These are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive here at Sterling Ledet & Associates, Inc. If you have a question about our company or its policies, there's a good chance it can be answered right here!

About Sterling Ledet & Associates, Inc.

How experienced are your instructors?
Our instructors know the products they teach on inside and out. You can rest assured they will be able to quickly answer your questions, or find out the answer for you after class if it's something they don't have an immediate solution for. Our instructors are vendor certified and many are Certified Technical Trainers.

What makes your training classes better than others?
Sterling Ledet & Associates, Inc. provides real-world technical support and consulting services to companies across the US. We integrate this real-world experience with our classroom training to make sure the classes are relevant. Our classes are organized and professional, and our small class size helps to ensure you get the best training experience possible. For more information on what distinguishes our classes from our competitors, visit our Ledet Difference page or download our PDF white paper.

Are you vendor certified?
Yes! Sterling Ledet & Associates, Inc. is an Adobe Certified Training Provider, an Apple Authorized Training Center, a Macromedia Authorized Training Center, and a Quark Authorized Training Center.

Do you have a printed catalog and schedule you can send me?
Because software gets updated often, and we frequently make schedule changes to accommodate client needs, we don't invest our resources in conventional printed literature. We do keep the online schedule up-to-date, though, and have course outlines available as a PDF.

Do you offer certification training?
Yes, we offer an extensive certification training program for the Adobe Certified Expert program, the Macromedia Certified Professional program and QuarkXPress Certified Expert program. See http://www.ledet.com/certification for more information.

Do you offer a reseller, partnering, or affiliate program?
Yes, we offer an exciting and profitable channel partner program. It does require some commitment and is not a typical web affiliate. Check out our partner opportunities web page for more information.

Do you offer job placement assistance to students?
While we don't offer placement services through our company directly, we do work with several companies whose main function is job placement for creative professionals. Our links page contains links to these companies. You will find that the demand for people with the skills we develop is tremendous.

Registration Procedures and Policies

What is included with your courses?
Your class registration fee includes professional, four color printed course materials, which are yours to keep after class. Most classes also include a CD-ROM with the data files used in class, and additional product information, utilities, and enhancements.

What version of the software do you teach on?
Our policy is to use the latest version of the software in each of our training classes. We usually adopt new versions of software immediately upon their release, and are up to speed on it due to our participation in vendor training programs.

What version of course materials do you teach with?
We use the latest available version of vendor authorized course materials in each of our training classes, usually supplemented with handouts and additional resources prepared by our instructors. However, often there is a gap between new software releases and the publication of updated textbooks and courseware. During this time, our policy is to use the courseware designed for the previous version with the latest software release. At the end of class, students have the option of either keeping the course materials used in class or placing an order for the new course materials at no charge. In order to receive the new material at no charge, the course material used in class must be left with the instructor at the end of class and must be in like new condition without markings or dog-ears. The participant is responsible for sending a request to administration@ledet.com requesting the new material be sent when available. If the courseware is removed from class, returns are not acceptable and new courseware must be purchased once available, although, as a customer service, we will provide new courseware at our cost.

What is your retake policy?
Our policy is to offer returning students unlimited retakes throughout the current release version of the application they were trained on. For example, a student attending a Photoshop 5.0 class was eligible to retake this same class, until the next major upgrade (version 5.5, for example). There is a $75.00 registration and administrative fee associated with all retakes. This fee does not include new course materials or books, which can be purchased separately at your discretion. All retake seats are confirmed on a space available basis..

What do I need to know before I come to class?
Our instructors are professional, patient and considerate. Generally, you won't feel out of place if you don't have much experience with a program when you attend our non-advanced classes. As all of our classes are filled with a lot of information, however, we do recommend some basic familiarity with the software before you come to class. The more you know about a program before you come, the more you can get out of the class.

It is vitally important, however, that you have basic familiarity with your computer and its operating system. You must be comfortable with using your mouse, opening and saving files, and general operations of your computer. If you do not have this basic level of familiarity with computers and come to class, you may not be able to keep up with the pace of the class. While we will make every effort to help you as much as possible, we cannot slow down the pace of the class unreasonably to make up for a student's unfamiliarity with computers. Students with insufficient mousing and general computer skills may be required to observe the class lessons or do their best to keep up without slowing down the rest of the class.

How many students are in each training class?
Most of our training classrooms hold a maximum of eight students with a few holding up to 12. The average class size hovers around 4. This lets us keep a close watch on each student to make sure they are learning everything they need to know.

What types of computers do students get to use during class? Do you train on both Macintosh and Windows?
For Ledet operated facilities in Atlanta, Chicago, San Diego, Denver, and Washington DC each seat is equipped with Macintosh and Windows computer systems. We have new Apple iMac systems in most of our classrooms, and each computer has sufficient memory. In some locations such as affiliates and rentals, however, Macintosh's may not be available or may be available at extra cost.

How do I register for a class?
We require a faxed registration form (available on our registration page) with payment in order to reserve a seat in our classes. The form can be downloaded as an Acrobat PDF form from this web site and filled out on your computer, but it should be printed out and faxed to us with your signature.

How far in advance should I register?
We generally recommend registering as soon as you are certain you want to attend the class. Some classes fill up a couple of weeks in advance of the class, and some (such as Dan Margulis' Applied Color Theory) are filled months ahead.

What types of payment do you accept?
Sterling Ledet & Associates, Inc. accepts company checks and all major credit cards. We can accept a purchase order to reserve a registration, but payment must be received at least one week before the class. In this case, a credit card must be given to guarantee payment. The card will not be charged unless the invoice is not paid by the end of the first day of class. The registration form must be marked HOLD ONLY next to the credit card number. Past due invoices incur a 2% finance charge per month ($25 minimum per statement cycle) which is strictly enforced.

Do you have financing available?
We partner with financing companies to provide several credit alternatives.

• Businesses can apply for an American Express credit line of up to $10,000
• Key Education Resources provides the Key CareerLoan for IT. This financing product provides low interest rates, with no application fee and no prepayment penalties. You can apply online at http://www.key.com/IT.

What is your policy regarding student cancellations and rescheduling?
We sincerely value our client relationships and are forced to make some hard business decisions when it comes to cancellations. Unfortunately, our scheduling and instructor deployment decisions are made based on commitments we receive from our clients that they will be attending classes. Cancellations and rescheduling with short notice cost us significant resources, and we must pass these costs on to those who cancel.

All registrations are subject to a $75 nonrefundable registration fee. If we receive written notice (via email or fax) of a rescheduling or cancellation at least 2 weeks before the start of class, there is no additional charge for the change and a store credit will be issued for 100% of the fee paid minus the $75 registration fee. Substitutions of students can be made at any time before the class begins at no charge.

With less than 2 weeks notice but at least 1 week's notice, we will provide a store credit of 50% of the course registration fee toward another class. There are no refunds or credits for cancellations or rescheduling made without at least 1 weeks notice.

Please be aware that all communications regarding cancellations and rescheduling requests by students or their managers must be in writing as specified above. This means it must be sent via fax or email to administration@ledet.com. Verbal communications do not leave us a record and are sometimes subject to misunderstanding, and all employees at our company have been instructed to notify anyone attempting to cancel or reschedule on the phone to instead send an email to administration@ledet.com so a record of the event is available and communications are as clear as possible.

What is your policy regarding multi-class packages (i.e. workshops) and bundles?
We offer a number of multi-class packages such as our platinum bundle, and our individual software product workshops, which are bundles of several classes. These bundles and workshops do provide a significant discount off of our regular pricing. Our policy for these workshops is that once one of the classes in the bundle, package or workshop is attended, no refunds are available for unused portions of the bundle. Student rescheduling is available under our regular policies.

What is your satisfaction guarantee policy?
We strive to do everything possible to ensure a successful, long-term relationship with our clients and we want you to not only enjoy your experience, but refer your friends and associates. Hands-on instructor-led training is an organized, effective way to learn software quickly in a structured environment. Much of our courseware is available publicly, however, and it is certainly possible for clients to self-study this material if they have the discipline, time and facility in which to do so. In the unlikely event we fail to meet your expectations, we will do our best to work with you to resolve customer service issues in a way that is fair for all parties involved.

We do not offer refunds for classes that have been attended. As it states on our marketing outlines, each class is unique, and we do not guarantee that all topics mentioned on our marketing outlines will be covered in every class. It's our philosophy that to a large degree, participants get maximum value from a class when they are well prepared for the experience. Participants are encouraged to communicate their primary objectives on our registration form. We do not guarantee that all objectives on the registration form will be covered, and refunds are not available if a particular objective is not met.

Although refunds for classes that have been attended are not available, we do strive to be fair and reasonable in all of our business dealings. If you are unsatisfied with a training experience in one of our classes, you can request special consideration such as a free retake of a class with a different instructor, a training class voucher, a free technical support session or VILT (Virtual Instructor-Led Training) session to help cover areas of particular concern, or a discount on a customized on-site training session, for example. All reasonable requests will be considered, as we truly do desire every client to be a long-term relationship that refers others. All requests for customer service considerations must be in writing to administration@ledet.com and should briefly detail what is being requested and the desired end business result.

What is your policy regarding low-enrollment cancellations and rescheduling?
We do reserve the right to cancel or reschedule any class due to insufficient enrollment, scheduling conflicts or circumstances beyond our control. If cancellation is necessary, your full registration fee will be refunded, at your written request. In the event we must cancel or reschedule a class, however, we are not liable for anything other than the money paid to us. We can not accept liability for travel arrangements or other expenses incurred by our clients. We also use a network of rental facilities for classes outside our company operated classrooms in Atlanta, Chicago, San Diego, Denver and DC. Occasionally, due to scheduling conflicts with third parties we need to move locations to another classroom in the same metro area. Refunds are not available if this is necessary..

What happens if I'm the only student registered?
When we don't have at least three students registered for a class, it occasionally becomes necessary for us to offer clients one of three options:

1) When available, we offer our clients the option to elect to receive one day of one-on-one instruction in lieu of their two day class. Our regular one-on-one consulting rates are approximately $1000 to $1500 per day depending on the product and instructor so most clients take advantage of this option. Students are still eligible to retake a two-day class for the $75 retake fee (as mentioned above) on a space available basis if they elect this option.

2) Clients may choose to reschedule their 2-day class to the next available scheduled class at no charge. Of course, the $75 administrative fee is waived in this instance.

3) Clients may elect to receive a voucher good for any class our company offers.

Onsite& Custom Training

Does Sterling Ledet & Associates, Inc. provide onsite training?
Our specialty is organizing and delivering top-notch onsite training. We quote these situations on a per project basis. We generally recommend taking our classes in our training center and following it up with onsite project assistance and support, if necessary. Coming to our professional training center helps to ensure you can focus on learning the software without interruptions, machine problems, or distractions.

What about onsite support and project assistance?
We do offer onsite assistance for advanced training and help with tricky projects. This generally follows a customized agenda. Rates vary but are typically $495 for a 3-hour session and $165 per hour thereafter.

Does Sterling Ledet & Associates, Inc. provide customized training?
We provide customized training on workflows for prepress, web development, and digital video. We have customized our software courses to incorporate production requirements and procedures for several companies. If you have a particular training requirement that is more than what the typical software course can provide, you've come to the right place. We can provide a course that covers both the software and your company's unique production workflow. We will tailor a class to make sure it covers the experience level of your team. Classes can be based on your company's specific challenges and project requirements.

Online VILT Training

How does your online Virtual Instructor Led Training work?
Our new VILT training events allow you to attend classes from the comfort of your home or office. All you need is a computer and a high-speed internet connection. Virtual classrooms give you the benefits of traditional classroom training (including hands-on instruction and individual attention) without the hassle and expense of travel. Using Acrobat Connect, our instructors are able to deliver hands-on live training and immediately interact with the students in the VILT session. You may register for the VILT training events with our PDF registration form.

Which is best, online or Virtual Instructor Led Training?
Our VILT training courses are a great way to learn for many people. But different people learn best using different methods. Many of our clients take our hands-on class, as well as our VILT classes. While each client can obviously decide for themselves which method is best for them, you can call a sales consultant at 770-414-5007 if you'd like to discuss your training needs in person with someone who can help you make the decision that's best for you.