Corporate learning takes hi-tech route
India Inc experiments with pod-casting and mobile-casting to train the tech-savvy iPod generation. Deadly Dozen: 12 Indian firms in Asia's top 50
By Writankar Mukherjee, TNN |
KOLKATA: Corporate India is looking beyond ‘brick & mortar’ and the web to deliver learning modules to employees. Companies are experimenting with newer technologies like pod-casting’ and `mobile-casting’ to create a multi-mode employee learning backbone.
The advantages for the companies are multifold — much higher employee engagement levels, lower training costs, reduced man-hour wastage and immense flexibility. HR circles claim new economy sectors like IT, ITeS, telecom and BFSI (banking, financial services & insurance) are experimenting with these new technologies.
“Companies who are recruiting the ‘iPod generation’ workforce are looking at pod-casting and mobile-casting to deliver employee training. Apart from other benefits, this helps firms cut down on training costs by nearly 75%,” said Ma Foi Management Consultants chief operating officer E Balaji. Ma Foi is a leading HR services firm.
IT services major Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTS) has recently commenced pod-casting among its associates. The company is not only using the medium to deliver training modules but also as an employee communication tool for sending out video-recorded executive management messages.
“We have over 100 course titles spanning areas such as soft-skills, managerial skills, multi-lingual skills and domain skills that are podcast to our employees. Although we have bought several of these titles for podcasting, the bulk of the titles have been developed in-house”, said CTS director and head of in-house learning K Venkataraman.
IBM too is exploring these technologies to leverage on the higher penetration level of gizmos among its employees.
“The pilot phase for delivering mobile phone learning through capsules of five-minutes duration has already been done in China and will be soon started in India,” said IBM India director (learning & training) Lauge Sorensen. HR honchos feel the paucity of physical infrastructure and trained faculty will make newer delivery mediums like blogs, pod-casting and mobile-enabled learning more popular.
“However it’s too early to measure the return on investment from such emerging technologies. But it is possible to make these newer learning methodologies much more interactive,” said Wipro senior vice-president (talent transformation) Selvan D.
No wonder, corporate learning solutions firms like 24x7 Learning and SQL Star International are customising training modules for mobile casting and podcasting. 24x7 Learning, for instance, has already initiated the pilot phase to customise corporate virtual learning campuses for the mobile phone screen.
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