Update on the Action Pack Changes
Some of you may have already heard about the changes to Action Pack that will come into play a bit later this year - for those of you that haven't Luisa from the Partner Marketing team gives a run down below.
I'm sure most of you will be glad to see the changes, for although it will mean a few more steps for you to take, we think its definitely a step in the right direction towards stopping customers purchasing Action Pack. And we know from feedback that its something you all definitely want!
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Luisa, What are the changes to the Action Pack on November 30, 2007?
There are two changes happening:
1. Partners will now be required to take an online course on the Partner Learning Center and pass an associated assessment with a score of 70% or higher.
2. The addition of Special Edition kits for Small Business Specialists, Web solution providers, and Microsoft Professional Accountants’ Network members.
Why is Microsoft requiring an Assessment for the Action Pack?
With respect to the assessment requirement, our intention is to increase order compliancy and not penalize partners. We recognize that some partners may view this new online training requirement as an additional barrier. That is not our objective. We believe (and our research has shown), that our Registered partners prefer online and self-paced training options. We believe that completion of an assessment every two years will be a small hurdle for the majority of our partners, while helping to ensure we preserve the MAPS benefits for partners going forward.
How do I take an online course and an assessment, and how often do I need to take it??
Take the online courses and their associated assessment from the Partner Learning Center. Partners need to take and pass an assessment (with a score of 70% or higher) every two years.
Can I take any online course and assessment?
No, only those courses that have assessments associated with them.
SPECIAL EDITION KITS
What are the Special Edition Kits?
There are three types of Special Edition kits, which are supplements to the base Action Pack. The types of kits include those provided to Small Business Specialists, Web developers/ web solution partners and Accounting Professionals.
Small Business Specialist Community Toolkit: This free kit is designed and available exclusively for actively enrolled Microsoft Small Business Specialist partners who serve small business customers. Visit https://partner.microsoft.com/global/program/40029529 for more information.
Web Developers, Designers and Agencies: Designed for Web Designers, Developers and partners who would like to build a business practice with web offerings for their customers, this free supplemental toolkit includes access to additional web design and development products including Visual Studio Standard 2005, Expression Studio and SilverLight. Please visit https://partner.microsoft.com/actionpack for more information.
How much do the Special Edition Kits costs?
The Special Edition kits are free.
How do I receive a Special Edition kit?
Small Business Specialist Community Special Edition Toolkit:
Partners need to be actively enrolled as Small Business Specialists at least 30 days prior to the estimated ship date for this kit. For more information on how to become a Small Business Specialist, visit https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40021569.
Web Solution Provider Special Edition Toolkit:
Partner need to pass the appropriate web course and assessment at least 30 days prior to the estimated ship date for this kit. For more information on which courses are eligible, please visit https://partner.microsoft.com/actionpack
If I take an eligible web course to receive the Web Solution Provider Special Edition kit, does that also count toward the assessment needed for the base kit?
Yes.
For any other information just go to the Action Pack web site >>https://partner.microsoft.com/actionpack
