PersonnelToday.com has been discussing the merits of e-learning in today's
fragile economic climate.
Public and private organisations currently spend a total of £37 billion on
providing training for employees, according to figures from the Learning
and Skills Council. Although some firms have cut spending on staff training
during the recession, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development's Dr John McGurk said investing in training is "critical"
regardless of the state of the economy.
However, the current economic uncertainty provides an opportunity to offer
online training as a cheaper option that can still up-skill staff and
prepare them for the upturn in the economy.
Ruth Spellman, the Chief Executive of the Chartered Management Institute,
added that managers need to look at e-learning options. This recommendation
came in response to figures warning that over 40 per cent of training
managers foresee their budgets being cut in 2011.
Furthermore, with the developments of fast internet connections for all and
even cloud computing on the horizon, developments in the e-learning
industry will make this form of training even more attractive. Online
training also offers flexibility for businesses and staff, as it allows
workers to learn at work and at home, and provides employees with better
access to courses that can improve their skills and their
employability.
Far from being the reserve of the young, Dr McGurk claimed that older staff
will be just as eager and able to embrace e-learning: "Neuroscience
research tells us that digital native [younger] workers learn in a
different way. However, our evidence is that, given the opportunity to
learn through 'e-tech', older workers embrace it as much as the younger
ones," he added.
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