College Education

According to a new survey conducted in March for training provider Cegos, employees are keener than HR and the training function to embrace innovative training practices and new technologies. Cegos commissioned an independent study among 2,355 employees and 485 HR directors/training managers from companies employing more than 500 staff in the UK, France, Germany and Spain.

The survey found that "half of employees across Europe want more e-learning and blended learning during the next three years, while only about 40% of HR professionals plan to develop more programmes using these techniques. Learners are also keener to embrace collaborative tools like blogs, forums and wikis – 44% of employees want to see these techniques developed, compared to just 32% of HR professionals. Face-to-face learning is more popular among HR, with 42% of respondents wanting to see more classroom learning compared to 38% of employees."

The survey also found that e-learning and blended learning programmes are meeting the expectations of users. The survey showed that "for 89% of employees, blended learning is living up to users expectations ‘well’ or ‘very well’, and the same was found for 82% of respondents using e-learning." The study also asked how e-learning can be made more effective: "The vast majority of respondents (88%) rated work-based scenarios as their top choice as a tool for improving the effectiveness of e-learning. In second place, 82% rated self-assessment techniques and in third place, 73% rated help from a tutor or peer."

Source: Clive Shepherd