The CIT Training Program is in the midst of the spring term, which lasts through the end of May. Although enrollments continue to be strong, spaces are available in many courses. If a requested class is full, a student will be given the first opportunity in the next term.

A number of exciting classroom courses are about to become available, including "Macintosh OS X—What’s New for Users." Two sessions in April will provide an opportunity to learn about the newest Macintosh operating system.

Classes are being offered to introduce employees to the various information technologies available at NIH. "Video Services at NIH" covers topics from videoconferencing to webcasting. "The NIH Intranet Web Portal: An Overview of Technology and Content" will show employees how to modify their own "My NIH," pages as well as join communities of interest. Finally, "Understanding Your CIT Bill" can provide insight into the billing process for CIT services.

Microsoft Corporation has also volunteered to teach a number of courses, including the upcoming "Using Microsoft SQL 2000 for Data Mining" and "Microsoft Project 2000 Overview." These brief seminars provide a basic introduction to these software products.

FasTrac Training Beginning April 3

When you need training sooner than one of our classroom courses can provide, you have another option—FasTrac online training—available at anytime and anywhere.

After a successful pilot test, the FasTrac online training program—covering the full range of IT subjects—will be available to NIH employees beginning on April 3. The more than 1000 online FasTrac courses offer employees an opportunity to pursue education (earn college credit), gain certification (official study guides for Microsoft, Netscape, Novell, and Oracle exams), or refresh skills.

FasTrac accounts are available for any NIH employee for $60, which provides an individual with unlimited access to all 1000+ courses for 12 months. CIT is able to offer this low price because many government agencies are participating in the purchase of FacTrac. You can purchase an account online via the NIH Integrated Training System (NIHITS).

If you want to know more about FasTrac, the CIT Training Web site has a link to "FasTrac Online Courses." Or if you want technical assistance in getting started with FasTrac, attend the CIT class, "FasTrac Overview," to receive hands-on help in signing on and trying out a course.

Assistance

As always, classes are available free of charge to NIH employees and other users of NIH computing facilities. The courses are offered to help individuals become more efficient and effective in using computing, networking, and information systems. You can obtain full course information or register for classes online. Of course, you are always welcome to ask the training staff at TASC about course registration.