The past few years have seen a dramatic uptick in the number of online blockchain academies. As such, it is worth taking a look at the most popular ones. Ivan on Tech Academy is, as you may know, one of the largest and most successful online blockchain academies. However, some smaller actors are also making names for themselves, such as e.g., Blockchain Training Alliance and Blockchain Council.

Online Blockchain Academies

Anyone keeping an eye on the corporate sector will know that blockchain is exploding in popularity right now. Businesses across industries are looking to integrate blockchain into their existing business solutions and are looking for the right talent.

However, that is easier said than done. Blockchain is still a relatively green field, and the demand for blockchain engineers and developers far outpaces the supply. For example, data from Upwork reveals that the surge in demand for consultants with blockchain-related skills continues to rise. As such, the blockchain field is currently a seller’s (or developer’s) market.

Furthermore, the blockchain field is so new that most people working in it lack any formal blockchain-centric education. Instead, businesses working with blockchain often rely on engineers and developers with online certifications. Various online academies, therefore, play an essential role in educating tomorrow’s blockchain workforce.

Blockchain for business is hotter than ever, and the Ivan on Tech Academy Blockchain Business Masterclass is an immensely popular choice. Ivan on Tech Academy is the go-to online academy for thousands of alumni. However, those who haven’t yet discovered Ivan on Tech Academy are using other similar services. One example of this is the Blockchain Training Alliance.

Blockchain Training Alliance

To better help you understand the Blockchain Training Alliance (BTA), we’ve broken down the most essential characteristics of it. This Blockchain Training Alliance review will, therefore, help you navigate the online blockchain academy landscape – if you for some reason need another option beyond the Ivan on Tech Academy.

The Blockchain Training Alliance aims to provide a comprehensive program of blockchain training methods for students around the globe. Moreover, the Blockchain Training Alliance claims to ”have a passion for disruptive technologies”, and holds a firm belief that distributed ledger technology (DLT) will be a significant future technology.

As such, it is clear that this platform could seem an attractive jumping-off point for students looking to learn about blockchain. Furthermore, the Blockchain Training Alliance offers courses, content, and instructions to students looking to learn more about blockchain technology. 

The BTA looks to integrate various custom private programs with ”public training classrooms”, as well as other forms of learning support. Consequently, the Blockchain Training Alliance is directly competing with the Blockchain Council, another blockchain organization.

Blockchain Council

Blockchain Council, on the other hand, consists of a group of various blockchain enthusiasts and subject experts. These are attempting to speed awareness and knowledge of blockchain, along with aid in blockchain research and development.

Moreover, the Blockchain Council believes that the blockchain can have extensive transformative effects on our society. For example, they suggest that blockchain can – and will – soon act as everything from generic software to a financial network. Moreover, integrating DLT can have a far-reaching impact on various industries.

Put simply, the Blockchain Council is looking to create the appropriate environment for blockchain innovation. This is done through raising the blockchain awareness among various businesses, companies, organizations, developers, and society.

The best way to boost awareness is through education, which is something Blockchain Council takes to hart. Although Blockchain Council is a private organization, it still works globally to spread the advent of blockchain and blockchain technology. 

Blockchain Training Alliance Certifications

The Blockchain Training Alliance offers a wide range of different certifications. This can be an excellent way to show a potential employer that you know your way around blockchain technology and software. Furthermore, the Blockchain Training Alliance is continually expanding its cover of different certifications and courses.

These certification offerings are more limited than the courses offered by more recognized actors, such as Ivan on Tech Academy. However, Blockchain Training Alliance still offers some acceptable certifications to help you get a head start in the blockchain space.

One should note, however, that Blockchain Training Alliance’s courses are fewer than Blockchain Council. With that said, though, the Blockchain Training Alliance courses are arguably of higher quality than Blockchain Council’s. Specifically, the certifications include the following:

• BTA Certified Blockchain Business Foundations (CBBF)
• BTA Certified Blockchain Solution Architect (CBSA)
• BTA Certified Blockchain Developer Ethereum (CBDE)
• BTA Certified Blockchain Developer Hyperledger Fabric (CBDH
• BTA Certified Blockchain Security Professional (CBSP)

Perhaps best of all, these blockchain certifications are – as they should be – on a blockchain as well. The Blockchain Training Alliance believes blockchains are the future when it comes to registering credentials. As such, they put the certificates on a blockchain network. This means employers and students alike are able to verify their certificates without worrying about fraud.

Moreover, a Blockchain Training Alliance review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some of the results. According to the organization’s official website, BTA already has a track record of working with some high-profile companies.

These include well-known actors such as IBM, PWC, Cisco, CGI, Air France, Microsoft, Merck, Dell, and others. Furthermore, tests can be taken at a Blockchain Alliance Training center. Such an alliance training center allows students to take the tests in person.

Pearson and Blockchain Training Alliance

The Blockchain Training Alliance recognizes that it is a small online blockchain academy without its own vast reach. As such, it is working together with Pearson VUE in an attempt to get more excellent traction and recognition.

This means that BTA could potentially reach hundreds if not thousands of new students. Moreover, it also means BTA seems like a more serious actor in the online blockchain space – as Pearson is responsible for some of the most popular certification programs in IT. 

Furthermore, the Blockchain Training Alliance partners with Pearson VUE mainly in order to be able to provide safe blockchain exams. This comes in combination with the Blockchain Training Alliance’s physical alliance training center tests.

Blockchain Training Alliance Review

Although the current global situation with regards to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is prohibiting some of the alliance training center tests at the moment, this is nonetheless something to keep in mind. Moreover, the Blockchain Training Alliance has over 7,000 alliance training centers around the world – meaning there’s likely one near you.

This is also good as Blockchain Training Alliance’s website layout leaves some things to be desired. Although the site technically works, it is far from what an online blockchain academy should look like in 2020. 

Moreover, the design is somewhat cluttered and there are numerous spelling mistakes that detract from the experience. For example, the front page says it wants to give a ”completitive edge for blockchain experts”. This gives a distinctly unprofessional impression. 

Furthermore, other websites point out that Blockchain Training Alliance’s courses are overly expensive. For example, this analysis of the site argues that BTA’s online content is overpriced. The on demand courses cost roughly $295. However, it is worth noting that does not include the certification.

As the Blockchain Training Alliance certification is an important part of proving the validity of the education, this is something that a lot of people are going to want. However, this also makes the courses substantially more expensive.

For example, taking the Ethereum Developer Training On-Demand course with the CBDE exam and retake opportunity costs $545. This means that the requirements for actually graduating the online academy become quite high.

Additionally, there’s another large drawback for using Blockchain Training Alliance to learn about blockchain. Specifically, the platform’s courses require significant pre-existing knowledge among students. 

As such, it calls it ”absolutely necessary” to have existing skills relating to JavaScript, HTML, and strongly urges knowledge of C++. Java, data types, git repositories and solidity.

Blockchain Council Certifications

Another source of blockchain technology certifications is Blockchain Council. The purpose of Blockchain Council is very similar to that of the Blockchain Training Alliance, and the two different sites are roughly as well-known.

Unlike Blockchain Training Alliance’s certifications, Blockchain Council aims to offer a wide variety of different certifications. One could argue that these many different certifications are somewhat superfluous. However, they do allow students to gain an in-depth understanding of a subject of their choosing.

The different courses, or certifications, vary from roughly three hours in length to nine hours for the longest ones. Moreover, they include everything from smart contracts to Hyperledger, Quorum or various blockchain applications. Some of these certifications include:

• Certified Blockchain Expert
• Certified Corda Expert (CRCE)
• Certified Corda Architect (CCA)
• Certified Blockchain Developer
• Certified Smart Contract Developer
• Certified Bitcoin Expert
• Certified Ethereum Expert
• Certified Solidity Developer
• Certified Cryptocurrency Trader
• Certified Blockchain & KYC Professional

And many, many more. It is clear that Blockchain Council is putting an emphasis on quantity when it comes to their course offerings. This means that Blockchain Council could be a better entry-point to the blockchain and crypto field than Blockchain Training Alliance.

One should also note that Blockchain Council does not require or offer you the opportunity to take the test in a physical location. Unlike the alliance training center strategy that Blockchain Training Alliance uses, Blockchain Council uses a Thinkific platform without a proctor. Additionally, the criteria or objectives for what you will be tested on are quite vague for Blockchain Council.

Blockchain Council Review

However, Blockchain Council does not offer any on demand in-person training. This means that the educational material on the site is somewhat lacking. Nevertheless, the Blockchain Council offers 16 different online courses, meaning there is still a wealth of different courses to choose between.

What’s more, Blockchain Council has reportedly had over 1,500 academy members. Moreover, it is important to note that Blockchain Council is quite cheap in comparison with the Blockchain Training Alliance’s higher prices.

The Blockchain Council charges roughly $125 per certification, which means it is more available to those on a budget than BTA’s courses. Moreover, Blockchain Council offers more specific certifications than that of BTA’s curriculum.

Nevertheless, Blockchain Council does not offer on demand in-person test taking in the same way that BTA does in partnership with Pearson. As such, it is possible that potential employers could discriminate towards Blockchain Council certifications. 

In conclusion, the Blockchain Council’s online courses fill an interesting void in comparison with the Blockchain Training Alliance. Blockchain Council offers more specific courses at a more attractive price-point than Blockchain Training Alliance.

Summary

Both Blockchain Training Alliance and Blockchain Council have some notable advantages. Nevertheless, one should keep in mind that they also have drawbacks. With that said, they complement each other nicely for those looking for a deep-cut online academy option.

However, those looking for an all-in-one solution at an attractive price-point should naturally first look at Ivan on Tech Academy. Ivan on Tech Academy is the most popular online blockchain academy, with a proven track record.

Specifically, Ivan on Tech Academy is consistently producing real-life success stories and preparing students for jobs at high-profile companies. If you enroll today, you can easily gather the relevant know-how it takes to land a job in the rapidly growing blockchain industry.

Perhaps most notably, Ivan on Tech Academy does not require students to have any pre-existing knowledge regarding programming. Although this will naturally help, people can genuinely go to zero from hero using Ivan on Tech Academy. 

What’s more, enrolling in Ivan on Tech Academy gives you access to more high-end content at a relatively lower price tag than using either Blockchain Training Alliance or Blockchain Council.

Blockchain is hotter than ever and one can never learn too much. Smaller blockchain academies such as Blockchain Training Alliance and Blockchain Council, however, present an interesting perspective on a small-scale blockchain academy. If you’re ever looking for another academy beyond Ivan on Tech Academy to pass the time, take a look!