Training Center Start-up (1986-1988)

Training Center Start-up: 1986 - 1988

1986 1986

Online expanded to three classrooms in Wilmington.

Online hired a total of 14 staff members..

DisplayWrite 3 was our top selling class as we were training hundreds of Dupont secretaries in the package.

Online opened a second training site across from City Hall in center city Philadelphia.

philview

1987

Online began to hire instructors in advance of the demand, but hadn't learned how to market its services. As a result, the company gets into financial trouble.

As a result of costs related to our Philadelphia expansion, our March 5, 1987 internal newsletter announced that it is finally okay to cash your paychecks from February. There are no layoffs, but the company principals had to take major pay reductions until the company is nursed back to health. (Today the Philadelphia site is very busy. It has more classrooms than our Wilmington location!)

Macintosh classroom 1988

Online begins to establish relationships with vendor authorizations such as the Apple Training Alliance and the Lotus Authorized Education Center program.

Summary: In the beginning of this period, many businesses didn't even recognize the existence of the PC training industry. Online had to convince them that there was even a need for computer training. By the end of this period, most businesses were beginning to acknowledge the need for training and for computer training providers such as Online.