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Programming Training Courses

View our live online and classroom programming training courses in Python, C#, SQL, Office Scripts, Google Scripts and VBA - learn to program in small classes (maximum 6 people).

We currently run the following scheduled Programming courses:

(*) This course is a new course; for all other courses our no cancel guarantee applies.
Not exactly the course contents you want? Why not consider organising your own tailored Programming course)?

More about our Macros and Programming training

We like programming!  To help you choose which language to learn, we've included a quick guide below.  To avoid any bias, the languages are listed in alphabetical order.

Language

When and why you would use it

C#

Visual C# allows you to build websites and forms-based systems in .NET.

Google Scripts

Writing scripts to automate work within Google Sheets, using the Google take on JavaScript

Office Scripts

The new way to automate Excel (and presumably in the future other Microsoft applications) using a language based upon TypeScript.

Python

An increasingly popular language used to manipulate data, scrape websites, analyse statistics and much more besides.

SQL

SQL allows you to extract information from SQL Server databases, and then manipulate it.

VBA

Visual Basic for Applications is the language included in Microsoft Office, and allows you to automate Excel, Access and other programs.

Here are the main courses that we teach in each language:

If you're not a specialist programmer, you'll probably want to avoid learning Python or C#, but becoming proficient in Google Scripts, Office Scripts, SQL or VBA may well make you able to do day-to-day tasks more quickly, without needing to resort to getting help from your (busy) IT department all the time.

Whichever language you choose, you'll have to master the same core concepts:

Concept

Explanation

Variables

Variables are places in which you can store single items of data, such as integers, dates and bits of text.

Conditions

At the heart of programming is the ability to test a condition, to see which execution path to follow.

Loops

Also at the heart of programming is the ability to repeat a series of steps a number of times, perhaps while a particular condition is true.

Note, however, that you won't encounter the above if you stick to learning the basics of SQL only.

10 things our courses include

Each of our scheduled courses (whether classroom or online) includes:

  1. Small course sizes - we have a maximum of 6 people on each classroom or online course.
  2. A trainer! And not just anyone - our courses are only ever given by full-time Wise Owls.
  3. Full colour courseware and exercises of oustanding quality.
  4. A no cancellation guarantee (once you've booked and confirmed your training course, it will run).
  5. A one gigabyte USB stick, containing course files, answers to exercises and (by the end of the course) your answers too, together with a nice pen.
  6. Unofficial help after the course (although we don't have a dedicated post-course support line, in practice trainers will be happy to answer the odd ad hoc question after a course has taken place).
  7. A certificate sent out digitally or in paper form (your choice) after each course, together with (for tailored courses) the trainer's thoughts on how the course went.

In addition, our classroom courses also include:

  1. A computer for each delegate (obviously).
  2. Lunch out each day at a local restaurant (chosen on the day of the course, after discussion!).
  3. Unlimited refreshments during the day, including Tassimo or Nespresso coffee and a range of biscuits and snacks to keep you going through those dark afternoon hours.

Still not convinced? You can read hundreds of testimonials to the quality of our training (all attributed and added in the last 3 years.

Scheduled Programming training dates

Here are the Programming courses we have scheduled for the next 3 months:

Course Dates Days Venue Price Booking
Fast track SQL Wed/Fri 20-22 March 2024 20-22 Mar 3 Online £1,295 Book places
Advanced SQL Thu/Fri 21-22 March 2024 21-22 Mar 2 London £1,450 Book places
Excel VBA macros Mon/Tue 25-26 March 2024 25-26 Mar 2 Online £950 Book places
Introduction to SQL Mon/Tue 25-26 March 2024 25-26 Mar 2 Online £825 Book places
Advanced VBA Thu/Fri 04-05 April 2024 04-05 Apr 2 Online £950 Book places
Introduction to Visual C# Thu/Fri 04-05 April 2024 04-05 Apr 2 Online £825 Book places
Intermediate C# Thu/Fri 04-05 April 2024 04-05 Apr 2 Online £950 Book places
Fast track C# Mon/Wed 08-10 April 2024 08-10 Apr 3 Online £1,295 Book places
Advanced SQL Thu/Fri 11-12 April 2024 11-12 Apr 2 Online £950 Book places
Introduction to Python Mon/Tue 15-16 April 2024 15-16 Apr 2 Online £825 Book places
Introduction to Python Thu/Fri 18-19 April 2024 18-19 Apr 2 Manchester £995 Book places
Introduction to SQL Tue/Wed 23-24 April 2024 23-24 Apr 2 London £1,350 Book places
Excel VBA macros Thu/Fri 25-26 April 2024 25-26 Apr 2 London £1,450 Book places
Advanced SQL Thu/Fri 25-26 April 2024 25-26 Apr 2 Manchester £1,095 Book places
Introduction to Office Scripts Thu/Fri 25-26 April 2024 25-26 Apr 2 Online £825 Book places
Introduction to SQL Mon/Tue 29-30 April 2024 29-30 Apr 2 Online £825 Book places
Fast track Python Mon/Wed 29th Apr/1st May 2024 29 Apr-01 May 3 Online £1,295 Book places
Fast track Excel VBA Wed/Fri 01-03 May 2024 01-03 May 3 Online £1,295 Book places
Introduction to Visual C# Thu/Fri 02-03 May 2024 02-03 May 2 Online £825 Book places
Excel VBA macros Tue/Wed 07-08 May 2024 07-08 May 2 Online £950 Book places
Advanced SQL Thu/Fri 09-10 May 2024 09-10 May 2 Online £950 Book places
Intermediate C# Thu/Fri 09-10 May 2024 09-10 May 2 Online £950 Book places
Fast track SQL Mon/Wed 13-15 May 2024 13-15 May 3 Online £1,295 Book places
Introduction to Python Thu/Fri 16-17 May 2024 16-17 May 2 Online £825 Book places
Advanced SQL Tue/Wed 21-22 May 2024 21-22 May 2 London £1,450 Book places
Introduction to MySQL Tue/Wed 21-22 May 2024 21-22 May 2 Online £825 Book places
Excel VBA macros Thu/Fri 23-24 May 2024 23-24 May 2 Manchester £1,095 Book places
Introduction to SQL Thu/Fri 30-31 May 2024 30-31 May 2 Online £825 Book places
Introduction to Office Scripts Thu/Fri 30-31 May 2024 30-31 May 2 Online £825 Book places
Advanced VBA Mon/Tue 03-04 June 2024 03-04 Jun 2 Online £950 Book places
Introduction to SQL Tue/Wed 04-05 June 2024 04-05 Jun 2 Manchester £995 Book places
Advanced SQL Mon/Tue 10-11 June 2024 10-11 Jun 2 Online £950 Book places
Fast track C# Wed/Fri 12-14 June 2024 12-14 Jun 3 Online £1,295 Book places
Fast track Python Wed/Fri 12-14 June 2024 12-14 Jun 3 Online £1,295 Book places
Introduction to Python Tue/Wed 18-19 June 2024 18-19 Jun 2 Online £825 Book places

All prices exclude VAT. If you can't see the dates you want, don't forget that you always have the option of arranging onsite Programming training at your offices (we'll even provide the computers and projector).

About our Programming training

Programming has come on over the years, but the essential principles remain the same (in virtually every language you create variables, test conditions and iterate over loops).  To show the evolution of programming over the decades, here are the languages learnt by the oldest of the Wise Owls:

Decade

Main language learnt

Notes

1980s

Fortran

In early Fortran you had to colour in shapes on punch cards with a 2B pencil!  How times have changed ...

1990s

VBA

The 1990s saw Microsoft roll out Visual Basic for Applications across all of the MIcrosoft Office product range; it's still going strong today.

2000s

SQL

T-SQL is the dialect of SQL used for extracting data from SQL Server.

2010s

C#

C, C++, Java and JavaScript are all variants of C#.

2020s

Python

The up-and-coming language, Python allows you to write more concise code and supports lots of additional libraries.

2030s?

******* Script

Will Office Script or Google Script be the cloud language we will be writing in the AI era?

We don't train in Fortran (thank goodness), but we do still train in the languages from the other decades.

Other Macros and Programming training resources

There are many ways in which we can help you learn Programming!

Blogs on Programming

Whether you're learning to program in SQL, Office Scripts, Google Scripts Python, VBA or C#, we'll have written a blog to help you.

Self-paced Programming online training

You can teach yourself how to program in Visual Basic for Applications by following this online tutorial.

Videos on Programming

Our videos can help you to learn to program in SQL, VBA, C# or DAX.

Shorts on Programming

We've published the following programming shorts.

Programming training venues

Our scheduled programming courses run in the following venues.

Test your Programming skills

Test your programming skills using one of these categories.

Programming books or publications

If you're teaching yourself VBA, we've also published our own book.

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