£400k Arrow Education Pack for a Multinational Retailer delivers budget and operational efficiencies

This case study outlines Arrow Education’s engagement with IBM to provide a multinational retailer with an Education Pack to be used for IBM training.

Background

A multinational retailer is undertaking a transformational change of their IT systems and processes, introducing Data Governance software and undertaking a Mainframe  Modernisation programme.

As part of this programme, there is a need for enhanced training for existing and new team members of the IT function. This includes on boarding new hires & graduates plus the existing 100+ developers split across a number of
teams with differing training requirements.

The Approach

Arrow adopted a collaborative approach working closely with the IBM account team and the retailer’s key stakeholders to scope out the detailed training requirements. 

This involved establishing the business drivers, technologies deployed, team structure, existing skill sets, training needs, priorities & delivery options. 

The outcome was an Arrow proposal detailing the scope of the training, delivery approach and associated costs, which was presented to IBM for inclusion within an overall contract to the multinational retailer.
 

The Solution

The customer purchased a £400k Arrow Education Pack, which is valid for 2 years and can be used against any of Arrow Educations training portfolio.
The course will be delivered as private or public schedule classes from Arrow’s UK wide training centres.
To date Arrow has delivered:

• DB2 v11  =  100 Delegates
• SQL Workshops = 100 Delegates
• Bespoke COBOL/CICS = 12 Delegates
• Agile Training = 120 Delegates

Further IBM training is planned for Omegamon, MQ and DataPower.

The Benefits

• Significant discount over buying piecemeal with savings locked in for 24 months
• Less administration overhead with raising multiple orders and levels of approval, saving time and effort for essential personnel
• High level of Ed Pack flexibility allowed the business to change direction quickly, resulting in faster skills enablement and more agile project delivery
• Single point-of-contact at Arrow who understands the environment added tangible benefits when organising training tailored to the teams specific requirements

IBM  Services  Sales  Testimonial

"It was a pleasure to work with Arrow on this deal. Not only did Arrow provide a lot of useful information and background to assist with the sale, they showed flexibility around how we could shape the transaction.
IBM will continue to be engaged with the customer but the majority of the hard work now falls on Arrow to deliver their quality education !"

Tiffany Money - Software Services Account Manager

“We purchased the Arrow Ed Pack as part of our 2 year strategic plan to up skill our teams of software developers and project managers.  It has been very beneficial to secure the funds upfront and to be able to change direction and swap courses in / out as needed.”

CB - Account Manager - Computer Services