To build anything well you need excellent training. That goes for both physical structures and for virtual ones: in this case the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). ITIL, now on version 3 (v3) covers best practices in IT service management (ITSM) focusing on service delivery and service support contained in books.

To help construct an effective ITIL program the RCCSP Professional Education Alliance has come out with an accredited training course ITIL v3 Foundation: Training & Certification. Available as either a three day training course and certification exam or as a five day (no travel) course the training is framed around what is known as the “Service Lifecycle” taking what it says is a “holistic approach to managing services and delivering business value.”

“All of the core processes and concepts from ITIL v2 remain in ITIL v3 with updates to address emerging trends,” explains Nina Kawalek, ceo, RCCSP Professional Education Alliance. “New processes are in response to requests from the practitioner community.”

All processes have been grouped into the appropriate volume, reflecting their business value in the Service Lifecycle:

--Service Strategy

--Service Design

--Service Transition

--Service Operation

--Continual Service Improvement

The course features lectures, discussion, team exercises and quizzes. Participants will also earn 18 Project Management Institute (PMI) professional development units (PDUs).

This course introduces the key concepts of each ITIL v3 function, process and lifecycle stage. By the end, the participants will have learned vital processes and functions within the Service Lifecycle, business value of implementing each process in an organization, practical guidance for applying ITIL to everyday IT situations and objectives and basic concepts related to each process. They will also be taught activities and roles involved in each process, relationship of each process to others, strategies to balance IT resources, terminology, techniques and practical approaches, important principles for improving IT operations and how to align IT with business, control costs, and improve IT service quality.

The RCCSP Professional EducationAlliance instructors are among the best of the best says Kawalek with years of hands-on IT practitioner experience, enabling them to effectively intertwine theory and real life stories and scenarios.

The certification in ITIL v3 Foundation is earned by achieving a passing score on a 60 minute, 40 question exam administered on the final day of class.

“This training style encourages active group participation, allowing all participants to gain a wealth of practical knowledge,” Kawalek points out. “Only the finest quality, accredited content is used.”

ITIL Foundation training is ideal, she says, for anyone involved in IT services such as network operators, business process analysts, IT project managers, systems integrators, help desk managers and staff, outsourcers and application developers. Individuals responsible for controlling or reducing IT costs, improving IT service quality, and balancing IT resources should also attend.

Here is the schedule for the rest of 2010

Sept. 29-Oct.1 Chicago, Ill. (Chicago Training Center)

Oct. 4-6 Herndon, Va. (Corporate Training Center)

Oct. 4-8 Virtual Classroom (1 p.m.-5 p.m. ET)

Oct. 6-8 Toronto, Ont. Canada (Toronto Training Center)

Oct. 11-13 Chicago, Ill. (Schaumburg offices), Orlando, Fla. (Microtek), Washington, D.C. (Arlington offices)

Oct. 13-15 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Florida Training Center)

Oct. 18-20 Los Angeles, Calif. (Microtek)

Oct.19-21 Chicago, Ill. (Chicago Training Center)

Oct. 25-27 Rockville, Md. (Bolger Center), San Antonio, Tex. (San Antonio Learning Center), San Diego, Calf. (San Diego Conference Center), San Jose, Calf. (Santa Clara Offices), Toronto, Ont. Canada (Markham Training Center), Virtual Classroom (9 a.m. ET)

Oct. 25-29 Virtual Classroom (1 p.m.-5 p.m. ET)

Oct. 27-29 Ottawa, Ont., Canada (Ottawa Center)

Nov. 1-3 Washington, D.C. (Arlington offices)

Nov. 3-5 Herndon, Va. (Corporate Training Center)

Nov. 8-10 Atlanta, Ga. (Atlanta offices), Dallas, Texas (Irving Training Center)

Nov. 15-17 Austin, Texas (Norris Conference Center), Indianapolis, Ind. (Indianapolis Training Center), New York, N.Y. (New York offices), Washington, D.C. (Arlington offices)

Nov.15-19 Virtual Classroom (1 p.m.-5 p.m. ET)

Nov. 16-18 Chicago, Ill. (Chicago Training Center), Dallas, Texas (Crestview Training Center)

Nov. 29-Dec.1 Boston, Mass. (Microtek), Chicago, Ill. (Schaumburg offices), Morristown, N.J. (Morristown offices)

Dec. 1-3 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Florida Training Center), Toronto, Ont. Canada (Toronto Training Center)

Dec. 6-8 Herndon, Va. (Corporate Training Center), Toronto, Ont. Canada (Markham Training Center), Virtual Classroom (9 a.m. ET)

Dec. 13-15 Raleigh, N.C. (Cary Training Center), Sacramento, Calif. (e-Business)

Dec. 14-16 Chicago, Ill. (Chicago Training Center)

Dec. 20-22 Washington, D.C. (Arlington offices)

Dec. 27-31 Virtual Classroom (1 p.m.-5 p.m. ET)

“All IT professionals, IT managers and team members, coordinators, IT architects, IT consultants, planners and managed service providers will benefit from this course,” Kawalek points out.

The RCCSP Professional Education Alliance recommends these follow-on courses:

--ITIL Service Lifecycle: Service Transition

--ITIL Service Lifecycle: Service Design

--ITIL Service Lifecycle: Service Operation

--ITIL Service Lifecycle: Continual Service Improvement

--ITIL Service Capability: Service Offerings and Agreements

--ITIL Service Capability: Release, Control, and Validation

--ITIL Service Capability: Operational Support and Analysis

--ITIL Service Capability: Planning, Protection, and Optimization

--ITIL V3: Managing Across the Lifecycle

Register securely online with confidence or please call (708) 246-0320.