Blended learning is gaining in acceptance across the UK, with 81 per cent of
organisations believing it is an effective means of learning, according to
research carried out for training and consulting company QA’s annual industry
outlook survey.
The telecoms sector led the preference for blended learning in the sector
breakdown, with 29 per cent of respondents recording it as effective, followed
by the public sector at 27 per cent and manufacturing at 25 per cent. IT seems
less convinced at 19 per cent.
The research, which questioned 1,700 training buyers and delegates and was
independently analysed by the Twelve Consultancy, also exposed regional
variations, with 85 per cent of Scottish clients preferring classroom training,
while only 63 per cent of London-based respondents opted for this.
"Organisations want cost-effective means of improving job performance.
Blended learning is about developing skills, knowledge and winning attitude by
engaging and challenging people in many different ways," said Brian
Sutton, chief educator at QA.
The rising popularity of blended learning is supported by studies carried
out by the IT training research body IT Skills Research. It finds that while
there is still resistance to the use of e-learning as a direct replacement for
instructor-led training, there is a growing acceptance of blended solutions.
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