Upskilling refers, to increasing the skills of workers, usually through training. But its
introduction reflects substantial changes in the nature of work in developed and developing
countries. In the past two decades a substantial proportion of all jobs have become more
technical and varied. Much of this is due to the introduction of computers, which require many
workers to take on tasks like word-processing or financial analysis which once would have been
done by specialists. Trainers and employers both argue that to upskill workers improves their
employability. But critics say that upskilled workers are not necessarily better paid, nor do they
have better promotion prospects, and that upskilling benefits the employer rather than the
worker. Upskilling may be distinguished from reskilling, which usually refers to giving people
new skills to cope with a new job, usually an enforced one.
Measures to promote upskilling and lifelong learning can raise the mobility and
employability of workers, mitigate the costs of job displacement resulting from rapid
technological change and reduce resistance to reform. Structural Reform and
Adjustment, OECD Report (1998)
The current economic climate has really driven up the importance of having both the
skill sets and the education to differentiate us from the competition. With redundancies
an everyday occurrence and unemployment levels rising, it is imperative for those not
only seeking employment but also wishing to stay in their current role to adopt an
attitude of continuous learning.bs win brings work back on-shore
11 May 2009
THE AWU has announced it welcomes the move by Qantas to move maintenance work back
from The Philippines to Brisbane – securing the jobs of between 400 and 500 Queenslanders.
"The agreement we have negotiated offers to not only protect 400 jobs, but will create more
jobs and investment in upskilling of the workforce – despite the global economic doom.
“If we are to protect our skills base and prepare for the inevitable future economic upswing
unions and Qantas employers should do all they can together to retain good skilled jobs and
staff in tough economic times."
Online Training Helps Keep Balance
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Travel Managers’ introduction of online training for its personal travel managers is proving to be not only a
huge hit internally but with families also.
Travel Managers’ executive general manger, Mandy Scotney says training
and professional development normally means travel to a main centre
which impacts significantly on families.
“With living and working remotely having to attend a course or seminar,
while important for professional development and keeping trade knowledge
up to date can place difficult demands on families. Childcare arrangements
are often required as it may take a few hours to even travel to the venue.”
Ms. Scotney says the introduction of their online training is about upskilling their personal travel managers for Qantas while allowing them
to work more efficiently.
“With providing online courses and supplier updates when we say it will
take 45 minutes that is exactly what we mean. Forty-five minutes out of
their day that they can log in and receive the training and information. No
traffic or parking worries or costs plus lost time.”
Travel Managers are now providing supplier training to their personal travel
managers via online with Qantas Holidays being the first this week.
“The response has been fantastic from a wide range of suppliers and we are fully booked to roll out online
training every Wednesday until September.”
Ms. Scotney says the training is designed to maximize interaction so the number of personal travel
managers logging in is restricted for each session.
“Our research tells us the maximum number is 12 participants, so once a session is fully subscribed, we
just schedule another one. It is a further advantage to online training; the costs associated with putting the
training on are minimal.”
The Qantas Holidays online training running this week will cover how to use their online booking site more
efficiently to maximize personal travel managers productivity.
Successful models for enterprise vocational education:
Distributed learning strategies
Mark Keough
Managing Director
TechWorks
Large enterprises are facing significant challenges in providing equitable access to training in a climate
characterised by shrinking budgets, demands for improved corporate performance and changes in
industrial relations.
In partnership with customers such as Qantas, BHP, CentrelInk and Air Services Australia and
a range of vocational training providers, we have gained a unique insight into the needs of the
modern enterprise.
Online learning and team development is a watershed for learning organisations operating
strategically to improve personal and corporate performance. Like the Model T Ford
transformed the way future generations were to operate, online learning systems will change
corporate opportunities and capacity to improve performance.
Traditional institution based education and training was developed to meet the requirements of
learners in an environment characterised by stability rather than change (Brennan, 1996). This
approach is no longer relevant in an economic environment in which national and international
competitiveness not only depends on productivity but also relies on quality, variety,
customisation and timeliness (Kearns and Johnson, 1993).
Increase in access to the Internet and World Wide Web, the expansion of communications
networks in Australia and other developments are taking place at a time when continuous
learning approaches and courses that are flexible, adaptable, portable and interactive are
essential. Through the use of new and emerging technologies associated with the Internet,
TechWorks' online learning system can deliver customised learning programs on demand,
administer individual assessment, manage learner progress, manage corporate learning
programs, provide learning support for a range of learning models and provide access to
learning resources of unprecedented magnitude.
What does corporate online learning and development look like, why is it a such a landmark,
what will happen if decision makers choose to do nothing, how does it impact on IT and
HR/Training departments and what are the critical success factors for successful
implementation? Answers provided will draw on TechWorks' three years experience
implementing corporate online learning systems, including Qantas College On-line.
TechWorks - an overview
In 1997 Qantas began offering its 30,000 staff access to 'anywhere, anytime' learning courses over the
Internet. TechWorks built the underlying system and works in partnership with Qantas to grow their
online learning system. An Adelaide company of 13 staff and some 20 contracted staff, TechWorks' core
business is online learning systems. Online for us means Internet assisted. Our clients include
1. companies, such as Qantas and Centrelink with whom we partner to provide customised online
learning systems
2. a growing number of public and private training providers such as Canberra Institute of
Technology, Eastern TAFE in Victoria, OTEN in NSW, Regency Institute of TAFE in South Australia
and Deakin University with whom we partner to market and deliver or support online accredited
courses which they nominate
3. individuals seeking qualifications or course modules through online learning
4. companies requiring bulk purchase of varied online courses for employees.
The TechWorks Learning System is platform independent and can be accessed from anywhere in the
world with a Web browser through a Web connection.
Context for learning and development
Environment scan
The needs of learners are changing rapidly and continually. They are altering in response to an
environment that is characterised by very considerable change across broad economic, social, political
and technological developments. These have been identified in a number of reports and include
1. The rapidly developing trend towards globalisation of national economies and the emergence of
more complex and competitive economic environments
2. The impact of new technologies on business operations and philosophies
3. An appreciation of the central role of information and communication technologies in meeting
the new imperatives of business.
[ANTA National Flexible Delivery Taskforce, 1996; Kearns, 1994; Palmieri and others, 1994; Kearns and
Johnson, 1993]
Within this context, learners are demanding continuous learning approaches, which reflect the demands
of their work and lifestyle, as classroom learning becomes less appropriate and less relevant to their
needs. They require learning that is flexible, adaptable, portable and interactive [Mason, 1995].
Traditional institution based education and training was developed to meet the requirements of
learners characterised by stability rather than change [Brennan, 1996].
Organisations are demanding cost effective, flexible continuous learning systems that
demonstrably improve corporate performance to give them a competitive edge. New research
for ANTA based on linking the national stock of qualifications to international competitiveness
revealed Australia lags behind its OECD competitors in the post compulsory and post secondary
arenas. [Australian Training, Jan 1998]. Vocational training and education providers must
change to meet these needs; discover and apply new and innovative ways to manage, support
and deliver learning and qualifications.
Online learning technologies have the potential to transform traditional learning and training.
This can be likened to the advent of the Model T Ford in 1908 which transformed the personal
transportation industry. This was not the first car, but it was the most successful. It was
affordable, reliable, and efficient. It was effective because it was easy to operate, maintain, and
handle on rough roads. [Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village Online
http://www.hfmgv.org]. Online learning technologies aren't the first electronic learning
technologies but they are cost saving, reliable and effective learning tools, easy to operate and
the roads are improving.
To push the analogy a little further, the mass production processes initiated by Henry Ford laid
foundations for moving from supply driven automotive market to the demand driven market we
experience today.
Similarly, the learning and development market in Australia has tended to be supply driven
primarily by the nature of VET sector and university funding and limited user ability to
purchase from distant suppliers. Online learning is changing both buyers' and sellers' access to
the training and learning marketplace. Buyers and sellers of learning are no longer
geographically restricted - online training providers can offer nationally and globally while on
the other hand learners can select the very best from globally marketed online learning.
In such a demand driven market, a training provider's survival is likely to depend more than
ever before on quality of service and ability to respond to client needs. This is quite alarming for
many provider institutions that see their traditional domain under threat or genuinely fear the
erosion of depth in their university faculties. The tertiary sector in the United States is
experiencing considerable disquiet as some tertiary administrators partner with private
enterprises to fund course conversion to online form and mandate the use of the web to support
learning on their campuses. Called the "Instructional Enhancement Method" in UCLA, students
and faculty members alike protested the top down commercialisation of higher education.
[Noble 1997].
One is reminded of the quotation, author unknown:
The pessimist complains about the direction of the wind.
The optimist expects the direction to change.
The leader simply adjusts the sails.
Smooth sailing depends on reading the prevailing winds and setting the sails appropriately. We believe
we do this very well at TechWorks.
Electronic learning technologies: The trends
Training and human resource units are increasingly using or are expecting to use some form of
electronic learning technology such as a PowerPoint presentation, a CD-ROM, video conferencing or
computer based learning as delivery systems or to enhance learning delivery.
The potential of electronic learning technologies has been widely recognised for several years.
Early commentators and researchers focussed on the role of improving access to learners
disadvantaged by distance, work practices or lifestyle. However interest in the new technologies
is no longer limited to distance education applications.
Emphasis is now on how they impact on learning per se and their cost effectiveness compared
with traditional training methods. In an address at the International Conference on Computers
in Education in Malaysia, December 1997, the noted Thomas Reeves claimed information
technology improved learning outcomes for 47% of learners at K-6 level, 36% at 7-10 level, 26%
at the tertiary level (where learning is not vocational) and 42% at the vocational level.
Data source: Thomas Reeves, ICCE, Malaysia, December 1997.
In TechWorks' experience of cost efficiencies for online learning technology, savings are made
on accommodation, travel, course maintenance, training administration and time spent on
learning or revisiting learning. This view is supported by documented instances of significant
savings by companies using electronic learning technologies [Training and Development,
November 1997].
However, the trend in learning technologies is toward online learning. This is borne out in two
surveys in USA last year [National HRD Executive survey and Benchmarking Forum survey, as
reported in Training and Development, November 1997]. While mid 1997 classroom training
was still the dominant delivery method in the States, it was expected to decline from 80% to
55% by the year 2000. By that time it was predicted that 35% of all training would be delivered
by electronic learning technologies.
A significant rise in the use of Internet and network based distance learning systems was
forecast. Intranets were predicted to more than triple (14%-45%) and use of the World Wide
Web expected to soar from 27% to 48%.
Use of electronic learning technologies: USA predictions
Learning technology
Percentage using technology
in 1996
Percentage expecting to use
technology in 1997
Rank in the year
2000
CBT: disc/hard drive
55.2
63.5
9
Video-teleconferencing
53.1
56.3
5
CBT: CD-ROM/CD-I
42.7
54.2
10
Interactive TV/video
37.5
42.7
6
Multimedia: CD-ROM/CD-I
29.2
37.5
7
Internet/Web
27.1
47.9
3
CBT: LAN/WAN
21.9
41.7
4
Computer teleconferencing
14.6
22.9
8
Intranet
13.5
44.8
1
Multimedia: LAN/WAN
12.5
24.0
2
EPSS
4.2
13.5
11
Virtual reality/electronic
1.0
2.1
12
(incl.satellite)
simulation
(Source: ASTD's National HRD Executive Survey, 1997)
A similar trend is emerging in Australia. While classroom based delivery still predominates, the
rate of increase in online learning is leapfrogging.
Percentage of use of delivery systems in Australia
Reporting year
Delivery system
1994
1995
1996
Classroom (instructor-led lecture)
97
100
100
Advanced technology/Interactive classroom
53
56
47
Computer based training
72
90
84
Interactive/Multimedia
47
85
81
Televised electronic distance learning
47
64
69
Internet/Network based electronic dist learning
12
33
53
EPSS
34
46
37
Other self paced delivery
66
80
75
12.5
10
<1
Other delivery systems
(Source: Training and Development, November 1997)
This is not surprising in light of the most recent research into Internet use in Australia by APT
Strategies Pty Ltd, First Quarter 1997. Of more than 2,000,000 Australians (or 13% of the
population) who accessed the Internet in the last month of the survey, at least 25% were
engaging in some form of online learning. [ http://aptstrategies.com.au/rec_inter.htm].
Data source: APT Strategies Pty Ltd Quarter 1, 1997.
Recent Australian internet usage statistics are difficult to find. However a Yellow Pages survey
found 23% of small businesses were on the Net, (up from 9% a year ago) - with 18% more
expected to connect within the year [The Australian NetNews dated 15 Oct 1997].
It seems reasonable therefore to anticipate a similar escalation in access to the Internet and
online learning in Australia as has been forecast for the United States.
What does online learning and development look like?
Online learning; Hierarchy of understandings
People mean different things by 'online learning'. To begin with, 'online' currently means 'on the
Internet'. For our company, 'online learning' or 'online training' encompasses any one or all three of
administrative management, interactive materials, collaborative tools - all delivered online.
There is however a variety of understandings about what constitutes online learning. Anne
A'Herran (December 1997) describes a hierarchy of applications. To many organisations 'online
training' means just a directory of courses, the courses themselves being delivered by post or
conventionally, face-to-face with a phone call or letter to start the conventional enrolment and
learning process.
Or perhaps it means you can download lecture notes from the Internet. However there is still a
real face-to-face component. Sometimes lecture notes online are supplemented by postage of
textbooks. You might communicate by email with your tutor and be assessed as you go. They
call this online delivery.
At a higher level enrolment is captured to an administrative system that tracks student data.
Few systems go as far as offering RPL and assessment online, courseware progress tracking and
the capacity for tutors and administrative staff to view and record/update student progress and
attainment.
At its best online learning includes access to collaborative tools, the 'human face of learning'.
These include online chat, email and Message Board.
Learning materials online remain only marginally interesting to institutions and enterprises
alike unless they are part of a reporting engine, and an administering system. A seriously online
system tracks the learner from registration of interest, enrolment, through learning guides, and
assessment. It embeds formative assessment activities and summative assessment from which
data can be extracted and manipulated for purposes of student tracking and certification.
Learning materials, says A'Herran, have to engage the learner in achieving learning outcomes
and in the end, if they excite but take the learner nowhere in terms of skills, understanding and
eventually qualification, the learner will leave. They need to sit within a system that qualifies the
learner and leaves the learner with a qualification in hand. A comprehensive system tracks who
has been using the materials, and reports to the learning institution who has been assessed and
how and when they achieved. It guides the learner though the use of the system and offers
online and conventional help all the way. It takes into account the training and induction of
facilitators in this new mode of delivery, and the new interactive learning in which they will
build relationships with the learner.
So it can be seen that online learning means many things to different people.
The TechWorks Learning System look
Earlier in this paper we characterised the learner of the future as demanding anywhere anytime learner
built and 'just in time' learning. We characterised learning organisations demanding learning solutions
that were cost effective, provided accountability and enhanced performance. We characterised
providers able to improve learning outcomes and grow their markets with user oriented online learning
systems.
The TechWorks Learning System has been developed with all three clients in mind. The System
therefore has many faces. The face that welcomes clients depends on their purpose for using the
system. Some examples follow.
Suppose client Mark from Company Petal Corp, on his own initiative, enrols in Conflict
Resolution - a Communications module provided on the TechWorks Learning System by
Canberra Institute of Technology. Subsequent to a neat online registration process, Mark will be
advised by email that he can start the course. Greeted by name on reentry, Mark will see a
welcome message from his tutor and links to all tools he needs to engage in, manage and track
his learning progress. For example, Mark will see links to course information (about
competencies, assessment requirements and application for recognition of prior learning), links
to engage with the courseware itself (such as course modules and assessment events) and he
will see links to collaborative learning tools (such as a chat room, notice board and calendar of
events).
CIT (Canberra Institute of Technology) is also a TechWorks Learning System client, and a CIT
tutor will see a very different face of TechWorks Learning System from the face which welcomed
Mark. When the tutor logs in she will see all the functionality she needs to manage and
administer her tutorial group members. Apart from tools to broadcast messages, chat with
learners, add or delete dates on the calendar, the tutor can drill down on group and individual
learner information, tracking an individual's learning. The tutor can edit an individual's
learning achievement status subsequent to recorded online self testing and assignments
received.
When an Administrator from CIT comes online he will see only administrative functions such as
enrolment forms and reports. A CIT Manager will see management reports about tutor
workload and achievement for any or all CIT courses on the system.
Employment challenged Jenny registers online for Managing Customer Service an OTEN
course that currently uses traditional surface mail delivery of materials, enriched through
TechWorks Learning System collaborative communication tools and by online student
management. The most significant difference between Jenny and Mark's screens is the absence
of courseware links.
In the final scenario an enterprise called Metoo Holdings partners with TechWorks to develop
an online learning system like Qantas College Online - just for Metoo employees. When Zia, a
Metoo employee logs on to The Metoo Online College from home or work, she will see the mood
and essence of her organisation reflected in the graphical look and feel of the site. The Home
page is a gateway to specialist areas defined by function, that is there will be separate gateways
for the learner, administrator, tutor, manager and perhaps also a Resource Manager (for online
library reservations). Through the learner gateway, Zia will see learner functionality and she
will not have access to tutor, administrator or manager gateways. Mahummed, the HR Manager
will have access to those reports about corporate learning that he asked to be built for him. It is
worth noting that the site is secure and neither Mark nor Jenny has access to this password
protected site.
Wired for learning: What are the considerations
Improving corporate performance
Learning and development is one of the many factors that make a difference to individual and corporate
performance. Access as it is needed to quality and current learning as a normal part of work practices is
critical to improving corporate performance. Using the online system to share corporate learning,
capture and build new corporate learning encapsulates the very essence of a learning organisation.
Online learning adds value to corporate performance as follows
1. There is flexibility in time, place and manner of delivery of learning to suit the requirements of
the enterprise and individuals
2. Online learning systems are particularly suited to dispersed populations and so contribute to
access and equity objectives and to quality and standards in client service delivery
3. Online learning provides a means of fostering life-long learning and so contributes to continuous
improvement objectives and to upgrading and maintaining and growing the skill level and
knowledge base of the workplace in changing conditions
4. Online learning enables individual, interactive methods of learning which can be more effective
in achieving some learning outcomes or competencies for some learners than classroom
delivery methods
5. Learning materials, always available, can be revisited and easily updated
6. Online learning systems provide accountability snapshots of corporate investment in and
measured outcomes from learning and development.
What if I do nothing (if it ain't broke don't fix it)
In this paper we have endeavored to map the changing terrain in which individuals, enterprises and
training providers are operating. We have described the benefits of online learning in that terrain. It is
not really a matter of if it ain't broke, don't fix it but can you afford a missed opportunity to better travel
the new terrain?
As a learner will online learning bring you benefits? As an enterprise can you afford the missed
opportunity to reduce costs, improve your image in the marketplace and add value to your
corporate performance? And if you are trading globally can you afford not to train globally? If
you are a training provider, what is your future marketplace in the new terrain?
Role changes: What new skills will I need?
Any systemic change needs to be accompanied by change management communication, support and
implementation strategies. Rather than address widely documented change management strategies, the
following describes how traditional functions and manners of operating can change when an online
learning system is adopted by an enterprise.
IT systems managers and administrators, CIOs
There is little impact on the day to day operations of Informologists and technologists when the
system is outsourced - which is the way we operate. TechWorks manages the server and server
applications. IT personnel are involved from the outset in collaborative discussions about the
most appropriate solution for their enterprise. An outsourced online learning system is an
opportunity to enhance the company view of IT (seen as useful because it works) for very little
effort from the IT professionals. It is making profitable and productive use of a service already
in place to add value to the organisation or enterprise.
According to a July 96 ComputerWorld poll of 100 senior systems managers, 36% were driven
from above to source Internet projects subsequent to media reports top management had read
and 18% felt that they had wasted money due to unrealistic expectations about the Internet. [ECommerce: The 8 Corners]
Interestingly few organisations have an Internet strategy; they may toy with a business front - a
marketing presence on the Web; they tend to divert their energies to an Intranet to store and
access corporate information. An online learning system provides an in house opportunity to
rethink the difference between access to corporate information and resources and building
corporate learning.
Training unit / HR unit
Content providers and instructional designers are still needed to develop an online learning
system. TechWorks actually provides upskilling training to enable this transition to the new
media. An additional workshop is conducted to facilitate the change in role from trainer to
online tutor. This unit also frequently provides the Project Manager.
Materials development team
For online learning technologies it is a shift rather than a radical change in materials
development. The same principles of adult learning and distance delivery apply. For these
reasons, website designers with graphic skill but no understanding of education and learning
are inappropriate for online education materials development. The production cycle for
business presence websites is typically twenty pages of graphics with minimal text. It is not the
same production cycle for hundreds or thousands of pages of educational text and associated
resources.
Often the course exists as a growing body of practice in a trainer's head with supplementary
visuals such as OHPs and hand outs. Crucial to online production is a creative and expert writer
who can elicit the content from the trainer and collaboratively write the course to suit online
delivery.
Developing online resources requires a team of a content specialist, writer, instructional
designer, programmer and graphic designer. The team may be one person or may be more. All
our production people work together in teams throughout the cycle of production as the stages
of writing, graphics design, programming and instructional design are intertwined. Each
contributes ideas about how the product design can best ensure that learning occurs.
Critical success factors
Like all successful projects a clearly articulated business plan with a sharp and shared vision of purpose
and end product is crucial. Goals should service corporate goals. Here is an opportunity to turn around
the traditional perception of business unit supports the training unit (as a necessary add on) to that of
Training unit supports the Business unit achieve its goals. Strategic support for the business plan is
needed. Inside champions really help, but commitment at all appropriate levels is very important.
The business plan needs to be an ongoing plan of staged development incorporating an internal
and if appropriate external marketing plan rather than a short term project. Around the world
training providers and enterprises are partnering with specialist businesses who know how to
manage the risk associated with web applications. In an outsourced or partnership arrangement
initial time spent building relationships, establishing how to work together and how all involved
relate to one another is invaluable. Understanding each other's processes, culture and
organisational structure helps. Knowing who supports what and at what stage and establishing
support processes for Customer Service is very important as Customer Service is the first point
of contact for users.
Of singular importance for effective learning is the learning model applied. Many faculty
assume that the WWW is a 'magic box', and that simply putting a course on the Web guarantees
better learning. Commercial advertisements for Web authoring tools encourage this
assumption, proclaiming that once instructional materials are on the Web, students will learn
automatically. Actually the WWW does not guarantee learning any more than the presence of a
library on campus guarantees learning [Thomas Reeves, 1997].
A materials development model based on successful learning engagement is critical. Flinging
face to face courses online to meet business imperatives may be efficient delivery but it rarely
provides effective learning outcomes. Existing courses need to be restructured rather than
repacked. Equally crucial in the learning model are the tutors or workplace mentors as they
determine to a large extent the experience of the learners.
Use of an Intranet to distribute learning materials to employees is similarly less effective than a
distributed learning model which supports anytime anyplace learning and finds ways to share
and capture knowledge systematically as work occurs.
Conclusion
The terrain is changing. It will continue to do so. There is a better way to travel now. Are you ready? Are
you ready to be wired for learning? Can you afford not to be?
References
A'Herran, A. (1997). Learning Online. International Conference for Computers in Education, Malaysia,
December.
ANTA National Flexible Delivery Taskforce (1996). Final Report of the Taskforce. ANTA
Brisbane.
Bassi, L. J. and Cheney, S. (1997). Benchmarking the Best. Training and Development,
November.
Bassie, L. J., Cheney, S. and Van Buren, M. (1997). Training Industry Trends 1997. Training
and Development, November.
Brennan, T. (1996). Lifelong Learning - Who will own the system? Paper presented to the
European Distance Education Network Conference, June 1996, France.
Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village Online. http://www.hfmgv.org
Kearns, P. (1994). Flexible Delivery for Small Business. Flexible Delivery Working Party, South
Brisbane.
Kearns, P. and Johnson, R. (1993). Towards New Alliances for Learning in Industry. Flexible
Delivery Working Party, South Brisbane.
Mason, R. (1995). Evaluating Technology Based Learning. In B. Collins & G. Davies (eds),
Innovative Adult Learning with Innovative Technologies. Spinger-Verlag Berlin.
Mills, P. (1998). Workskills and National Competitiveness. Australian Training, January.
Noble, D. F. (1997). Digital Diploma Mills: The Automation of Higher Education. October. York
University, Toronto.
Palmieri, P., Blansby, V. and Hammond, B. (1995). Flexible Delivery in Action: Success Factors
and Case Studies. Open Learning Technology Corporation, Adelaide.
Raybould, B. Performance Support Engineering: An Emerging development Methodology for
Enabling Organizational Learning, http://www.cet.fsu.edu/sy2000/piq/raybould.html
Reeves, T. C. (1997). Using the WWW as a Cognitive Tool in Higher Education. Paper presented
at International Conference for Computers in Education, Malaysia, December.
Skippington. P, and Keough, M. (1997). Issues in Online Learning - A Way Forward. A white
paper. June 1997.
Sumser, J. E-Commerce: The 8 Corners.
http://www.interbiznet.com/nomad1/ecom/index.html
Author: After a 10 year Public Service Career in South Australia and Victoria, leading to an
executive Admin and Finance role in TAFE, Mark Keough joined the burgeoning computer
industry as a Technical Service executive. Eventually owning his own computer dealership led
Mark to an understanding of the commercial future of the Internet. In 1995 Mark founded
TechWorks and developed a system which manages Training delivery and administration. He
and his small team developed Qantas College Online, among the first corporate Internet
training systems in the world. TechWorks now employs 15 people and counts among its
customers some of Australia's blue chip organisations and educational institutions.
Mark Keough
Managing Director, TechWorks
http://www.techworks.com.au/
Tel +61 8 8223 3599
Please cite as: Keough, M. (1998). Successful models for enterprise vocational
education: Distributed learning strategies. In C. McBeath and R. Atkinson (Eds),
Planning for Progress, Partnership and Profit. Proceedings EdTech'98. Perth:
Australian Society for Educational Technology.
http://www.aset.org.au/confs/edtech98/pubs/articles/keough.html
[ Proceedings Contents ] [ EdTech'98 Main ]
© 1998 The author and ASET.
This URL: http://www.aset.org.au/confs/edtech98/pubs/articles/keough.html
Created 30 May 1998. Last revision: 18 Apr 2003. Editor: Roger Atkinson
Previous URL 30 May 1998 to 30 Sep 2002:
http://cleo.murdoch.edu.au/gen/aset/confs/edtech98/pubs/articles/k/keough.html
BUSINESS NEWS & PRESS RELEASES
Training to workers in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Bligh
The Bligh Government will partner with industry to deliver more
than $2.6 million in training to workers in the tourism and
hospitality industry.
Education and Training Minister Geoff Wilson said the
Government would work with the Queensland Tourism Industry
Council to deliver the Productivity Places Program.
"The Bligh Government is meeting its commitment to boosting
the number of training places and improving training for existing workers to make them more employable," Mr Wilson said.
"The program will deliver high-level training to 600 workers during the next two years.
"More industry input into training will mean better outcomes for the sector.
"It will help leverage industry contributions towards upskilling the workforce and ensure the training sector is more responsive to the
future needs of the industry."
As the state's skills alliance for the tourism and hospitality industry the Queensland Tourism Industry Council will p artner with
training organisations to deliver the training.
Council CEO Daniel Gschwind said it was more important than ever to build business capacity and skill levels to remain competitive
and exploit new opportunities.
"The Productivity Places Program brokerage arrangement is a significant new initiative that will enable the Queensland tourism
industry and business operators to respond proactively to the market challenges we face," Mr Gschwind said.
Mr Wilson said the Productivity Places Program was a joint initiative of the Commonwealth and State Governments.
"In Queensland the program aims to offer more than 46,000 additional training places for jobseekers and more than 102,000
additional training places for existing workers over the next four years," he said.
Tourism and hospitality employers seeking to upskill their workforce should contact the Queensland Tourism Industry Council on
(07) 3236 1445.
For more information a bout the Productivity Places Program in Queensland, including places currently available for jobseekers, visit
www.training.qld.gov.au/ppp
Business school in all A380 classes
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Fran Foo | September 16, 2008
PASSENGERS on the maiden voyage of Qantas's A380 Airbus superjumbo jet will be able
to improve their minds as well as eat, drink and watch movies.
Qantas's A380s will host learning modules from the Melbourne Business School, Harvard and
Stanford Picture: James Croucher
All passengers, regardless of their cabin class, will be able to access selected business courses by
the Melbourne Business School and prestigious US universities, Harvard and Stanford, for free.
Users can sign-up for certificate courses from Harvard Business, watch five-minute videos of
business leaders or access 40-minutes lectures.
They can also obtain Harvard Business Review articles while on the plane or search for selected
book extracts.
The system will be integrated with the new fleet of A380s' in-flight entertainment platform.
Qantas and local partner Deloitte Leadership Academy began testing the application 18 months
ago.
The modules are part of a new push in bite-sized e-learning.
"This is the era of 'snack-learning' ... executives choose to 'snack' when they have time," Deloitte
Consulting partner Tom Richardson said.
The Qantas education tool, Mr Richardson's brainchild, contains online courses, articles and
videos with senior business leaders from Morgan Stanley, Rio Tinto, Tesco, Oxfam and Ogilvy
and Mather.
Deloitte and Qantas are in the midst of increasing local content, recently completing filming
with a group of yet-to-be-disclosed Australian captains of industry, he said.
"This is a uniquely Australian proposition. The next step is to see how we can run this on
BlackBerrys," he said.
Passengers on the October 24 Sydney-Los Angeles route will be the first to use the e-learning
tool.
Last week, Qantas said it would introduce new online check-in options, including electronic
boarding passes on mobile phones, from early next year.
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