2nd December 1999

WORKERS LEFT BEHIND ON THE TRAINING SUPERHIGHWAY

Alarming new research reveals how a boom in multimedia training risks creating an underclass of workers.

The groundbreaking study, carried out by RRC Business Training amongst 180 personnel directors from some of the UK’s leading companies, showed that whilst 82% of companies believe that many of their staff will not be able to cope with technology based learning, the majority of personnel directors see this as the medium of the future - agreeing that traditional lectures, tutorials and paper study materials will be largely replaced by multimedia training in just five years time.

At a time when the specialist publication ‘Training Technology and Human Resources’ estimates that as many as seven hundred IT based companies have entered the training market in the past year alone, the findings indicate that it is even more crucial that employers do not jump on the multimedia bandwaggon just for the sake of it, warns Gary Fallaize, MD of RRC Business Training.

“There is a real danger in multimedia for multimedia’s sake and it is crucial that technology based training is first and foremost based on high quality educational content,” explains Fallaize, who initiated RRC Business Training’s recent collaboration with IT experts Cyberactive to produce the interactive ‘Fire Safety’ programme which was nominated for a BIMA award for its combination of state of the art imagery and sound instructional value.

Workers left behind….Page 2

“The market is being flooded with products which though they may be colourful are produced by companies whose primary expertise lies in technology rather than in how to train people,” continues Fallaize.

“There is no doubt that multimedia is an excellent training medium, with interactive activities and visuals helping to both improve the retention of information and simplify concepts but it is not appropriate for every area of learning or for everybody. The best training programmes often take a more integrated approach by combining multimedia with paper-based material and one-to-one tutorial support.”

Indeed support seems to be one of the key problems affecting multimedia training. When questioned about the reasons why they think some staff are unsuited to this medium, employers taking part in the survey identified two issues - a lack of either self-motivation or technological know-how.

Gary Fallaize again:

“Our experience shows that everyone undertaking training benefits from one-to-one tutorial support to help to motivate them, which is why we offer our participants the back-up of being able to pick up a phone at any time to talk to a personal tutor. It is also important that training programmes are not viewed as ‘off the shelf’ products but can be adapted to suit an individual’s lifestyle, needs and abilities. ”

RRC Business Training also believes that lack of technological know-how does not have to be a barrier to multimedia training. Even those with little or no experience of IT can learn on a programme that has been designed by people who understand how to train people. Simply not taking anything for granted and not assuming that users are familiar with even the basics of IT, such as closing a window or operating a mouse, can make multimedia training accessible to those who would not normally be able to cope with it.

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Fallaize also explains how this principle touches on a wider problem of multimedia training which affects people who have a good understanding of IT. “It is all too easy for the technology to get in the way of training so that participants end up concentrating more on that than on what they are supposed to be learning.”

The drivers for multimedia training are clearly strong. The research revealed that flexibility is seen as the major advantage with 74% citing this. Time saving was also an important consideration (51%) as well as the simple fact that the world is moving towards it (47%).

“In an increasingly competitive and busy working environment, multimedia will play a crucial part in training,” concludes Fallaize. “But unless we want to exclude a large part of our workforce from obtaining the qualifications and skills they need, it is essential that the vital elements of programmes are not overlooked in favour of glitzy graphics and technological wizardry.”

ENDS

Editor’s Notes:

  • The research was conducted amongst 180 personnel managers/directors - split across a wide range of regions and sectors with an average company turnover of £189.1 million and an average personnel of 890 - who were interviewed via an incentivised postal questionnaire.
  • RRC Business Training is one of the UK’s leading business training providers, specialising in distance learning, open learning programmes and in-company training. For details about RRC Business Training’s courses for business skills and qualifications, phone: 0181 947 7272.

ISSUED FOR AND ON BEHALF OF RRC BUSINESS TRAINING BY:

Findlay-Wilson Public Relations

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Contact: Fiona Mountain/Louise Findlay-Wilson