The pace of technological change is transforming the world so rapidly that it is clear that in order to succeed in the future, we need to modernize learning today. It’s about taking advantage of the advances in technology to improve the way we educate, and helping employees become part of the connected, digital universe.   

Even with the best manpower and trainers, the actual learning for existing employees and new recruits is less than one third of what the trainer taught. Since recruitments take place throughout the year, there is an increase in competition levels. Not equipping your employees to self-learn on-demand, could be a big handicap for your enterprise. This would give your enterprise a very poor ROI on training.

Distance learning is slated to be a Rs 100 crore plus market in 2010 and is likely to grow at a compound rate of 50 percent year-on-year. Digital technologies for learning, such as self-paced learning modules, multimedia case studies, simulations, video tutorials, and communications and assessment tools, can increase the array of learning opportunities for adult students and their teachers.

Telepresence is helping to deliver a more personalized, collaborative and exciting learning experience. Trainers now have the power to train from documents, books and even object models at the press of a button. Trainers can also record trainings which can be accessed in a secure way. With video conferencing, employees can follow lessons outside the training room if they are away due to illness or family commitments. 

Such learning solutions help a trainer to impart enterprise-wide synchronous training across multiple locations, without compromising on the quality of training. These sessions can be effortlessly recorded to empower learning on-demand across the enterprise. This would help an enterprise to optimally meet its learning demands. Having enterprise-class capabilities, the solutions will help enterprises shorten the learning curve and accelerate the pace of learning across the enterprise.

Telepresence learning solutions can help rev up the pace of innovation across the enterprise since the learning curve of the entire organization would be shortened.

As learning improves in the enterprise, there will be a significant improvement in employee retention and growth in the company. IT needs to act both as an enabler and complement the way that corporates prefer to learn if it is to equip employees with the requisite skills to compete in tomorrow’s global economy. 

Sanjay Bansal is Founder, Chairman of the Board & MD, Business Octane