E-Training

E-Training

One of the biggest challenges involving the Human Resource Development field is the topic of e-training as a way of training the workforce. E-training is an approach to delivering custom learning solutions targeted to the specific learning objectives of an organization. With a multitude of training methods available to organizations, there seems to be a continuous growth with which organizations are switching to an e-learning environment. How organizations are currently addressing e-training in the workplace is one area this research paper will look into. The cost to implement an e-training program is one of the challenges facing HRD practitioners. Some other challenges that are important are finding the appropriate resources and getting management's support for the program. The research for this paper will look into these challenges trainers face when it comes to designing and implementing an effective e-training program. It will also look into the advantages and disadvantages that e-training contributes to an organization. It will report on the impact of effectiveness and profitability, and competitiveness of the organization. We will in addition look into some organizations that are currently addressing/ignoring e-learning. We will look into organizations that are doing training and the reasons they are doing it. Finally we will look at some anticipations concerning e-training in the future.

Current Happenings

Organizations are making the switch to an e-training environment for many reasons. Companies are able to train more employees for fewer dollars. This has a direct impact on the bottom line of the organization as employees are able to develop the necessary skills in a more timely fashion. This reduction in time spent training correlates to savings on salaries and opportunity costs. Increased internal/external customer satisfaction has led to higher retention rates for organizations. The global environment of today is driven by access, information and speed. E-training eliminates any geographical constraints that would have played a part in deciding whether to implement a training program. E-training can also turn a hard and boring classroom training program into an exciting and compelling one. As can be seen from the chart below, going to an e-learning/training environment will quickly become the most dominant form of training in organizations.

This has major implications for Human Resource Development practitioners. Many Fortune 500 companies plan to expand the role of e-learning in their organizations. They believe e-learning will make considerable contributions to the training initiatives of the organization. Some organizations that have addressed the issue of e-training are Wal-Mart, United Parcel Services, and Toyota. These organizations will be discussed later on in the paper.

Advantages

The most obvious advantage to e-training is the convenience and flexibility it provides. With a traditional training method, planning when and where to deliver the material can prove to be a headache if your organization lacks the necessary resources. The factor of productivity also is a disadvantage to a traditional training method. The employee will be away from work so the company loses his production yet still has to pay the individual. If they send an employee to a training seminar, they must pay the fee plus hotel and airfare. These costs can add up depending on how many employees you include in the training program. All of these negatives such as downtime, lost productivity, and travel expenses can be significantly reduced by implementing an effective e-training program. The employee will have the ability to access the material at any time and as many times as necessary to master the objective. Having the ability to work at your own pace is also an advantage from the employee perspective. Some employee's might not be able to go through a traditional training program and retain enough information where it transfers back onto the job. The desired outcome is a positive transfer back to the job but if there is no change in job performance after the training then zero transfer has occurred and the time/money spent ends up being a waste. Since e-training is basically self-paced learning employees can learn in intervals. They can apply on the job what they have learned and then continue on with the training until it is completed. Increasing productivity is also an advantage to e-training. Organizations are able to increase productivity by using e-training because only concepts necessary to performance are taught using this program. Concepts that are irrelevant can be weeded out of the training material. There is also a lower future cost when it comes time to train and retrain the workforce. An effective e-training program is already in place and future employees can use it for training or current employees can go back and brush up on certain skills.

Disadvantages

There are also some disadvantages in implementing an e-training program. The most telling disadvantage is the lack of face-to-face interaction with an instructor. E-training supports a passive and information driven way of learning. Some employee's preferences might be going into a classroom setting and receiving training from a subject matter expert. Here they would have the ability to ask questions and clarify concepts which they might have trouble grasping through just an e-training approach. Some employees might have low level of computer literacy. This would affect their ability to gain the most learning possible from a computer based training method. The initial start-up cost of an e-training program is relatively high. If organizations develop a program which doesn't add value to the organization they must go back and spend more time and money in developing a program which will meet the expectations of the organization. There can also be trouble with acquiring a program from an outside supplier. If you fail to investigate the credentials of the supplier there is a good possibility that the training program you have purchased will be rendered ineffective. Some organizations feel that e-training is not adequately developed to replace other forms of training. While other organizations feel their own lack of knowledge about the possible opportunities available constitutes as a significant disadvantage to e-training. Another disadvantage is that some employees may feel that the level of tasks to be completed may be too basic or to challenging.

Challenges

There are numerous challenges facing HRD practitioners when it comes to designing and implementing an effective e-training