5 Questions with ... Eduard Franke from the City of Rastatt
Eduard Franke, who heads the Human Resources, Organization, and IT Department for the City of Rastatt, has already attended five of our training sessions, and the next one is already booked. What is it about our training programs that convinces him so much that he never misses a session? We asked him for his thoughts.
Eduard, how many times have you participated in a C4IT training session, and why did you choose us?
I’ve already been there five times—three times for Empirum, once for Service Desk, and once for Service Catalog. And the next training session is already booked. I switched from my previous employer, where I worked in software development, to system operations at the City of Rastatt. There, they mainly use the Matrix42 system, particularly Empirum. However, I hadn’t dealt with the content and subject matter of this system before. That’s why I was recommended internally to attend the Consulting4IT training sessions. So I just signed up and—what can I say?—I was thrilled from the very beginning.
Have you already taken a training course with other providers, and if so, how does the C4IT Academy’s training program differ?
As part of my work for the city, I had already attended a training session offered by another service provider. That training wasn’t bad either. However, I have to say that you can really feel much more energy and passion in the Consulting4IT Academy’s training sessions—whether online or in person. It’s not just a matter of rattling off content; you actually take away a lot from it. Thanks to the lively presentation, the learning experience is much more enjoyable and effective than in the training I attended with the other provider.
Self-study vs. Academy – How would you rate the effectiveness of both options?
I’m someone who generally does a lot of self-study. Sometimes I really dive into it, and that naturally pays off, especially when you gain experience through daily practice. For me, the training courses aren’t a foundation I build upon without prior knowledge. Instead, I arrive with a certain background based on my self-study and use the training content to expand my knowledge. I think that it’s especially through the training courses that you learn helpful tricks and special features of the applications, which you can then put to effective use right away in your daily work. If I hadn’t attended the training courses, I would have either never discovered many helpful shortcuts or only after years of tedious trial and error. So for me, the training courses definitely add value and help me progress faster than self-study alone would have, even though self-study is just as essential as a foundation. They strengthen the foundation you’ve already built yourself.
Are you familiar with the Academy’s hybrid system? Which format (online or in-person) do you prefer, and why?
Generally speaking, I don’t have a preference for either option, because I believe both online and in-person sessions have their advantages. I don’t think online training is bad because it allows me to try out and apply what I’ve learned right away in my work, for example during a break or after the session ends. I’m the kind of person who likes to put what I’ve learned into practice right away, trying things out and experimenting in my own work environment. The downside, of course, is that it’s easier to get distracted—by emails, for instance—since you always have your email program open in the background and end up checking it. You don’t have that in an in-person training session. There, you’re fully present, leave work behind for three days, and focus exclusively on the training content. I find that particularly helpful, which is why I’d like to be back on-site for the next training session. Another great aspect is the interaction with trainers and other participants, which you don’t get in this way online: the conversations during breaks, lunch, or dinner. You really take a lot away from that as well.
Would you describe yourself as a true fan, and if so, what was the deciding factor behind your enthusiasm?
Absolutely! As I mentioned earlier, the lively atmosphere is a definite plus. You can tell from both the trainers and the other staff that they don’t see their work as just a job—they genuinely enjoy what they do. This creates a completely different learning environment, and you take away so much more because it’s fun and motivating. I’d also like to highlight the instructors’ expertise, which is truly impressive. The training environment is another aspect that really impresses me. It’s of an unusually high standard. To add to the second question in the interview, I’d like to emphasize again that I’ve never experienced such a high technical standard in terms of the training environment in any other training session at work or with another service provider. During the training sessions, you can work with absolute stability and fluidity; everything functions perfectly and there are no interruptions, as is often the case elsewhere. You can focus entirely on the content and don’t have to worry about technical glitches.
