A design firm of thirty engineers sends five people to learn Revit at a training centre. Six months later three have left, the remaining two can model but each in their own style, and the company still has no BIM project. This scenario is common enough to be the main reason companies switch to in-house Revit training — at the company, under contract, on their own projects.
This article is written for the people who decide at a company — directors, heads of technical departments, whoever is responsible for BIM. It answers: when in-house training beats sending staff out, the five-step process the Institute runs from survey to handover, and how the cost is priced. And how to measure the result after three months, so you know whether the investment paid.
When to train in-house instead of sending staff out
Sending staff to a public course is still right in some cases: the company needs only one or two people who know the software, has no specific project yet, or wants to test the water before investing. But in-house BIM training is clearly better when at least two of the following hold:
- Six to eight people or more need the same content. At this scale a dedicated class usually costs less than the sum of individual fees, and the whole group learns one standard.
- A project requiring BIM exists or is coming — including under the mandatory rules in Decree 217/2026/ND-CP. An in-house class uses that project's documents as the exercises; by the end of the course the company has a usable model and a team already familiar with the very building it is about to deliver.
- The company needs shared standards, not just individual skills. Templates, a Family library, naming conventions, coordination procedures — things a public class cannot teach because every student comes from a different company.
- Staff cannot leave work to study. An in-house class is scheduled around the project: evenings, weekends, or between two peak periods.
- The company works in a narrow specialism. Substations, transmission lines, industrial plants, hospitals — the content has to be designed for the field, like the Revit programme for substation projects the Institute built for the power sector.
Conversely, if the company has nobody responsible for BIM and no project, start with an awareness session for the leadership and only then decide. Training Revit across a company before anyone is appointed to run BIM is the fastest way to end up with many models that cannot be used together.
The five-step process from survey to handover
This is the process the Institute applies to its corporate Revit programme and the in-house BIM Manager class.
Step 1 – Survey and programme design. The Institute works with the leadership and the technical department to establish the basics. What kind of buildings does the company do, on which software, at what current level per group; which project will need BIM, and what does the client demand? From that comes a dedicated syllabus — not a shortened public one — with measurable targets per group. This step usually takes one to two weeks and is the step that decides everything.
Step 2 – Revit modules by discipline. The architecture, structure and MEP groups each learn Revit in their own branch, on the company's own project documents; each module is the equivalent of a 15-session course adjusted for the building type. Estimators and QS staff learn to take quantities from the model; site staff learn model reading and Navisworks.
Step 3 – Extension tool modules. Family creation and building the company library, Navisworks coordination, Dynamo or the Revit API for repetitive work, Revit for construction — depending on what the survey found. This is where the company starts to accumulate assets: a library, templates, internal tools.
Step 4 – Accompanying professional services. Consulting on internal BIM standards, a BEP template, setting up a common data environment (CDE); BIM Manager training for the person appointed to run it; support on the first pilot project. This part turns a course into a real transition.
Step 5 – Deployment and post-training assessment. An end-of-course test on deliverables (a model and a drawing set issued from it), with a certificate in the name of Hanoi University of Civil Engineering for those who pass. Then handover of the materials and the library, and an assessment milestone three months later — see the measurement section below.
Typical duration for a company of 20–40 technical staff: two to four months for steps 2–3 with the groups running in parallel, plus one to two months for step 4 depending on scope.
How the cost is priced
Corporate BIM training is quoted as a technology-transfer contract, after the survey, and depends on the four factors below.
| Factor | Effect on cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Number of modules and sessions | Proportional; a discipline module runs about 15 sessions, tool modules 6–10 | A dedicated syllabus can cut what the company already knows |
| Students per class | The cost of one class is nearly flat between 8 and 15 people | Above 15, split the class to keep the quality of correction |
| Location and format | At the company (lecturers travel), at the Institute, or online | Online is cheaper and suits professional modules and BIM Manager |
| Accompanying services | Internal standards, BEP template, CDE, pilot-project support | Priced separately, by scope |
For a sense of scale: a corporate Revit programme with two discipline modules for twenty people plus a Family module is usually cheaper than the total of individual fees had those twenty attended public classes. And it comes with a library and templates that no public class provides. The Institute quotes specifics after the survey; companies should compare on "cost per person who reaches the standard and produces work", not "cost per session".
Two items outside the fee that a company must budget: computers powerful enough for the people who model, and software licences — a recurring cost.
Measuring the result after three months
Training that cannot be measured cannot be managed. The Institute and the company agree the indicators at the survey stage and assess at the three-month mark — far enough for the skills to be used in earnest, close enough to still adjust.
| Indicator | How to measure | Reference level for "achieved" |
|---|---|---|
| Share of staff passing the end-of-course test | Tested on deliverables: a model and drawings issued from it, against agreed criteria | From 80% of students |
| First project done on BIM | Whether it exists, and how far: full or partial documentation | Yes, at least one discipline end to end |
| Documentation time versus the old way | Compared on the same building type, same team | The first project may be slower; the second must be level or faster |
| Accumulated assets | Families meeting the standard in the library, templates, standards issued | A shared library and template exist, with an owner |
| Clashes caught before construction | Clashes resolved on the model in the pilot project | A clash report exists; fewer variations on site |
| Staff retention | Students still employed after three and six months | No fixed standard; but project-linked training retains people better than sending individuals out |
The first three indicators are mandatory; the rest depend on the company's goals. What matters is that the indicators are fixed before teaching starts, because they shape the content: a company that wants to measure "documentation time" needs templates and Families taught from the start, not at the end.
Companies the Institute has trained
The Institute has run contract training for design consultancies, contractors, project management units and power-sector companies, with discipline-based Revit programmes, BIM Manager, Tekla and cost estimating.
A company that wants to start can send a short description — building types, headcount, upcoming projects, current software — to iic@huce.edu.vn or call 0989 427 809, and the Institute will schedule a survey. About the Institute of Information Technology in Civil Engineering introduces the unit and the three specialist centres behind these programmes.
Frequently asked questions
Can a small company of 8–10 people train in-house?
Yes, and it is often the most effective case, because the whole company learns one standard in one class. Below six people, the Institute usually advises joining public classes for the foundation and doing only the standards and library work privately.
Can contract training be booked as a legitimate business expense?
A technology-transfer and training contract with the Institute — a public unit under Hanoi University of Civil Engineering — comes with full invoices and documentation; accounting treatment follows the company's own rules.
What if staff leave after being trained?
The risk shrinks when training is tied to a project and the company keeps shared assets — the library, templates, standards — rather than individual skills alone. Some companies sign post-training commitment periods; the Institute neither encourages nor opposes this, it is internal policy.
Can in-house BIM training be fully online?
For BIM Manager, estimating, MS Project and advanced modules for people with a foundation: yes. For Revit beginners, at least the foundation should be in person. Online or in-class for construction software? compares the formats.
How long until the company is self-sufficient?
The goal of the programme is that after the pilot project the company has its own BIM lead and its own assets, and the Institute steps back into a support role. Typically six to twelve months from the start.