For big projects Microsoft Project is still unrivalled. Recently I was looking to book a beginner’s Microsoft Project course in and around the City of London. I wanted something hands-on and practical with an experienced trainer, and that gave me enough practical confidence to build and track a simple project plan as a starter.
Having reviews the offerings I thought it might be helpful to write about my thoughts on the providers that I looked at, namely Acuity Training, Happy, London Academy of IT, Glide Training, and FourSquare/Foursquare Innovations.
The five providers I looked at in brief
- Acuity Training:Beginner → advanced training path, London classroom dates and online delivery; clear course pages for Project with post course support.
- Happy: one-day “Fast Track Essentials” MS Project course, run from their Aldgate centre and available as interactive online sessions; includes post-course IT helpline access.
- London Academy of IT:Classroom and online Project courses; their main London training venue is in Stratford (which is outside the immediate City area).
- Glide Training:Tailored Project training in London; not dates published for public training courses; limited contemporary public reviews.
- Foursquare: — Offers introduction and advanced MS Project courses; not dates for public courses; limited to online delivery as no premises in London
The 5 Training Provers
-
Acuity Training: Clear course structure, hands-on classroom options
Acuity’s MS Project course page shows a clear learning page from beginners introduction course to an advanced course, all are CPD-certified. They also offer a discount for people who book both courses at the same time, their ‘Combined Course’.
They offer small class sizes and practical, instructor-led training (classroom and online) for a variety of Microsoft applications in London, like Power BI. This looks ideal if I want a comprehensive two dayintroduction with the option to step up further later and post-course support.
Why I’d consider it:Clear beginner syllabus, London classroom dates, and the option to combine with advanced training if I want a longer learning path.
Happy: Compact, one-day practical course
Happy has a Project Fast Track Essentials course aimed at complete beginners (or people with gaps in self-taught knowledge). It’s a hands-on one-day course delivered online or at Aldgate centre. Happy also offers ongoing support which is handy for follow up questions.
Why I’d consider it:Practical one day course with post-course helpline support to learn the basics fast.
London Academy of IT: Hands-on course, but outside the City of London
London Academy of IT also has a beginners Microsoft Project course that’s pitched at new or aspiring project managers. The course has a clear overview however their training unit is in Stratford which is East London.
Why I’d consider it:Solid hands-on syllabus and small class sizes; I’d only pick it if Iwas based in the East of London.
Glide Training: Tailored content with, on-site options
Glide specialises in tailored Microsoft Project training. It focuses on bespoke courses for client-site or online delivery. They don’t publish a London venue address or dates so I don’t think they offer public Project courses. I could only find one recent review on their site which was a slight concern.
Why I’d consider it:Very goodoption for in-house training with a customised agenda.
Foursquare Innovations:Online delivery for London audiences
FourSquarehas a broad Microsoft 365 and Office training catalogue. While listed in London for Project training they don’t have a London training centre so they only offer online training.
Why I’d consider it:Very experienced provider so a good option for online delivery.
What mattered to me when choosing
As I compared providers, these were the deciding factors I weighed:
Length & focus: I wanted a one-day, hands-on beginner course so I could build a project plan that afternoon. Acuity and Happy looked the best bet for this.
Hands-on practice: All five providers advertise practical exercises so this didn’t differentiate them.
Location & commute:For a course in the City of London Acuity is the most convenient followed by Happy and then London Academy of IT. Glide and Foursquare don’t have premises in London
Follow-up support:Acuity Training and Happy explicitly mentionmention post-course support. The other providers do not offer this.
Price: Having looked at options Acuity Training and Happy were my preferred options. Their prices were broadly the same, although varied a little by date.
My recommendation for a beginner’s Project course
Acuity Training is my top choice for a beginner’s Microsoft Project training course. They offer a clear path from beginner to advanced and a good discount for doing their Combined course. Their venue is most central in London and I like the ideas of small classes.
It hard to separate Acuity Training and Happy who offer what looks like a great one day fast track course. Their course is explicitly aimed at complete beginners and delivered as a hands-on session. Their training centre isn’t so nearcentral London and they don’t talk about how many people they have in their classes.
I think that Glide look great for company courses and FourSquare the same for online training but that’s not exactly what I’m looking for. Unfortunately London Academy of IT isn’t convenient for me.
