Computer-based training is being rolled out to the BBC’s 20,000 staff to save money and get rid of the bottlenecks caused by oversubscribed courses.
The £4m project, due to go live in November, will see courses previously taught in the classroom available on the corporation’s intranet where they can be picked up at any time by staff. Audio and video technology is being used to allow staff to see and hear demonstrations as well as reading text. Courses in highest demand, such as IT office skills and induction courses, will be the priority along with training in scarce new media and digital production skills. It is being aimed principally at entry-level staff in the hope that it will become second nature to them as their careers progress.
The course repertoire will grow with 30 per cent of current courses hoped to be moved on-line in the next three to four years.
David Dawson-Pick, executive producer of Learning Online, said the system will allow the BBC to increase tenfold the number of training hours it provides while saving it money.
“One of the major problems has been access to training and it being delivered at the right moment,” he said. “It is all very well to go on a course, but it might be five weeks too early or five weeks too late. This way people can get it when they need it.”
