E-learning can help transform the way employees learn, teaching them skills needed for the future workplace, says a report from the Conference Board of Canada.
E-Learning for the Workplace: Creating Canada's Lifelong Learners includes a tool kit, also available online, to help employers develop e-learning strategies.
"E-learning is an important tool for developing innovative capacity in the Canadian economy," said Debbie Murray, author of the report, "but employers face difficulties implementing programs, including content issues and the initial cost and time required to develop e-learning solutions."
E-learning refers to the use of information and communication technology (ICTs) as a learning tool. It takes many forms, including the use of computers, the Internet, teleconferencing and wireless technologies.
The report shows 30 per cent of employers feel their workers do not have the skills they need now and 76 per cent said their employees will not have the skills they need in three years. They identified the just-in-time nature of e-learning, improved employee control, and cost-effectiveness as three main reasons for turning to e-learning.
The e-learning tool kit explains the planning, building, integration, and improvement phases of developing an e-learning strategy.
The report was co-funded by the Office of Learning Technologies, Human Resources Development Canada. The Conference Board has also developed a website, with in-kind support from GEVC Interactive, to help employers build their e-learning strategies.
Web Watch:
www.conferenceboard.ca/elearning
