How
CompuTrainer was used for business consultancy Grant Thornton’s company-wide
migration to Microsoft Office 2000
Designed
and delivered by: Educational Multimedia Corporation, Knyvett House, The Causeway,
Staines, Middlesex TW18 3BA, Tel: 01784 898171; Fax: 01784 898170
Sue
Cohen,technology training manager for Grant Thornton explains the role of product champions in implementing an
integrated e-learning solution
Financial
and business adviser Grant Thornton, completed its successful migration to
Microsoft Office 2000 as part of its standard desktop IT infrastructure in
September. Key to its successful implementation was the integrated training
solution which encompassed technology-based training for every member of the
2,800 staff as well as instructor-led training for 300 product “champions”.
Grant
Thornton’s technology training manager Sue Cohen began the training project in
November 1999.
“I
started researching using technology-based solutions to provide training
support to all our desktop users,” she says.
“The
results of our research led us to work with and deploy Educational Multimedia
Corporation’s courseware.”
Cohen
says, “The mix of audio, text and animation, in this type of training, is
important to increase learning retention.
“Educational
Multimedia Corporation’s integrated e-learning solutions fulfilled these
requirements and provided an integrated training programme from assessment,
training, post training support and monitoring.”
Interaction
Julian
Hayes, UK sales director with Educational Multimedia Corporation, says,
“E-learning uses high levels of interaction to improve skill levels. It is the
fastest growing area within the training sector as it encourages active
learning and aids retention levels.”
Hayes
said that Educational Multimedia Corporation’s e-learning solutions, which
match up the interactive benefits of classroom-based techniques with the
efficiencies of technology, can work as a partner to more traditional methods
of training and also as a complete, stand-alone solution. “CompuTrainer was
therefore the ideal technology-based training (TBT) component in the integrated
training approach that Grant Thornton required,” he says.
Cohen
adds, “I always believed that TBT would form only part of an integrated
learning solution.
“For
a number of years, we have used software ‘champions’ to act as focal points for
users – a place to seek help.
“For
Word, Excel and PowerPoint, we selected a total of 300 champions. Each champion
is offered one day’s instructor-led training over and above the proficient
level of TBT which they were expected to cover prior to attending the course.
Challenge
“Our
challenge was then to find a company which had the capability to support a nationwide roll-out on this scale.
“The
search also took us to Informatics CTEC, who provided training to Grant
Thornton’s own training staff who then delivered the full training rollout of
further intensive training to the 300 champion users over three months, from
July to September.”
Cohen
says, “The combination of using technology-based training and face- to-face
training worked well. Due to the flexibility and cost effectiveness of
Educational Multimedia Corporation’s courseware, we could focus on the areas we
needed to, which meant that in a short time, the majority of staff have
successfully migrated to Microsoft Office 2000, whilst continuing business as
usual.
“The
success of this project has encouraged us to consider further e-learning based
training strategies for soft skills.
“As
awareness of the benefits of e-learning continues to grow, we foresee more
companies following Grant Thornton’s lead and utilising this method as the key
platform for any integrated training solution in which traditional methods such
as instructor-led training supports the latest e-learning solutions,” says
Hayes in conclusion.
Grant
Thornton is a financial and business adviser to owner-managed and
entrepreneurial businesses and their owners. It aims to help clients realise
their ambitions locally, nationally and internationally, via a network of 43
local offices, and an international network with representation in over 100
countries.
Verdict
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The
technology-based training, together with the support and services provided by
Educational Multimedia Corporation, provided very good value for money, as part
of the overall mix of training, to introduce a major change in our fundamental
software applications.
Although
some users’ experience was coloured by their views and past experience of other
CBT packages, many have commented that the CBT provides a useful starting
point, and will continue to do so.
