HPE Learning Partners share how to make the most of certification training

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Earning an HPE technical certification is a challenge with a great reward. Success comes from preparation and study, resulting in a boost to your career. Fortunately, learners don’t need to take this journey on their own; thanks to HPE’s legion of passionate and qualified learning partners, expert help is available at every step, all around the world.

We recently put a spotlight on some of these learning partners with this year’s launch of our HPE Learning Partner Recognition Program. This program was developed to increase engagement and visibility of three key communities: HPE Learning Partners, HPE Learning Partners – Networking, and HPE Learning Partner Certified Instructors. Recognition was based on criteria that included number of certification classes delivered, ratings received, enablement activities conducted, innovative ideas shared, and more.

For the program’s debut, we recognized four outstanding partners. Two organizations were recognized as HPE Learning Partner and HPE Learning Partner - Networking: Ingram Micro Distribution GmBH, Germany and Fast Lane Institute for Knowledge Transfer GmBH.  At the same time, two individuals were honored as Instructors of the Year: Ana Gómez Rebordinos (Pleiades Tecnologia) and Nafith Salama (independent).

 We took this opportunity to ask these top learning partners to share some of the insights and experiences that can help learners understand how to make the most out of the certification training. 

1. Use all your resources

HPE Learning Partners emphasized that the classroom experience is only one part of the picture. It’s just as important for learners to take advantage of the resources at their disposal.

“I always insist on making use of any available resource that allows learners to play and familiarize themselves with the different solutions,” says Ana Gómez Rebordinos, a certified instructor for several HPE technologies and products.

Torsten Poels, CEO & Chairman of the Board General Manager EMEA, Americas & APAC of Fast Lane Institute for Knowledge Transfer GmBH, agrees on this wide-ranging approach. 

“If you have access to labs or test environments, use them to apply your skills and practice problem-solving scenarios,” he says. “The hands-on experience will help you better internalize knowledge and prepare for real-world challenges.”

Torsten Poels is also an outspoken proponent of practice exams: “Take practice tests to familiarize yourself with the format of the certification exam and measure your progress and identify areas where you need extra work.”

 2. Think beyond the current exam

While the exam is a crucial step to earning your certification, it’s only one step of the learning process.

Hares Noor Asmai, a Senior System Engineer at Ingram Micro Germany, is an instructor with nearly 20 years of HPE consultation and learning experience.

“Don’t think about the exam at all during the training,” is the advice of Nafith Salama, a UK-based independent consultant and Certified Aruba Instructor with 15 years of experience as an instructor. “Instead, attend the training with the intention to understand and increase your knowledge. If you do this, passing the exam will come naturally.”

Ana Gómez Rebordinos recalls a student whose interest deepened over the span of a single course: “The situation quickly changed from the student being solely focused on getting certified to becoming really interested in solutions. We eventually set up a complete networking and HPE OneView lab in his environment. He was really excited about all the possibilities that it offered him.”

3. Ask questions

One thing all of our learning partners could agree on: Questions are one of the best tools for getting the most out of your learning experience. “There are no wrong questions,” says Hares Noor Asmai, “so ask whatever you want to learn at a deeper level.”

Nafith Salama recounts the story of a student whose penchant for asking questions led to big changes in his career: “There was a guy who really wanted to learn. He was working as a delivery driver and was fed-up with his job.
He asked far more questions than the average student – I sometimes worked after hours to keep up, but I felt empowered by his will to succeed. A few months later he found a position as IT technician and was over the moon with his success. He’s now taking the next professional training, and I couldn’t be prouder.”

4. Make learning a part of your life

The final piece of advice offered by our winners is to cultivate a lifelong devotion to learning. Technology changes, new approaches are developed, and the most successful students are those who are never finished learning, motivated by a fierce curiosity and a hunger for knowledge.

Hares Noor Asmai tells a touching story about one  lifelong learner he got to know:  “We recently customized a training for a big partner in Germany. It was a virtual training, but at the end of the session an older man stood up to thank us. He said he was already retired after 50 years of IT experience, but he was thankful for the opportunity to continue learning from us. We were very moved by his continuing curiosity and his gratitude.”

It’s a great illustration of what can happen when you devote your life to learning – though, of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a world-class instructor.

Interested in getting certified?

Earning technical certifications through the Certification & Learning program can help you stay on top of evolving technology, drive business outcomes for customers, and demonstrate your own leadership. Get started on your own certification journey, and find an HPE Learning Partner near you to help bring your mastery to the next level.