CustomerCentrix

Corporate e-learning makes training available anytime, anywhere
by Rob Eure (only a portion of this article may be read here)

There's a new lesson being learned at Motorola University these days - by the faculty.

It's a pretty basic equation, and it boils down to this: Using Web-based education tools in the corporate-training division is making Motorola Inc. more efficient. More training in less time means smarter workers, faster adoption of new technology and someday, strategically speaking, the ability to turn the company on a dime.

Motorola U has be come one of the many converts to corporate e-learning, which simply means employee training delivered over the Internet. The approach has become a hot topic among business executives. Delivery through the Web makes training available whenever it's needed, eliminating a lot of lost time, as well as travel and administrative costs. It can distribute live training instantly for groups or "self-paced" learning for individuals. And some courses have interactive features that make them more engaging than everyday classwork.

Booming Business
U.S. corporations have been rushing to embrace e-learning for several years, hoping to capitalize on its promise of fast, flexible training that produces nimble learners capable of keeping pace with technology. Corporate spending on e-learning will reach an estimated $4 billion this year, up from $550 million in 1998. By 2004, U.S. companies are expected to spend $14.5 billion training their workers on the Web, according to International Data Corp., a technology research firm in Framingham, Mass.

Web-based training is still a small part of the $58 billion that U.S. corporations spend annually on employee training. But it has quickly risen to capture about a third of the money those companies spend externally on training, says Cushing Anderson, the lead e-learning analyst at IDC. And Mr. Anderson argues that the e-learning industry is poised to enjoy explosive growth in the coming decade. "As the economy moves from the production of goods to services, the instant knowledge that e-learning can deliver will become increasingly important," he says. "Most companies are going to outsource their training, so this market is going to grow."