NETg, a worldwide leader in corporate education and training and part of The Thomson Corporation announced that it is working with e-skills UK previously known as e-skills NTO), on the ‘e-skills into business’ (ESiB) programme. ESiB is a nationwide scheme that has been set up by e-skills UK to increase business performance of SMEs by helping them to maximise the potential of the Internet and e-commerce through skills development. NETg’s e-Learning,
which is accessed via the ESiB portal, has already been a great success for many SMEs in the South East of England with funding from the SE of England Development Agency (SEEDA). e-skills UK itself also uses ESiB to provide high quality e-learning to its own employees.
“As an organisation dedicated to addressing skills issues in the information
age and helping UK businesses improve the IT skills of their workforces, we
are keen to practice what we preach,” commented Terry Watts, COO, e-skills
UK. “With most of our staff committed full time to customer projects it is
vital that they are productive and make effective use of the IT tools we
provide. Getting people quickly up to speed with technology and helping
them to retain their skills is always a problem. NETg’s e-Learning provided
via ESiB allows us to get people the IT training they need, when they need
it, with minimum disruption to their busy schedules. The effect this will
have on our staff’s performance and on our performance as an organisation
will be invaluable.”
What is ESiB?
The ESiB programme has been designed to help small businesses improve
performance, productivity and profitability through skills development. It
comprises of three key elements - a Business Analysis Toolkit (BAT), Skills
Analysis Toolkit (SAT) and an online Learning Management System (LMS), which
consists of an e-Learning library of over 200 courses in IT and business and
professional development skills. The e-Learning courses in IT skills are
provided by NETg and include courses on Microsoft Office applications,
‘building an e-commerce business’, ‘understanding e-business’, Microsoft SQL
Server and Visual C++, many of which lead to recognised qualifications. The
decision to work with NETg was founded on the quality of its courses, which
are based on sound teaching principles to ensure effective transfer of
skills.
Like many small organisations, e-skills UK has budgetary constraints for
critical training, which can be costly and time consuming, but is essential
to the success of the organisation. The ESiB programme is the ideal
solution. Using the Skills Analysis Toolkit, staff are able to easily
assess their skills needs online. This gives employees control over their
own training needs and allows them to address skills gaps instantly. Once
skills gaps have been identified, employees simply log onto the ESiB portal
where they have access to a wide array of high quality courses which
includes NETg’s e-Learning solutions. Because learning can be carried out
at their desktops, staff find it easy to fit it around busy work schedules
and appreciate not having to spend whole days out of the office on off-site
training.
“Previous doubts about e-Learning quickly disappeared when I began the ESiB
programme,” commented Liz Stroombergen, project manager, e-skills UK. “The
self-assessment tool allowed me to have a good look at my own skills and
those that I presumed I had. The tool pointed me towards the relevant
learning I required to enhance my skills for my job role, and I now have a
clearer vision of my own skills and those I wish to build on in the future.
NETg’s e-Learning is really effective and enjoyable and is a great IT
training resource to have at my fingertips.”
Local SMEs also benefit from ESiB
Following a successful pilot which attracted over 300 business users in
Milton Keynes, Kent and the Isle of Wight, the ESiB programme is now focused
on businesses in SE England including Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East
Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex. Companies
nationwide can also register and benefit from the programme.
ESiB is aiming to reach over 65,000 businesses in the SEEDA (South East
England Development Agency) region by the end of 2004, deliver action plans
to over 20,000 companies and provide training to 10,000 employees.
Recognising the vital contribution ESiB will make to business productivity
in the region, SEEDA has committed funding of £1.25 million pounds to
develop and get the project underway. ESiB is supported by South East
Region Business Links, which can offer advice on how to access the Internet
for businesses that want to get involved in the ESiB programme and are not
yet online. SMEs in the SEEDA region can join the scheme now by registering
on the ESiB website at www.esib.co.uk.
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