The MicroTrain Blog

MicroTrain announced that Deborah Towner of Chicago will be awarded the first ever Van Nice – Muller scholarship, an award focused on reaching out and helping out-of-work individuals in Chicago get specific training that is needed for them to get back to work. The scholarship will pay for Ms. Towner’s entire program of coursework at MicroTrain, focusing on the specific training she has been told she needs to secure the office administration position she desires.

“We are proud to be in a position to offer Deborah Towner Van Nice – Muller scholarship,” said Stan Van Nice, CEO and co-founder of MicroTrain. “Her story was compelling, and when we recognized the vital role the training she will receive is going to play in her ability to secure a new job, it became an obvious choice.”

Ms. Towner will be enrolled in MicroTrain’s Office Administration program, which provides the training and background needed to successfully work in an office administration role. The program consists of 6 weeks of classes, including learning all Microsoft Office programs, basic accounting practice including using QuickBooks and Microsoft Project, and basic business skills such as customer service, email, business writing, and more.

“The training offered by MicroTrain is essential for my career, and will allow me to become more effective and professional,” said Ms. Towner. " I am eager to learn these new skills…and they will [help] me be a contributing member of the community and become a more employable candidate."

The Van Nice-Muller scholarship was launched by MicroTrain this past summer to provide assistance to individuals in the Chicago area who are out of work and in need of additional training, and is awarded on a quarterly basis. The next scholarship is scheduled to be awarded in early December. Applications are currently being accepted, and more information can be found at www.microtrain.net/scholarship .

Inc. Magazine recently named MicroTrain on its  Inc. 500/5000 list, which honors the 5000 fastest growing private companies in America.  Inc. has published the list for more than 30 years, with past honorees including Microsoft, Timberland, Visa, Intuit, Jamba Juice, Oracle, and Zappos.com.  

MicroTrain was ranked at number 4416 on the list of the fastest growing companies overall, with a 21% increase in revenue from 2006 through 2009.  Breaking down the list even further, MicroTrain was the 69th fastest growing company in the country in the education industry, and the 187th fastest growing company in the state of Illinois, which itself was the 5th fastest growing state on the list.

"This is a true honor to be recognized as one of America's fastest growing companies," said Stan Van Nice, CEO and co-founder.  "I view this honor as recognition of the hard work and vision of our entire team and MicroTrain's commitment to excellence, and I look forward to our continued growth and success in the future."

"As many companies struggle to survive in the recession, it is a true blessing to be with an organization that is actually growing," said Dennis Muller, President and co-founder. "I attribute this success to our great team and their hard work which paves the way for MicroTrain's continued growth and success."

The 2010 Inc. 5000 list measures revenue growth from 2006 through 2009. To qualify, companies must be U.S. based and privately held, independent - not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies, and have had at least $100,000 in revenue in 2006, and $2 million in 2009.  The magazine surveys private America’s independent businesses to take a comprehensive look at a critical part of the economy.  The companies vary in what they do, including digital media companies, retailers, food and beverage companies, and software and telecommunications businesses. More information on the Inc. 5000 list can be found on their website.