Online learning stretches training budget
Mike Ellsworth of Stratvantage Consulting in St. Louis Park says there is not a company in the Twin Cities that has not considered or isn’t using online learning as a method of training employees. Susan Foster, owner of Minneapolis-based Brainy Training, agrees.
“It’s not a question of who is using online learning,” says Foster. “It’s a question of what these companies are using online learning for.”
While traditional brick-and-mortar training methods, such as seminars, in house classroom training, and evening courses at local colleges and universities are still useful and popular, more companies are exploring how online learning can benefit its employees.
“In a day and age of budget cuts and layoffs, employers are finally more focused on the ROI with their training investment,” Foster says. “It used to be where employers would simply send its workers to a seminar and never follow up about what they learned. Online learning is changing that.”
“The upside for using e-learning is too good to pass up,” says Ellsworth. “Those who are not using are falling behind.” One company using online learning is Augustine Medical, an Eden Prairie Based manufacturer of medical devices.
Tammy Miller, a PC LAN analyst for the company, says choosing e-learning as its method of training was simple. About 50 of Augustine’s employees work off-site, and it wasn’t cost-effective to try and get all of those employees together at the same location at the same time. It was also easier for on-site employees who did go through the training to do it on their own time.
That’s why Augustine picked Benchmark Learning of Edina to help train its employees on the Microsoft Project 2000 software program.
“A lot of times people get bored or lose interest in seminars, or classes outside of their regular routine and don’t get the full value of the course,” Miller says. “By using online learning, our employees can go through the course at their own pace, and on their own time. Everybody learns at different speeds, so this is going to benefit all who use it.” Miller said that for about $1,000 to $1,500 per person, each employee gets a full-year subscription to the services offered by Benchmark, meaning they can take as many classes online as they can get done.
“When you look at the one-day trainings that are over $1,000, this makes it an easy choice,” says Miller.
Future is now
That is the goal, says Scott Schwefel, chief energizing officer of Benchmark Learning.
“Online learning is the only educational resource that is available 24/7, 365 days a week,” says Schwefel. “If people consider it the wave of the future, they are already behind. The future is now.” One company implementing an extensive online learning campaign is Maple Grove-based Boston Scientific SciMed. Thanks in part to a $400,000 Minnesota Job Skills Partnership grant through Anoka Ramsey Community College, and working with Minneapolis Based Seward Learning Systems and Minneapolis-based Fredrickson Communications, SciMed was able to train 1,400 employees through an online education and training system.
Maria Johnson, a senior training and development specialist, was a key player in that project. Now, all new employees at SciMed will go through company orientation online.
“New employees are so overwhelmed that this will help them have a chance to learn at their own pace, and go back and check things if they have a question or forgot something,” says Johnson.
However, SciMed has not given up on the classroom part of orientation. About a half-day is spent in a classroom setting, while the online training portion takes about two hours.
“We still value face-to-face interaction with other co-workers,” adds Johnson. Value is what makes online learning such an important resource, says Jon Northrup, product director for the School of Technology at Capella University in Minneapolis. Capella offers more than 500 online courses as well as undergraduate and graduate degree programs in 40 areas of specialization. But more importantly for employers, Capella also specializes in training programs for corporations. For example, one major Twin Cities banking firm has students enrolled in a Capella MBA program, where all the coworkers will go through the same course online.
Any course, any time
Northrup says online learning is used to teach much more than upper-level degree programs, or technology-based courses.
“The great thing about online learning is that any course can be taught at any time,” says Northrup. “It’s not just technology firms, either. Don’t assume because it is an online course that it is has to be technology-based learning.”
People would be surprised at who is using online learning too, says Northrup. For instance, G&K Services, one of North America’s leading providers of workplace apparel and facility services, headquartered in Minnetonka, has employees taking classes online through Benchmark.
“Not all online learning is geared towards IT or earning a certificate,” says Ellsworth. “In some cases it becomes a way to reinforce the strategic message of the company, or develop corporate culture because it brings a certain department, such as marketing, or HR, or sales, together on the same project.”
Understanding what online course to choose, and developing a plan to successfully complete the programs, is the only way employers will get the most out of its employees, says Schwefel. That’s why he says it’s important that companies treat online learning as seriously as any other form of training. Schwefel says the training managers need to promote it, and add incentives, such as a day of vacation, gift certificates, or other perks that keep employees focused on successfully completing each course.
Miller says it is also important to make sure workers do it when it is right for them, and in a setting that is comfortable. That’s why at Augustine Medical there is a high-end computer in a conference room that can be reserved by employees wishing to do their training away from their desk. This way they won’t be interrupted by office chatter or phone calls, or by the urge to check messages or e-mail. Employees also have the option to wear headphones to block out sound.
“The downside is that you have to discipline yourself to get it done,” says Miller. “The upside is that you can do it when you feel like you can learn the most. That’s why I think this is going to catch on so fast. We are certainly happy we did it.”
maria.johnson@bsci.com; bsci.com. Susan Foster, Brainy Training: 612.724.5110; context@mn.rr.com; www.brainytraining.com. Mike Ellsworth, Stratvantage Consulting: 952.525.1584; mellsworth@stratvantage.com, www.stratvantage.com. John Northrup, Capella University: 612.659.5753; jnorthrup@capella.edu; www.capella.edu. Tammy Miller, Augustine Medical: 952.947.1363: tmiller@augmed.com; www.augustinemedical.com, Scott Schwefel, Benchmark Learning: 952.896.6806; SSchwefel@benchmarklearning.com; www.benchmarklearning.com
