Corporation Projects
There are currently four major project areas that we are involved in:
Free Online Tutorials
The UserTutor Community (www.usertutor.org) began development prior to our incorporation, and went live to the public shortly thereafter. It was designed from an open source project, TutorialMS (Tutorial Management System), and expanded from the 1.4 version. It was originally intended to be more a social site of interaction and user contribution but the user management system required extensive coding to be practical, so registration has been limited in its current phase of development.
The focus of the site is business and computers, and tutorials were selected that provided practical trainings in those areas. Much research went into the current compilation to find useful content that allowed external links and could be categorized into lesson series. We appreciate the efforts represented by each website content authors and have included links to each source site.
The tutorials are primarily for personal education and development. However, learning the skill sets of a business manager means you have the know how, whether you have credentials or not. Many industries look at life skills and experience, for which these tutorials would certainly have merit. In many cases, it’s not the papers one has so much as the ability to actually do. And for starting a new business, the chances for a successful endeavour increase when the owner knows more than one skill. For example, a plumber can start a plumbing company, but the chances of success increase when adding financial management and supervisory skills.
At UserTutor Corp. one of the features we look at when reviewing applicants is what they have done on their own to exceed themselves. Many other companies also look for the same. This site had that in mind during its development.
Training & Certifications
We have developed two core training programs that are currently deployed internally, with a corporate certificate issued upon completion. Our goal is to offer these courses to the public while promoting industry recognition as certifications.
1) Computer Systems Management Certificate represents the successful completion of all training modules, including quizzes and final examination. A further component requires 750 hours (6 months) practical experience.
Modules include:
- Hardware – covering PCs, laptops, mobile devices, and common peripherals
- Software & Operating Systems – Office systems (primarily Windows with a brief introduction to Open Office), Windows XP, Vista, and 7 with a brief introduction to selected Linux systems.
- Networks – network types, layout and design, troubleshooting
- Security – single computer to entire network
- Web Development (introductory) – basic scripting languages, programs, FTP
- Data Management (introductory) – MS Access, MySQL
- Deportment – personal qualities of professionalism, active listening, and communication
2) Certificate of General Business Management Principles represents the successful completion of all training modules, including quizzes and final examination. A further component requires 750 hours (6 months) practical experience.
Modules include:
- Basic Computer Skills – email, Office documents, spreadsheets, database
- Core Management Skills – financial, projects, staff, stress, and time management
- Personal Competencies – communication, decision making, interpersonal, leadership, and problem solving
- Basics of Bookkeeping – introduction to QuickBooks, setup company books
- Business Structures & Roles – types of business structures and the associated management roles
- The Business Plan – from concept to enactment
- Marketing & Promotion – marketing venues, budget, target audience
UserTutorTMS
A lot of effort and support went into TutorialMS, an original creation by Scott Somerville. This open source software has been taken over by new individuals who are rebuilding a whole new design for TutorialMS, version 2.0. (tutorialms.com) We wish them all success!
We have determined, however, that there is much offered in the original software, so we are further developing from the 1.4 version in order to ultimately release UserTutorTMS version 1.0. As we develop we will be releasing lesser level versions at this site and will rely on user feedback to achieve the final release.
We will be implementing a support forum when our first release is made available, and current users of TutorialMS 1.4 will find transferring to this enhanced version to be a simple upgrade. Our focus will be on an expanded user management system, admin interface, and template/plug-in extendability.
In compliance with the GNU license, our software will also be released as open source.
Web Hosting and Domain Registration
UserTutor Hosting and Domains (www.usertutor.net) began as a means to support the corporation’s initial start up, and to keep hosting and registration centralized for our internal purposes. However, it had expanded beyond our original expectations by word-of-mouth alone and prompted us to develop this service as a major project area.
Visitors register their free, private and secure accounts to purchase hosting accounts and register domains. Available applications are targeted primarily to business users, and the hosting has proven reliable and flexible for applications beyond the free includes. Top level domains are available for registration, including the Canadian “.ca”.
Support is available 24/7 and we offer additional hosting management for customers requiring such.
www.usertutor.net