As budgets shrink, one of the first things that IT Managers often look at is the training budget.
Cutting the training budget usually comes with a prick to one’s conscience. Still, the justification of “Well, it won’t hurt to do without the training just for this year, we’ll train more next year.” usually wins over.
Smart IT Managers are now cutting costs while actually INCREASING training for their personnel. Many of the world’s most successful IT organizations (notice the correlation between success and a continued dedication toward training) are now pushing for an 75/25 split, with 75% of their IT training being done using new generation e-learning, and 25% targeted with key instructor-led training classes. The cost savings here are immense!
If IT Managers haven’t evaluated e-learning (good old CBT has come of age!) in even the last year, they are well behind the times. E-learning is now internet and intranet deliverable. The courseware is far more interactive and becauseof the students’ ability to reference courses 24/7, is becoming more efficient than ILT in many ways.
E-learning will never totally replace instructor-led classes for IT personnel, but a good portion of IT training can be taught using it. In times like these where we have to look at tightening our fiscal belts, e-learning is a powerful solution to cut costs while still investing in the future skill level of your organization.