Eclectic Group is no.47 in the Top 50 UK IT Training Providers (IT Training Magazine, July/August 2005). Last year Eclectic Learning Services featured in the IT Skills Research Rising Stars in third position and has continued to go from strength to strength over the past year. Revenues grew by 18% and the number of employees increased from 34 to 52.
Eclectic is a major force in Scotland and is an accredited training provider for Business Objects, Oracle, Red Hat, Sun and Sybase. ‘All our partners have upgraded their products this year,’ explains Colin West, co-founder and director of learning services, ‘and a lot of the training has been around that area, especially on Oracle 10 and Solaris 10.’
Another factor behind its growth is the inroads Eclectic is making into onsite business south of the border – so much so that it has now opened a London office. ‘A good route to market for us is the fact that a lot of our big clients have centres in London,’ says West, ‘and word of mouth gets through.’
The project work in London is just part of a general trend, as customers demand training to meet specific needs rather than standard public courses. ‘Customers know more and want more. Bog-standard courses are drifting towards more customised solutions.’
Although it may expand in the future, Eclectic has stuck over the past year to the specialist training sectors where it has built up expertise. ‘We want to be recognised as excellent in what we do before we start diversifying too much,’ concludes West.
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