Splice Training
There is an ancient Chinese proverb that captures the essence of the modern computer age, “Learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop back.” At Splice in Halifax, learners from around the world are taught how to advance using a new language – and the nuances of that language.
“Primarily we offer training and consulting on all things Apple,” says president Woody Lidstone. “We also teach graphics applications, like Photoshop and InDesign and audio and film/video editing courses.”
Splice also offers highly-specialized courses.
“These,” says Lidstone, “can be divided into two broad categories: Apple IT courses (training for nerds) and creative courses (training for artists).” Take this real-world example. You’re responsible for technology in a company and now employees are showing up with iPhones and other new communications devices. The CEO says she wants a Mac on her desk. Well, you'd need to learn how to properly support Macs on your network, and you want to make sure the Macs play well with the PCs you already have. “So you'd come to Splice and take a three-day course and that's what we'd teach you,” says Lidstone, the firm’s principal trainer.
Splice provides courses on Mac server training so that privileges and settings can be adjusted without moving to each individual computer. For example, if you had a group of Macs as in a school lab or an office department, as the head / administrator, it would be more efficient to know how to manage them directly from your desk.
In an information age, proven ability is essential. Employers, for example, are often looking for certifications in their new recruits. Splice is the only training centre in Atlantic Canada to offer courses that prepare someone for passing Apple's IT certification exams. It’s also the only training centre in the entire country to be authorized to teach Apple's high end XSAN course. Originally, to be authorized to teach the IT courses, Lidstone himself had to go to Chicago to take a train-the-trainer course. “I had to teach the material back to the author of the course book while 15 representatives of Apple watched, judged and provided feedback.” To keep up with advancing and ever changing technology, the certified trainers at Splice travel throughout North America and Europe to update/renew and receive new training certifications. Today, while 8 other training centres in Canada offer Apple's IT courses, only one company in Atlantic Canada offers these certification courses. That company is Splice.
On the creative side of things, Splice offers courses on film and video, graphics and audio. Aaron Collier, solo artist and keyboardist with the Jimmy Swift Band, leads the audio editing courses. “I can't think of someone better suited than a professional musician with a rare knack for teaching,” says Lidstone.
The Jimmy Swift keyboardist isn’t the only creative instructor at Splice. Lidstone also has a wealth of experience in the field. When he lived in the UK, Lidstone, who has consulted and taught courses to just about every broadcaster in the UK and Ireland, also worked on the movie Batman Begins. The director and editors wanted to edit the movie on a laptop right on the film set and Lidstone set them up so they could do just that. More recently, the three-year old company completed a contract with Avid, a U.S. firm that won an Academy Award for its film-editing technology. “Avid hired us to develop a custom training course for them on their latest film and video editing system,” says Lidstone. Joining Avid is Apple, which contacted Splice about teaching their latest video-editing server technology across Canada. The company’s expertise in the field is not the only reason companies – and students – from around the world come calling. It is how and where that expertise is shared.
It's typical in the education industry to pack as many students into a classroom as are willing to pay for the course, notes Lidstone. “We disagree with that approach. Ultimately, if students aren't comfortable in the classroom, they're not going to come back for additional training, and they're not going to encourage their colleagues to go there for training.” That's why Splice has constructed two classrooms at its main office to support up to eight students comfortably. Those classrooms are in downtown Halifax, and that is an important – and distinguishing – factor, says Lidstone. “We like to promote the fact that we are downtown in a prosperous city with a lot of nightlife within walking distance. We get feedback from students who have taken courses elsewhere that they were held in industrial parks far away from the city. When they come to Splice, they appreciate that they are able to go out in the evening after class and enjoy the restaurants, the music and entertainment of the East Coast.”
Transforming Splice into a destination training centre has nudged the company into the hospitality industry, says Lidstone. When customers register for classes online, we send out a list of hotels in the area. For people who want to make a vacation of their time in Halifax and bring friends or family "we've also partnered with a local accommodations company so participants can book a furnished condo at a discounted rate,” he adds. “This way they feel more at home especially if they are bringing their children.” Splice also provides the option of buying lunches at local restaurants in advance. During the morning session of the course, we can take their lunch order, email or call it in to the restaurant, and when lunchtime comes, the students don't waste any of their time waiting for the order. It's ready when they get there.
Reaching out to the world – and making the world feel right at home – has been key to the success of the company. “Initially,” notes Lidstone, “we were only marketing to Nova Scotia and the Maritimes and suddenly we realized that with our quality training and seaside location, we had no geographical boundaries. Splice really took off once we shifted our sights to the rest of the world." Now the world knows how satisfying rowing upstream can really be.
