Skills and Performance Bridging the gap with elearning

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Skills and PerformanceBridging the gap with
e-learning

• Laura Overton
• SfBN e-Learning Champion
• Wired for the Future 18th November

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Todays topics

• What is driving e-learning in business today?
• Bridging the gap with e-learning some myths and
  realities
• Connecting with employers
• The work based e-learning project
• the practical steps to understanding employer
  demand

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What is REALLY keeping Owner Managers/ Senior
Managers awake at night?
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Business Issues

• than

• More likely to be

Competition
Courses
Quality
Qualifications
Customers
Candidates
Income and Growth
Instructional design
Costs
Competencies
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E-Learning

• Adding another layer of training jargon?
• Or
• A tool for business productivity?
• Lets take a look at why employers are looking at
  e-learning

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E-learning Drivers in larger organisations

• Greater flexibility of learning
• Greater accessibility of learning
• Greater quantity of learning
• More effective learning
• Record keeping
• Better focus on business requirements

• Speed
• Availability
• Visibility
• Audience Volume
• Increasing personal relevance
• Consistent quality
• Rationalisation
• Business or IT improvements

Embedding e-learning in large Organisations Nov 04
Data taken from Linking Learning to business
Jan 2004
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What about smaller businesses?
Resonates with all - esp. larger SMEs, 200-249
emps (92)
Strongest for public sector (71)
Strongest for business services (65)
Resonates most with public sector (60)
Resonates most with smallest SMEs with 50-99 emps
(48)

• Corporate comparison
• Flexibility (75), accessibility (65), cost
  savings (53)
• Self managed more important to SMEs (only 3 in
  corporates)
• Quantity effectiveness rank higher with
  corporates

Source UfI Base All respondents (408)
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Business Drivers for sustained e-learning success

• Increased sales
• Talent management and retention
• Systems implementation and Integration
• Sales and customer loyalty strategies
• Driving organisational change
• Compliance
• Over half of SMEs have a need to test/ record
  progress for compliance purposes ( UFI)
• Endorsing business values and strategies
• Successful e-learning implementations are market
  driven, not technology driven.

NB cost reduction is a secondary benefit not a
primary driver
Data taken from Linking Learning to business
Jan 2004
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Other successes

• Changing attitudes to learning
• Better accessibility to training opportunities
• Individual development/sense of achievement
• Improvement of specific skills
• Reducing costs while increasing use
• Demonstrating training function can add real
  value

Embedding e-learning in large Organisations Nov 04
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Skills and performance can e-learning help
bridge the gap?
So what are the Myths and what are the
Realities?
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Myth 1 e-learning will replace classroom
training in the future
Reality It wont take over but growth is steady
and consistent

• Workplace e-Learning expected to double in next 3
  5 years
• Large organisations
• Currently less than 10 but expected to grow by
  10 20 (CIPD, UFI)
• SMEs
• e-learning is predicted to grow by 10 to make up
  26 of all training offered (UFI )
• Rise of awareness of informal learning
• Account for up to 70 of total learning

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Myth 3 e-learning is only suitable for IT skills
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Myth 3 e-learning is .......(a CD, an LMS, an
online course etc)
Reality successful organisations blend a range
of e-learning approaches

• Successful implementations are
• Content driven
• 100 use generic content, 94 use bespoke
• Increasing trends to in house development tools
• 100 used tracking
• success not reliant on consistent use of
  enterprise wide LMS
• Use of Virtual classroom is increasing (75 to
  94)
• Success is not dependent on perfect
  infrastructure
• Many using work arounds

Data taken from Linking Learning to business
Jan 2004
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Myth 4 The most critical element of e-learning
success is senior management buy in
Reality a number of stakeholder will impact
e-learning success
Data taken from Linking Learning to business
Jan 2004
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A range of stakeholders will influence learners
Data taken from Linking Learning to business
Jan 2004
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Myth 5 e-learning is essentially unpopular
Reality no its not! (if implemented
effectively)

• 90 would recommend e-learning to a co-worker

91 agreed that it was important to have eL as a
choice
90 agree that they are able to use the learning
points at work

• 75 think eL provides more control and visibility
  of their development

Linking Learning to Business 2000 users
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Myth 6 we need a learning centre
Reality not necessarily!
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Engaging business with e-learningbarriers to
adoption

• No time to train
• High initial investment
• Technology issues
• Fear of technology ( lack of IT User skills)
• Learner acceptance /preconceived ideas
• Management bottlenecks/ reluctance to engage
• Learning and development concerns
• Fear that classroom will disappear
• Cost
• Obstacles that appear over time
• E-learning fatigue
• Sheep dipping concerns
• Too many options create confusion

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Elements of e-learning success
SMEs are typically weak in terms of an
e-learning strategic drive - only 39 know how
e-learning will support their business goals
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Top areas for SMEs to get right to get maximum
business benefit from e-learning
SECONDARY DRIVERS
TOP 5 DRIVERS

• Be confident in managing training suppliers
• Ensure your trainers want to work with new
  technology
• Encourage employees to be more open to new ways
  of learning
• Encourage employees to help each other learn
• Ensure individuals are aware of how their
  contribution moves the business forward
• Be confident in managing IT suppliers
• Foster a culture where employees are keen to
  learn how to do their jobs
• Ensure employees know how their skills have to
  change to respond to changes in business

• MD has to be convinced of benefits / want to move
  to e-learning
• Understand capability of IT systems to carry
  e-learning
• Understand how e-learning will support business
  goals
• Have sufficient bandwidth/ server space to
  deliver e-learning
• Ensure all employees can find a place to use the
  Internet

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Responding to employer needs government
initiatives

• Embedding ICT into learning strategies across all
  government provision
• Harnessing Technology transforming learning and
  childrens services
• Focus on skills and productivity
• Skills Getting on in business , getting on in
  work

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Responding to employer demand

• Skills for Business Network
• The Skills for Business network is tasked with
  tackling skills gaps and shortages across the UK
• Sector Skills Councils
• 22 councils covering 85 of UK business
• Sector Skills agreement
• Spell out the skill priorities of a sector
• Present a genuine opportunity for employers to
  shape training provision and career progression
  routes
• Challenge employers to work collaboratively
  across sectors
• Give individuals access to training which is
  relevant to industry needs, to help secure well
  paid employment and progression

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The SfBN work based e-Learning Project

• A Focus on employer demand for e-learning
• Work based e-learning Action Plan is SfBNs focus
  on the appropriate use of technology to build
  skills that impact business performance.
  Specifically it aims to
• Support the SfBN as it builds understanding
  about how e-Learning can contribute to improving
  business performance within each sector
• Identify and transfer good practice through
  collaboration with SfBN, industry and interested
  stakeholders
• Project elements include awareness raising,
  research and capacity building.
• Supported by Employers and Industry

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Exploiting e-learning at work the challenge
opportunity
Business Goals
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For further information

• Work based e-learning project
• Laura.Overton_at_e-skills.com
• www.e-skills.com/elearning
• Sector Skills Councils and the Sector Skills
  agreement
• www.ssda.org.uk
• Government White Papers
• http//www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/e-strategy/
• http//www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/skillsgettingo
  n/

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Referenced Research

• Linking Learning to Business (bizmedia, 2004)
• Common factors for E-learning success in 16
  organisations, 2000 users
• www.e-Learningage.co.uk\
• Training and Development (CIPD 2005)
• Annual survey of learning trends - 664
  respondents
• http//www.cipd.co.uk/onlineinfodocuments/surveys
• Embedding Learning in Large Organisations (UfI,
  2004)
• 503 large companies who are using or planning to
  use e-learning
• http//www.ufi.com/home/section1/3_partners/cbi.as
  p
• New SME research from UfI /Learndirect
• 408 Small medium companies
• As yet unpublished contact www.UfI.com for
  details
• SSDA Employer trends
• www.ssda.org