E-learning good way to keep employees keen

More people want to study using e-learning schemes, says recruitment firm Chandler Macleod.

General manager John Harland says training and further education are among the most effective employee retention techniques "and because one of the main barriers to further study is time, we have seen a parallel increase in demand for e-learning".

E-learning involves using the internet as a classroom and training facility rather than attending traditional lectures and tutorials. Hundreds of courses are available online that can be accessed at work or at home using a PC with an internet connection. Courses include learning software programs such as Powerpoint.

Offerings include a full MBA and a diploma and certificate in business administration, plus all the other short and long courses available through Net G and Thomson.

The company says its survey of 1200 organisations in New Zealand and Australia shows that offering comprehensive education and training is fundamental to attracting and retaining employees.

More than 90 per cent of employers taking part in the survey believed further education and training contributed to effective succession planning and to attracting new talent to their organisation, Harland says.

"More than 80 per cent of the organisations surveyed spend more than 1 per cent of their payroll budget on staff education and training. More than half the respondents will increase this budget over the next 12 months.

"I believe this is a direct response to the massive skills shortage we now have in New Zealand."

Harland says companies were likely to offer more e-learning options if they were more cost-effective than traditional learning and offered employees more flexibility.

A study by the Sloan Consortium, which promotes online learning, shows that 2.6 million students worldwide took an e-learning course last year.

An online survey conducted by Chandler Macleod found that almost 90 per cent of 2000 respondents believed e-learning would be of benefit in learning and development programmes.