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Chengdu firm offers Microsoft Excel training
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Photo by Ivan Walsh
CHENGDU, CHINA – In yet another sign that more and more of China’s rapid economic growth is spreading to its second- and third-tier cities, a new company has launched that provides training for Microsoft Excel and later other popular software programs.
Mark Wu and his wife, Shirley, spent their first years out of college working in Beijing. Many Chinese from smaller cities dream of working in Beijing or Shanghai to gain practical experience. Mr. Wu worked at Li Ning, a successful shoe and sporting goods company, and then for Amazon.com But after a few years in China’s capital and with a baby on the way, the couple saw their future back in their hometown of Chengdu.
“Chinese organizations are more data-driven and rely more on Excel than those in Western countries,” Wu said.
“State-owned enterprises, government institutes, and the military use Excel because its data applications are so vast. But too many people only use it for making tables and simple calculations. Our aim is to show the full range of this powerful tool," he added.
Renowned for its spicy cuisine and panda bears, Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province. The city is gaining a reputation as one of the most important economic center, transportation and communication hubs in Southwestern China. According to the 2007 Public Appraisal for Best Chinese Cities for Investment, Chengdu was chosen as one of the top ten cities to invest in out of a total of 280 urban centers in China.
The company, No. 5 Office, said that a number of its clients are looking to produce more professional-looking reports, financial budgets and forecasts. Microsoft Excel is the world's most popular spreadsheet software program. It allows the easy analysis and manipulation of data using tables and formulas.
Wu said that in addition to companies, a number of recent graduates are signing up for the training in order to get a leg up on the competition. Although China’s economy is booming, college graduates with limited work experience find it difficult to find employment.
“College students and laid-off workers have limited experience with programs like Excel. By taking our course, we can provide relevant examples of how they can use the program at their future job. We can also recommend them to potential employers who are looking for workers with Excel know-how,” Wu said. “Properly trained Excel users can work better in teams, can save companies time and money, and help protect and control access to information.”
The company said that it doesn’t view books and online training courses as competition. They contend that because Excel is somewhat intimidating for beginners most students prefer face-to-face communication. No. 5 Office said that it adapts course material for specific companies and adjusts the pace to correspond with the learning curve of the students.
Wu said that in the long-term he expects to establish agreements with local schools to provide ongoing training to students.
Company Website: No. 5 Office
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