South African technology used for training at leading international companies

The technology currently being used by more than 200 international companies around the world to train staff on their computer systems was developed and is supported in Cape Town by local IT company, Smartsource.

The software developed by Smartsource for STT enables organisations to train and assess hundreds to thousands of system end-users simultaneously in multiple locations. Organisations such as Shell, British Airways, Airbus, Kumba, SARS and Daimler Chrysler use STT for their enterprise system roll-outs and upgrades, as well as to help comply with industry regulations.

"With STT we can deliver quality 'hands-on' training at a fraction of the time and cost required for traditional class-room based training," says Robin Simms, STT Project Coordinator at Airbus. "By using STT as our main training and assessment mechanism for users of the SAP system, we've been able to demonstrate to the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) that we have the competencies and training and assessment processes in place to comply with their regulations."

Smartsource developed STT's innovative simulation-based training capability, which gave STT an early lead in the e-learning marketplace, six years ago. Software simulation-based training - the use of a 'copy' of your live computer system as a realistic and effective training environment - is today considered by industry experts as the most effective method of training users on computer systems.

Speaking from the company's headquarters in Reading, England, Peter Hopley, STT MD, says: "Even with the stronger rand, it's always made business sense for us to have our development centre and call centre in SA where we have access to world-class skills at a relatively low cost. Plus, the fact that they are in the same time zone as Europe allows us to communicate and manage much more effectively than if we were dealing with operations in Asia."

Smartsource founder and MD, Antony Turner, adds: "Our experience with STT has been very rewarding. The infrastructure, knowledge and experience we've gained over the past few years with the product have enabled us to develop and support our other software solutions to world-class standards."

Over the past two years, Smartsource has developed and launched three Web-based software products: Fundamental Portfolio Manager for the asset management market, Equilibrium Accounting and Travelogic destination management system for the in-bound tourist market.

"It's a thrill to know that what we've developed here locally is being used internationally by more than 250 000 users at companies like British Airways and the BBC to train and support users of their enterprise applications. It's an accomplishment we hope to repeat with every new application we bring to market," comments Turner.