EDI training can be acquired through various resources if you know where to look. Your EDI provider may provide training on the EDI software they sell you, either based on an hourly fee or included in the setup costs. Or if you are interested in a long term career as an EDI manager or analyst, you will want to look at more formal EDI education such as what is offered through www.ediacademy.com. Also, many EDI companies offer EDI courses for their customers and prospective customers, either at their facility or via conferences held in various metro areas. Whatever type of training you take advantage of will depend on where you are in the industry, as well as your career and priorities.
Here are some brief explanations of the types of EDI education commonly available and who might benefit from them.
Types of Training
Free Resources
White papers, eBooks, case studies and other downloads are frequently available through EDI provider websites and other organizations such as www.neecom.org. Such information is free to anyone willing to go out and find it. These resources are perfect for people thinking about implementing EDI or just looking for general information.
Included Training
Most EDI providers will offer a certain amount of training along with their solution. This training may be offered at an hourly rate or included in the setup costs. The depth of the training will depend on the solution. An entry level EDI solution will have a smaller learning curve than on-premise EDI translation software. Certainly, an experienced EDI manager will benefit from any in-house software training far more than someone just beginning a career in EDI.
Classes
For someone who is serious about a long term career in EDI, it's important to play an active role in your continuing education. This is especially important if you want to make a move from distribution to health care and need to learn the intricacies of HIPAA requirements! This type of EDI training is available in a traditional classroom setting through organizations like www.ediacademy.com.
Hourly Training
Lastly, large EDI providers will often offer EDI training in their own facilities or in the form of conferences they hold in cities all over the world. I have been to one such conference and it was well worth my time. Even years later, I still occasionally refer back to the materials I was given to look up one thing or another. The people who benefit most from this type of training are the people who use those companies' solutions, but usually there are also general courses such as EDI Mapping and Introduction to EDI.
GraceBlood LLC specializes in EDI implementation and data integration solutions. For more information, please contact Shandra Locken, at slocken@graceblood.com.
