion certificates.     

· 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.

This Recommended Courses tool will help people make more informed decisions about which components of training and education to focus on—guidance many students have sought. “A question students commonly asked on the Virtual Campus site was, ‘What should I take?’” Hill says. “Merely providing somebody a catalog just wasn’t enough information.”

The new ESRI Training and Education Web site also can be accessed by visiting www.esri.com and clicking the Training tab.

About ESRI Educational Services

With more than 150 courses to choose from, ESRI Educational Services is a recognized leader in GIS training. Courses cover a variety of topics related to ESRI software, the theory underlying GIS technology, and applying GIS tools to find solutions in particular fields while combining hands-on experience, interactivity, and instructional support to create an effective learning environment. Visit www.esri.com/training for more information.