Over the years, the king of all spreadsheet programs has grown from a fairly simple calculator into an application with the ability to perform highly complex operations. The problem for most is figuring out where to start and how each of the functions can be used. Books are great reference tools if you already know what you're looking for, but Excel training courses are where you'll really grasp the full potential of Excel quickly. With the right instructional program, you can acquire a base foundation of knowledge with just one day of training. Of course it takes more than one day of training to get a complete understanding of this powerful program. The most complex levels of Excel training begin to touch on basic programming.

Those who think the spreadsheet is little more than a page of blank boxes are often surprised at the program's capabilities. In fact, much of the software that companies and individuals spend money on can be easily created and improved on, through greater control and customization, with a proficient level of training. Perhaps the greatest impact Excel has in the office is that productivity among those with some sort of Excel training is noticeably higher than of those without. Those who utilize Excel in their daily activities, even for simple workflow tracking, reporting, or sales calculations, tend to do their jobs faster and more accurately. Consequently, the higher the level of Excel training a person possesses, the higher their level of productivity. There seems to be a threshold of training after which individuals start becoming innovative and using Excel to create more sophisticated methods of tracking and reporting or to solve old inefficiencies that have become "the standard way of doing things.

" For example after several courses of Excel software training, one student found a way to save 20 or so hours off of the bi-annual publication of the company's 120 page business plan. In the past, the company would manually change each number on static charts throughout the business plan. Often when one number was changed, countless other figures were affected. After learning about embedded tables in Excel program training, the employee developed a strategy where all numerical data was kept on a master data sheet that would automatically update the Word document when changed. Many of today's managers require that new employees have some level of Excel training. If you're in the job market, computer training is a C.

V. line item you'll want to obtain. Courses are fast, inexpensive and can drastically increase your opportunities. The London job market is fiercer today than ever and earning the position you desire means taking a proactive approach to skill building. With 5 days of Excel program training courses, you can literally go from no knowledge of Excel to using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), creating pivot tables, creating forms and controls similar to the web, and using a broad range of expressions and formulas. Following the training, you'll be fully prepared to take the Excel portion of the Microsoft Office Specialist Certification, a powerful C.

V. selling point. With bulk course pricing, onsite or offsite training, e-learning or classroom learning, there has never been a better time to start training.

Whether you're an employee looking for advancement or an employer striving for greater efficiency and accuracy in the workplace, Excel software training is a smart investment.

Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on Microsoft Excel training, visit http://www.MicrosoftTraining.net/.