Microsoft LatAm offers free .Net online training

MIAMI — Violating that most sacred of capitalistic maxims about there being no free lunches, Microsoft — that most capitalistic of software companies — is rolling out a no-cost .Net online training program for Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking developers.

Called “Desarrollador Cinco Estrellas,” which in English means “Five-Star Developer,” the program will offer a five-level program whose purpose is to motivate and help developers increase their knowledge of Microsoft’s .Net platform and related technologies, said Federico Raggi, developer director for Microsoft Latin America, the division that created and manages the program.

The program’s first training level, or “star,” is already available, while the second level will be launched on Monday in both Spanish and at the end of February in Portuguese. The following three levels will be rolled out, respectively, in March, April and May, he said.

With each level, the sophistication of the training increases and the interaction between the instructors and the students becomes more personal, he said.

The program is open to developers with all kinds of experience levels, from university students to professional developers. All participants must start at the first level, and to advance through the program they must fulfill the requirements of their current level by successfully passing the required tests.

Each developer moves through the program at his or her own pace, he said. Of the around 22,000 who have signed up for the first level, around 1,110 had fulfilled its requirements as of last week, Raggi said.

Although Microsoft Latin America created the program and manages it from its Fort Lauderdale, Florida , headquarters, the program is not limited to developers in the region. Currently, Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking developers from the U.S. , Spain and Portugal are also participating, he said.

Microsoft provides participants with a variety of online tools, materials and services, including the necessary documentation, software and interactive features, such as message boards.

More information about the program is at http://www.microsoft.com/latam/msdn/comunidad/dce/ in Spanish and at http://www.msdnbrasil.com.br/cinco_estrelas/ in Portuguese.