“I would like to pay for my training with Cisco Learning Credits, but how does that work exactly?” or: “How can I find out whether my organization still has Cisco Learning Credits available?” To my colleagues and myself these are frequently asked questions when students want to subscribe for a Cisco course.
In this blog post I will deal with 5 frequently asked questions.
1. What are Cisco Learning Credits?
Cisco Learning Credits are virtual credits that can be used for payment of authorized Cisco courses, Cisco exam vouchers and special Cisco events, like Cisco Live. Indeed: a currency, created by Cisco. Cisco Learning Credits are always attached to an SO number. 1 Cisco Learning Credit represents a value of $ 100.
2. How, where and why do you order Cisco Learning Credits?
You order Cisco Learning Credits the same way, at the same organization and often on the same moment as you purchase other hardware, software or services by Cisco.
You don’t have to know yet how and for what you are going to apply the credits when you purchase Cisco Learning Credits. It is however recommendable to already think about it thoroughly. Firstly because your organization is on the verge of purchasing Cisco products. Several people within your organization will need to be able to work with it shortly. It is therefore important to have the right knowledge on board. Furthermore you want to know how many credits you have to purchase approximately to obtain this knowledge. This way you reserve a budget for education, something that is often forgotten in projects.
My advice: contact a Cisco Learning Partner, like Fast Lane, and let that Learning Partner help you with the mapping of the need for knowledge and a realistic assessment of the investment that needs to be made.
3. How many Cisco Learning Credits does your organization have?
In the Cisco Learning Credits Management Tool your organization can see how many credits are available and which transactions are already carried out. Every organization has a so-called Team Captain, someone who is responsible for the Cisco Learning Credits. This person has access to the Cisco Learning Credits Management Tool and will receive a notification with every transaction.
4. How long are Cisco Learning Credits valid for?
Cisco Learning Credits are valid for 365 days from the day that they are activated in the Cisco Learning Credits Management Tool. Cisco wants to encourage your organization this way to apply the credits in time for the purpose they are meant for: the acquisition of Cisco knowledge.
Are the Cisco Learning Credits of your organization no longer valid, but you would still like to use them? Then you can ask Cisco to reactivate the credits. Your Cisco account manager can help you with this. Reactivating is a one-time possibility and if it is successful the Cisco Learning Credits will be valid for another 6 months.A few conditions:
A few conditions:
- The credits have been expired for no longer than a year.
- You can explain clearly why the credits haven’t been used yet.
- You can show a training plan that states how your organization will apply the credits.
5. How and where do you exchange your Cisco Learning Credits?
You can exchange Cisco Learning Credits at Cisco itself or at the by Cisco appointed Learning Partners, like Fast Lane. If you want to use Cisco Learning Credits for the payment of a course for instance, submit the SO number to which the credits are attached to with Fast Lane. We will subsequently write down the Cisco Learning Credits from the SO number and confirm your participation in the course. It is that simple!
Any more questions?
If you have any additional questions after reading this blog post, feel free to let me know. I will be glad to help!
Tags: Cisco training