Surveys by the Government’s electronic learning agency Learndirect and training company Balance Learning both predict a rise in the use of e-learning.
A study of 200 large organisations carried out for Learndirect shows that nearly two thirds of the HR directors questioned prefer flexible training solutions to help staff make time for training. And more than two-thirds agree that combining e-learning with more traditional methods, such as classroom teaching and mentoring, is more effective at plugging the skills gap than simply increasing training budgets.
A Learndirect report looking at 503 companies shows that 80 per cent either use or are planning to use e-learning, and that those with more than 1,000 staff and those in the business sector are more likely to adopt this method.
Similarly, Balance Learning’s transatlantic survey of 286 organisations predicts that blended learning – where e-learning is combined with traditional learning methods – will double over the next two years.
Sixty-seven per cent of the responding organisations say they plan to cut workers’ time away from the workplace by up to 50 per cent.
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The findings also show that blended learning is regarded as the most effective and efficient form of training in the US, while it is ranked fourth in the UK – after instructor-led training, on-the-job training and coaching.
