Are small businesses being left behind?

Australian small businesses are facing increasing pressure to cut training budgets; are having difficulties with the intense need for training to succeed; and are struggling with  the employee disruptions  that classroom based training provides .

E-Learning is a phenomenon that has taken Europe and America by storm and its rise has benefited small businesses greatly; “89% of small businesses throughout Europe have implemented e-learning into the work workplace in 2005 alone, these figures are expected to rise next year.”

Ref: Learning and Skills Council.

Where does Australia stand with E-Learning?

A study in 2005 found that the training market in Australia was over US $2 billion, with that figure expected to rise in the future. While the majority of training is still instructor led, accounting for 70% for all training in Australia, only 30% of training is delivered online.

South Australian businesses are the exception and are embracing e-learning with over 30% of HR managers choosing to up -skill employees online.

The mining, financial and health industries have also implemented online training as a significant method to train their employees.

It has been predicted that in the next few years we will see rapid growth of online training for employees, as companies slowly begin to realize the user friendliness, the measurable return on investment and the measurable impact on the organizational bottom line this training method provides.

Whether you like it or not, every manager will have to make a decision about implementing e-learning at one point in the next few years, if he or she hasn’t already.

  Why E-Learning?

1) Flexible

The most obvious advantage is that training can take place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, exactly where and when it is needed or wanted. Many small businesses and their employees value this flexibility greatly, as there are minimum disruptions to the working day and no travel expenses are incurred.

2)  Higher Return on Investment

The bottom line is cost savings. Companies who have adopted e-learning can save between 50-70%, as a result of the trainings flexibility.

3)  Instant Training

Managers can gain instant access to relevant training from just the click of a mouse.

4) Convenient

Employees can train at a pace that is suited to their individual learning needs.

5) Relevant

Tailored training solutions are a favored option for companies who are aware of their individual training needs, as the solution can target those weaknesses

6) Tracking:

Mangers are able to track each employees training progress, through a tracking program installed in the training programs.

The Future of Training.

Given the increasing importance of small business in Australia, it is necessary to continually promote and encourage the role of training and skills development for owners and their employees.

The time has now come for small business owners and their staff to overcome their lack of e-literacy and understand that the return on investment when implementing e-learning is far greater than that of the traditional training approach.

Online Training Providers in Australia

Research has shown that there are many online training organizations within Australia, but only one that has been audited online to comply with the national standards, ensuring the consistent delivery of high quality training.

Accredited Online Training delivers Nationally Recognized qualifications and offer tailored training solutions for businesses of all sizes.

For more information on e-learning visit: www.aot.edu.au

Or call an e-learning business advisor on: 1300 72 66 34