Advtech Training has completed a reorientation and restructuring exercise that sees it change and extend its focus into the e-learning domain. As a consequence of this restructure, the company has changed its name to Advtech Skills.

"E-learning is a more efficient approach to people and skills development aligned with the dictates of the e-business age," says Advtech Skills director Mike Pitsillis. "The explosive growth of e-business and the concomitant need for practical business skills to function in this new domain are among the driving forces in the new world of e-learning."

E-learning is about delivering training to people through a medium of their choice, at the time that suits them, to enable them to acquire skills as and when they are needed, adds Pitsillis. "Gone are the days when people entered one occupation and had one job for the bulk of their working life.

"In the e-business age, people can and should expect to have many jobs during the course of their career. Many of these will be short-term engagements where they need to acquire just-in-time skills. We provide the enabling training solutions to make this happen."

The new name also reflects the company`s increased focus on outcomes-based education solutions to meet market demand expected, as employers rush to meet the requirements of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), says Pitsillis.

"It repositions us to take advantage of the drive towards technology-based training (TBT). Industry analysts predict that by the year 2002, TBT will form 50% of all corporate training.

"Our core competencies are consultation and implementation. This focus allows us to add value to the TBT products we sell and to move to a solution rather than product sale. We help the client to put procedures, such as the innovative marketing of courses to the client`s staff, in place to ensure TBT succeeds."

Emphasis on skills

There has been a change in emphasis in the training arena, adds Pitsillis. "The word `training` is no longer a true reflection of the essence of our offerings. Our products enable our clients` employees to skill up, re-skill or upgrade their skills using interactive software that is centred on the application of these skills. So the emphasis now is on the word `skill` rather than on `training` per se. Skills growth becomes a continuous process, rather than an isolated event.

"But even more important is the successful implementation of the TBT program within the client organisation. How do you motivate people to sit down and use TBT to gain or improve their skills? We wrap our methodology around the implementation and evaluation of the products to ensure the client sees rapid results and return on investment."

TBT adds improvements to the training process that were too expensive and time-consuming to implement effectively in the past. "For example, every trainee is an individual with a unique knowledge base: He or she might already have some of the skills offered in a particular course.

"Our TBT courses have built-in pre-assessment tests that automatically tailor the course to the existing knowledge of the individual trainee. So there is no more need for the trainee to waste time covering old ground thus also supporting the NQF`s requirement of Recognition of Prior Learning.

Another benefit is TBT`s ability to be tailored for required competencies. "Courses can be tailored to the requirements of the company or the individual`s job description. This means the trainee does that part of the course that addresses the competency requirement for his or her job."

Advtech Skills is a company in the Advsource group.