In a recent interview with Mark Harrison, partner with Kineo, Laura Overton - the eLearning champion of e-skills in the UK - pointed out the value of eLearning in organisations that have aligned their training to what the organisation actually needs.

Her data from a sample of over 2000 learners shows some compelling statistics. -œ75 % of them felt that eLearning was giving them more visibility and control, and 90% said they were actually able to use what they learnt back at work-, she pointed out.

She singled out four organisations that have made a real difference in aligning their learning to their overall needs: Reuters, BAE Systems, Unipart and Skillsmart, the UK Retail Sector Skills Council. In each example, the learning and development teams have -œturned things on their head- by finding out what is needed on the ground and finding quick and easy ways to meet those needs.


At BAE Systems, for example, they introduced "the traditional ways of eLearning to get consistency and reach and discovered that customer satisfaction dropped. This triggered off a new way of thinking. They start now by asking themselves: what are the questions that someone working on a particular plane wants answered, and who do they want to ask them of? They have now created an environment in which the individual can ask those questions and be connected to experts and highly focused pieces of learning".

The key to success is to work closely with the rest of the organisation and to stop using the language of training. "We talk about competencies, courses and learning design….but forget that businesses are more interested in customers not competencies. Training professionals have to be bilingual."