OK, so you have identified your staff training needs, have thought about whether or not you wish the training to be accredited and have at least considered who will benefit from the training provision, at whose cost it will be provided and in whose time.

Now is the time to consider what kind of training you wish to provide. In this section of the handbook we will look at e-learning and the pros ad cons of e-learning compared to traditional training provision.

4.1 Options for traditional training

If you are interested in traditional training provision you have at least three main options. One is to send staff on a course offered by an outside provider, in the public or private sector. If staff attend an external course you will often have limited say over the content and may have to wait until the provider is prepared to offer that particular course. Your second option is to run an in-house course. If you have in-house trainers this may be a very good option but few small companies have such resources. If you do not have in-house trainers you will be forced to buy in expertise, and even if you can find someone locally with the required knowledge and skills, it may prove very expensive. The third option is work-based learning with workers learning through practice and reflection in the workplace. Of course, work based learning may be combined with participation in some form of formal training - as in the traditional apprenticeship programmes. However, for this to work you must be able to design a range of learning experiences and to provide support form skilled workers or trainers for the learners. Personally I think this is a very powerful form of authentic learning, but is often beyond the organisational resources of small and medium enterprises.

Of course there are other options such as clubbing together with other small business to share the cost of training or participating in programmes run by economic development, local chambers or trade unions. I will return to some of these options later.

The other option you have is e-learning and this will be the focus of the rest of this handbook. As I said in the introduction, it is not my intention to try to sell you e-learning or even to recommend. But e-learning is an interesting option for learning for employees in Small and Medium Enterprises and may offer some significant benefits over more traditional forms of training and learning. In the next section I will provide a very brief introduction to e-learning and look at some of the advantages and also the drawbacks. Later in this handbook I will explore the various e-learning technologies in a little more depth.

4.2 What is e-learning?

A recent UK publication suggests e-learning equals enhanced learning. E-learning, the JISC publication defines as "learning facilitated and supported through the use of information and communications technology."

"E-learning may involve the use of some, or all, of the following technologies:

• desktop and laptop computers
• software, including assistive software
• interactive whiteboards
• digital cameras
• mobile and wireless tools, including mobile phones
• electronic communication tools, including email,
• discussion boards, chat facilities and video conferencing
• Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs)
• learning activity management systems"

"e-Learning can cover a spectrum of activities from supporting learning, to blended learning (the combination of traditional and e-learning practices), to learning that is delivered entirely online. Whatever the technology however, learning is the vital element. e-Learning is no longer simply associated with distance or remote learning, but forms part of a conscious choice of the best and most appropriate ways of promoting effective learning."

4.3 What are the advantages of e-learning?

The UK government has said: "e-Learning exploits interactive technologies and communication systems to improve the learning experience. It has the potential to transform the way we teach and learn across the board. It can raise standards, and widen participation in lifelong learning. It cannot replace teachers and lecturers, but alongside existing methods it can enhance the quality and reach of their teaching."

E-learning has excited educationalists and trainers with the promise of the potential of technology to revolutionise learning JISC identify advantages in six key dimensions:

• Connectivity - access to information is available on a global scale
• Flexibility - learning can take place any time, any place
• Interactivity - assessment of learning can be immediate and autonomous
• Collaboration - use of discussion tools can support collaborative learning beyond the classroom
• Extended opportunities - e-content can reinforce and extend classroom-based learning
• Motivation - multimedia resources can make learning fun

4.4 What are the advantages for small and medium enterprises?

The lack of training provision in most Small and Medium enterprises has long been a concern to policy makers who fear it may hold back competitiveness and limit potential expansion of employment opportunities. Traditional thinking holds that Small and Medium Enterprises do not provide training because of the difficulty of releasing key employees to attend traditional courses. Therefore, e-learning has been greeted with some excitement in proving more flexible forms of training better suited to the needs of smaller enterprises and there have been many projects and initiatives to pilot and encourage e-learning in SMEs. It has to be said that the experiences of these projects and initiatives is at best mixed. Nevertheless, as learning technologies and understandings of how best to use new technologies mature, there would appear to be a number of potential benefits for employers and employees in Small and Medium Enterprises.

• Flexibility in location - training can take place in the workplace
• Flexibility in time - training can take place when there is 'space' in the work schedule
• Relevance - training can be developed which meet the needs of particular enterprises
• Scalability - e-learning provision can be scaled to meet different magnitude of training needs over time
• Timeliness - training can be provided on a 'just in time' basis to meet 'instant' needs
• Context - materials can be developed or adapted which fit in with the nature of the enterprise
• Up to date - learning programmes and materials can be updated on a continuous basis.

You will notice that at the beginning I said 'potential' benefits. If all this could be done easily, then I guess everyone would be using e-learning. There are still many problems to be overcome. But the potential is there.

Most lists of benefits of this sort would also include cost. Certainly all the major e-learning vendors and providers claim that there are significant cost savings to be made through e-learning. I will consider the costs of e-learning in a later section of the handbook. But, at least at this stage, Let me say that I am not convinced that for many e-learning will prove significantly cheaper than more traditional forms of training. I think if you do decide to go down the e-learning route you should better make that decision on the grounds of quality and the potential to meet your needs, rather than on cost benefit grounds.

4.5 What are the potential disadvantages?

Whilst the advantages sound good, there are some potential drawbacks to e-learning which should be considered when deciding whether to implement an e-learning programme. These include;

• Learners may not be confident in using technologies
• Learning technologies can be over complex and may not always work as they are intended to
• Off the shelf courses may not meet the particular learning needs of your organisation and custom produced learning materials can be expensive
• Learners may feel isolated when working on their own on a computer
• Not all enterprises have access to the infrastructure needed for e-learning
• There is not always sufficient support for enterprises wanting to implement e-learning

None of these problems is fatal and all can be potentially overcome. But they are all factors to take into account when deciding between traditional training courses and e-learning. Much of it depends on who the learners are and what their learning needs are.

Another big consideration is what is being learnt. Computers are very good for learning some things and not at all good for others. For instance, if you want to learn more about computers themselves, e-learning is very appropriate! E-Learning can be highly effective in many subjects ranging from management training and accountancy to learning a foreign language. Many industrial and commercial processes are controlled through computers such as CMC machining or logistics. On the other hand, if you want to learn how to lay bricks, whilst computers can provide lots of information, there is no substitute for doing the real thing. Having said that, the use of simulations and of video does allow practice learners to practice doing things where you would not want to let learners loose on the real thing. To give a couple of examples e-learning is widely used in medical training and in situations of high risk, for example in the nuclear and chemicals industries. Simulations are also used to train people in the use of highly expensive or fragile machinery - for instance medical imaging technology.

But equally the choice can depend on the availability or otherwise of learning traditional provision. In these terms e-learning can often have the edge in bringing learning to the enterprise at a time and place to suit the organisation rather than the training provider.

4.6 Key issues

• What options do you have for 'traditional' training?
• What are the potential advantages of e-learning for your organisation?
• What are the potential disadvantages of e-learning for your organisation?
• How suited are the subject areas you are interested in for e-learning?
• Do you have sufficient knowledge about the pros and cons of e-learning to make a decision or do you need more help and advice?