Employers continue to adopt Internet-based programs to train their employees, the Washington Post reports. Many see it as a way to communicate vast amounts of information to a greater number of people.

For example, Home Dept began using kiosks connected to the Internet to help train its 300,000 employees on forklift safety and product information.

"We think we cut the total time to deliver the instructional material in half, and we believe, based on testing, that we have doubled the retention," says Gary Jusela, vice president of learning at Home Depot. Jusela says the online training enables employees to be active in the learning process.

Black and Decker is another firm exploring what benefits online training can bring to the company. It develops its own curriculum using software it purchased, according to the newspaper.

"We have 27 courses online now through our Black & Decker University, ranging from basic electricity to selling skills and residential construction," says Matt DeFoe, vice president in charge of recruitment, training and sales services. "We estimate each hour of e-learning is replacing three to four hours in the classroom."

The government is also utilizing e-learning, the newspaper reports. The newspaper notes that the FBI and the Agriculture Department are among the government agencies offering online training.

Proponents of Internet-based learning say that more firms will adopt this type of training, making more information available to more people. Some say it will become one of the top uses of the Internet.

"We now have a platform and vehicle that gives educational access to many people who were not able to access it before," says John Higgins, chief learning officer for the consultant BearingPoint Inc. "The implications will be nothing short of overwhelming in our lifetime."

And McDonald's, long been known for flying new restaurant managers to Illinois to attend "Hamburger University," is putting more of its rank-and-file food handlers in a virtual learning environment, according to the Post. That includes putting electronic learning stations in the "crew rooms" of 4,000 U.S. restaurants, about a third of the company's total. Installing Internet-connected learning posts in all 30,000 McDonald's outlets worldwide is the goal.

Mike Hendon, director of curriculum and e-learning for the chain, told the Post: "Our restaurant crew members are learning faster and retaining it better" because of the e-learning stations. He estimated that e-training costs the company 15 to 25 percent less than the old method, which required more human coaching.

Links

• Washington Post article