Liberty Group, one of SA`s largest financial services groups with a staff complement of approximately 6 000, has recently employed MasterSkill to implement an advanced online learning system.
The training arm of the company`s Consultancy Division - Sales Development and Accreditation (SD&A) - is responsible for developing and delivering interactive online training material to Liberty`s agents, brokers and franchisees.
In order to develop the necessary training material, a unique set of technical and non-technical skills is required. As external training is not a viable option in terms of expense and budget considerations, SD&A approached Masterskill to provide a cost-effective solution that would focus on delivering value to the business by building knowledge and shaping the behaviour of the content developers.
Hendra Bezuidenhout, e-learning consultant and project manager for TopSkill 2002 at Liberty Group, explains that Masterskill was Liberty`s first choice as the company`s training provider because of its extensive experience in rolling out e-learning solutions.
"We were impressed with the fact that Masterskill`s courseware is available for a period of 12 months," says Bezuidenhout. "It could also be integrated with our existing e-learning platforms. In addition, we liked the fact that the lessons offered are modular - each module takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete - and that learners can do pre- and post-assessments, thus facilitating an accelerated learning path."
"First of all, Liberty wanted a low-cost solution to external training that could blend in with their current e-learning systems," says Tanya Kuschke, corporate sales manager at Masterskill.
"They also needed a solution where the training needed to minimise time away from the office, allowing content developers to concentrate on core business functions," says Kuschke.
"Because Liberty`s audience is geographically dispersed, our solution had to be driven by the individual but also include a forum for information sharing. This prevents training taking place in isolation, no matter what the trainee`s location.
"Finally, training had to be aimed at enabling learners to focus their efforts on their skill gaps by facilitating `just in time training`. Liberty didn`t want learners to have to wade through training material to find certain solutions. Rather, they wanted learners to find exactly the training content needed at a specific time. They also needed the access to subject matter experts which the solution provides."
A successful integration of the Masterskill courseware and administration system was done with the existing TopClass content management application. Centra, the existing virtual classroom system, was assigned as the platform for information sharing. In addition, it was decided that, depending on the demand and type of training necessary, a combination of traditional classroom sessions and/or virtual classroom sessions would be scheduled.
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Masterskill, a member of the Softline Limited Group, is the supplier of technology enhanced training products and services covering a wide range of IT education solutions ranging from desktop applications to networks, client-server technologies to the Internet, skills assessments to certification training.
They represent leading international training vendors such as Element K, Wave Technologies, Prosoft, McGraw Hill and SVI Training, and provide education solutions to South Africa`s leading training and education institutions.
There are various divisions within Masterskill: MSkill.com is Masterskill`s online IT education provider, allowing e-learning solutions to be delivered cost-effectively and efficiently.
MTest is their online skill assessment tool, which can be used to evaluate skills on office productivity applications and advanced technical topics.
Trainers.co.za`s function is to supplement the existing services offered by Masterskill to the "training centres" market, providing high quality, reliable contract trainers.
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