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Mike Ellsworth of Stratvantage Consulting in St.
Louis Park says there is not a company in the Twin
Cities that hasn’t 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, inhouse 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 Prairiebased 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 Minneapolisbased Seward Learning Systems
and Minneapolis-based Frederickson 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.”
Contact
Maria
Johnson, Boston Scientific SciMed:
763.494.2038; maria.johnson@bsci.com;
bsci.com. Susan
Foster, Brainy Training: 612.724.5110; context@mn.rr.com;
http://www.brainytraining.com/.
Mike Ellsworth, Stratvantage
Consulting: 952.525.1584; mellsworth@stratvantage.com,
http://www.stratvantage.com/.
John Northrup, Capella University:
612.659.5753; jnorthrup@capella.edu;
http://www.capella.edu/.
Tammy Miller, Augustine Medical:
952.947.1363: tmiller@augmed.com;
http://www.augustinemedical.com/,
Scott Schwefel, Benchmark Learning:
952.896.6806; SSchwefel@benchmarklearning.com;
http://www.benchmarklearning.com/
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