QA LIMITED

Cloud Training Courses through QA Skills Licence

QA’s Skills Licence provides access to our industry-leading training across the three major cloud service providers (AWS, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure) and other public and private cloud vendors (Citrix, Microsoft, Oracle, Red Hat and VMware). It is a full-service solution that provides best value for your organisation.

Features

• A flexible, pre-paid Skills Licence
• Access to 2,000+ training courses, for every level
• Multi-vendor and multi-disciplinarian accredited training
• Access to QA’s network of UK training centres
• Flexible delivery online or via our virtual classroom solutions
• Monthly reports to track spend from training budget
• Dedicated account management including a Relationship Manager on hand
• Access to QA’s subject matter experts
• Your skills requirements adapted to throughout the year
• View effectiveness/overall quality of learning with detailed learner feedback

Benefits

• Maximise Return on Investment: 49% savings: on average across courses
• In-demand Skills: 70% of employees don't feel prepared for work.
• Proven effectiveness: 67% of customers procure using a Skills Licence.
• Significant discount: by up to 40% on RRP.
• QA: the UK’s largest provider of public sector training
• Flexibility: Book training at any time during the licences’ lifetime.
• Fulfill your training needs: Purchase any new training courses released.
• Reduced administration: your Relationship Manager books courses and provides MI.

£500 a licence a year

• Education pricing available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at Tenders@qa.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

892614408925384

Contact

QA Bids
0345 074 7995
Tenders@qa.com

Planning

• Planning service: No

Training

• Training service provided: Yes
• How the training service works: Whether you’re looking to support the migration, maintenance and ongoing development of your Cloud platforms, QA offers a complete range of business and technical training. Our Cloud syllabus includes individual courses or full certification programmes. ; Our award-winning, market-leading Training Consultants have extensive, cross sector experience and track record of delivering skills. We provide vendor-accredited technical and people skills training, to manage and deliver cloud projects and leverage ongoing benefits of cloud technologies. ; Delivered face-to-face and ‘virtually’, QA’s courses include AXELOS-accredited courses (Agile and PRINCE2); BCS courses (Business Analysis); COBIT; Cyber Security; End User change programmes; ILM; ISO; ITIL; Leadership, Management and Business Skills; Lean Six Sigma; Office Applications; Testing; and TOGAF. We’re also the leading training provider for: Agile; Cloud; Containers (e.g. Docker and Kubernetes); DevOps; Programming; Security; Scrum; and other emerging technologies. ; QA has more than 2,000 courses available, a significant proportion of these are available as eLearning modules. QA’s leading enterprise learning platform, Cloud Academy, provides unrivalled Cloud and associated technology training online and across multiple devices. ; Our training provides objective-driven learning experiences combining theory, technical knowledge and active learning (including hands-on practice in online labs) to master skills for industry-leading technologies and major cloud platforms.
• Training is tied to specific services: Yes
• Services the training service works with:
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)
  • Salesforce
  • Cisco
  • Citrix
  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Microsoft Office 365
  • Oracle
  • Red Hat
  • VMware

Setup and migration

• Setup or migration service available: Yes
• How the setup or migration service works: QA’s listed G-Cloud courses build, maintain and apply skills essential for migration, developing, and working with Cloud Services. ; QA’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) courses are developed in partnership with Amazon. Our unrivalled partnership enables us to deliver and rapidly update modules, giving customers the very latest skills whenever they’re required, taught by AWS-accredited specialists. ; Our Google Cloud Platform (GCP) courses train learners to build, test and deploy applications using Google’s scalable, reliable infrastructure. Courses teach how to apply GCP in web, mobile and backend solutions. GCP training supports learners irrespective of prior knowledge or starting point. Learning Consultants are highly-skilled, experienced and Google accredited, ensuring the best possible learning experience. ; One-third of UK Microsoft training is delivered by QA. We train Microsoft’s staff and as the UK’s largest MS vendor, we shape Microsoft’s learning curriculum. We’re a Microsoft Solutions Partner, holding all Microsoft Solutions badges.. Developed with Microsoft, QA’s Azure Learning maximises return on Cloud investments. Our courses develop and drive capability, providing skills for successful Azure adoption. ; Additionally, we offer QA’s full range of courses, including:; • Cloud Architecture; • Containerisation; • CyberSecurity; • DevOps; • Project and programme Management; • Security ; • Testing and Test Automation.
• Setup or migration service is for specific cloud services: No

Quality assurance and performance testing

• Quality assurance and performance testing service: No

Security testing

• Security services: No

Ongoing support

• Ongoing support service: No

Service scope

• Service constraints: No

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: We respond to email queries within four working hours from Monday to Friday.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: No
• Support levels: QA is committed to providing an exceptional level of service to our users. We aim to respond to email and phone enquiries regarding course bookings and other such enquiries within four working hours on Mondays to Fridays. ; ; We also commit to making and confirming bookings from the QA course catalogue within one working day (three working days for third-party events).; ; These support levels are at no additional cost.; ; QA also provides each of our customers with a dedicated Account Manager who has significant experience of the relevant skills requirements for your sector and how like-minded business leaders are addressing these challenges. By working with our customers to understand the demand in their teams, we can ensure the learning is timely and relevant ensuring you reach your learning goals and create value from the investment.

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Up to Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: British Assessment Bureau
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: Initial certification 22/05/2023, last issued 08/09/2023, expiry 31/10/2025
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: QA has not excluded any of the Annex A controls thus provides a comprehensive Information Security Management System (ISMS) to manage the confidentiality, availability and integrity of the data trusted to it.
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications: CHECK (IT Health Check)

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Covid-19 recovery
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  QA continues in our intention to reduce our carbon emissions: ; ; We commit to being net zero in Scope 1 and 2 emissions (on a market basis) by 2035. ; ; We commit to being net zero in Scope 3 emissions by 2050. ; ; To further achieve net zero, we will: ; ; Determine current baseline energy consumption and carbon emissions within our business and supply chain, setting targets to reduce emissions. ; ; Reduce direct and indirect carbon emissions to zero where possible, while offsetting unavoidable emissions through sustainable projects by 2050 ; ; Review how our staff work and methods for delivering training to further eliminate avoidable carbon emissions from travel ; ; Locations with poor transport links closed: retaining central city locations easily accessible by public transport to ensure efficient use of our buildings. ; ; Implement improvements to buildings to minimise energy use and direct use of fossil fuels ; ; Work with our travel partners to encourage use of zero and low-carbon vehicles. ; ; Work with our other supply-chain partners to encourage their adoption of net zero carbon strategies ; ; Implement waste management and recycling policy ; ; Switching to digital course material from print: reduced waste, together with the amount of paper and ink purchased ; ; Increase in virtual training, reducing client and staff travel: Where possible, on-site training has been replaced with Webex or MS Teams ; ; Classroom courses allow face-to-face and virtual learning to be simultaneous. ; ; Encouraging hybrid or home working and virtual meetings, reducing work travel: all first interviews are conducted virtually ; ; Reduce and recycle ; ; switch off equipment, air conditioning and heating when rooms are not in use: 90% of lighting is now LED, reducing electricity consumption ; ; Switching to 100% renew recycling bins in all venues, reducing waste sent to landfills. ; ; Re-store service for confidential waste ; ; Collecting toner cartridges and batteries.

  Covid-19 recovery

  Learning delivery post COVID ; ; The global health crisis and resulting Lockdowns necessitated different Learner Behaviour. As soon as Learning Centres closed in 2020, QA adopted remote and digital learning methods. These have continued since and have become our Learners’ preferred method of attending courses. ; ; QA rapidly moved Learners from classroom training to ‘virtual delivery’. Our programme of on-site’ private events’, (Trainers delivering at a customer’s premises) also moved to closed events facilitated using MS TEAMs, WebEx and Zoom. In 2023, our Training Consultants successfully taught more than 250,000 Learners ‘virtually’. ; ; Public sector budget restraints, coupled with more Agile Working practices being adopted have made integrating digital tools and media to facilitate learning more straightforward. QA’s Cloud Academy portal – a continuous learning tool with hours of ‘bite sized’ supplements our course programme with key training content. ; ; We’ve rationalised our network of Learning Centres: These are now city- and town-centre based, within easy reach of public transport. ; ; A corollary benefit of moving to ‘virtual delivery’ and reducing our Learning Centres is a significant reduction in QA’s and our customers’ carbon output. ; ; Employability post COVID ; ; QA creates employment, re-trains and supports return to work opportunities for those left unemployed following the Pandemic. Our programmes provide skills and enhance employability. QA: ; ; train learners whose employers are restructuring their workforce post-Covid ; ; embeds industry-recognised qualifications in our courses ; ; prepares learners for local-job opportunities. ; ; offers networking with local employers. ; ; QA ‘post COVID’ initiatives ; ; Our current initiatives include: ; ; Apprenticeships – QA find, recruit and re-skill 1,500-2,000 tech apprentices every year, a significant number of whom have changed ‘career direction’ and re-skill post-pandemic ; ; Teach the Nation to Code – every month, QA runs free Saturday coding workshops, open to anyone. Learners include those adversely impacted by Covid.

  Tackling economic inequality

  Creating new businesses and enhancing SMEs ; ; QA focusses extensively on the SME marketplace and generating partnerships for training. ; ; We deliver skills training, often leading to recognised qualifications, which help our Learners enhance their employability and to find meaningful roles in the Sector. ; ; Re-training and up-skilling: QA’s training programmes support employers in training their staff to acquire in-demand tech skills, addressing skills gaps and creating better qualified, more effective employees, who feel ‘invested in’. ; ; Finding employment: Our marketing campaigns help newly skilled learners gain employment and promote funded learning to the wider market to create new tech-talent. We advertise events to our whole customer base. ; ; Enhanced supply chain ; ; QA’s Suppliers: QA has a diverse supplier base, often SMEs/innovative start-ups who we support by facilitating presentations with our customers. ; ; ‘value for money Learning’: We innovate so that our learners’ digital experience is equal to a face-to-face course. Our Virtual classrooms have seen record levels of fill rates, which means we are able to hold our low prices for QA courses. ; ; Continuous improvement: QA continuously develops new digital tools allowing learners to learn anywhere/any time/any way. We offer our learning in modalities to suit all learning types. Our Cloud Academy platform also offers value-for-money subscriptions to ‘bite sized’ learning. ; ; Data and information security: QA schedules regular penetration testing. QA is audited by an external ISO27001 auditor bi-annually. These mandatory checks also apply to our supply chain. ; ; Partner Solutions: Our Partner Solutions Team manages suppliers and develops new contractual arrangements with subcontractors. We embed our sustainability principles in all procurement activities, selecting practicable and value-for-money products/services.

  Equal opportunity

  QA is committed to building an equal opportunities culture. Our organisation promotes equality, equity, diversity and inclusion, actively valuing differences whilst not tolerating any form of discrimination or harassment. ; ; ‘Our diversity makes us stronger’ is a key QA value. We recognise that different backgrounds and experiences bring valuable insights enhancing the way we work together. Our commitment is expressed in QA’s Equal Opportunities Statement and Equal Opportunities Policy, which is shared with all staff as part of Induction. ; ; QA’s Community networks enhance our culture. They create spaces where to bring our whole selves to work, support each other, gain insight and guidance and celebrate our differences. ; ; Tech Talent Charter: QA is focussed on recruiting new tech-talent from less privileged backgrounds. ; ; Race at Work Charter: QA has joined more than 600 employers in signing up to the Race at Work Charter. The initiative improves outcomes for our black, Asian and minority ethnic employees. ; ; Disability Confident Employer: QA’s is a fully inclusive and accessible employee experience to those with a disability. Disability Confident is a key support in enabling QA to recruit, retain and develop disabled people. ; ; Good Recruitment Charter: QA supports and upholds the standards set by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation ; ; Community networks are a key to QA’s culture, creating spaces to bring our whole selves to work, support each other, gain insight and guidance and celebrate our differences. ; ; Black in the workplace ; ; LGBTQ+ community ; ; Disability and Neurodiversity ; ; Menopause and Peri-Menopause ; ; Military Family ; ; Islamic community ; ; Women's network ; ; Fertility network ; ; Men's support group ; ; Regional office communities. ; ; In 2023, QA was ranked 18th in The Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers List. The listing took into account evidence of inclusivity practices across all strands of diversity (age, disability, gender, LGBT, race and faith).

  Wellbeing

  QA’s Workplace Wellbeing ; ; QA is committed to the health and wellbeing of all of our people. We are registered with health@work’s Workplace Wellbeing Charter. Health@work’s accreditation improves workplace standards in eight areas, including mental and physical health. ; ; QA has also implemented the Six Standards in the Mental Health at Work commitment https://www.mentalhealthatwork.org.uk/commitment/standards/ as well as the Thriving at Work enhanced standards. ; ; QA have also implemented the Voluntary Reporting Framework. Progress against the Framework is published as part of QA’s Annual Report. ; ; QA’s Staff shape the Wellbeing provision. Regular online employee ‘Pulse’ surveys to measure the effectiveness of provision and shape its future. Staff views are represented by Employee Representatives, at whose Employee Partnership Forums Health and Wellbeing as a standing agenda item. ; ; Internal support ; ; QA provides: ; ; Approved Listeners ; ; Mental Health First Aiders; provision across the company, using trained volunteers ; ; QA’s Wellbeing Hotline. ; ; Wellbeing advocates; Our own, trained QA support team for all wellbeing elements ; ; QA also provides: ; ; A single online hub for employees to access health and wellbeing resources. ; ; A Wellbeing Hotline. ; ; Our online Compass System: provides awareness, training and guidance on health and wellbeing issues for Leaders and Managers ; ; Online yoga, mindfulness and ‘exercise at your desk’ sessions. ; ; External support ; ; Links to Mental Health support and charities outside the business ; ; External consultancy support; which aids QA’s Leaders’ understanding of the workforce issues raised through Employee Partnership Forums and other QA Corporate forums ; ; Partnering with gym providers to promote affordable physical wellbeing, fitness and classes; Gym membership is flexible and national, ensuring staff have access whichever QA location they are working in ; ; Periodic learner feedback opportunities, giving the opportunity for feedback on areas including wellbeing.

Pricing

• Price: £500 a licence a year
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at Tenders@qa.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.