Employees Favor High Tech Training

June 19, 2002 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Employees give high-tech workplace training the thumbs up, according to a poll.

According to the Workplace Training Report from Knowledge Anywhere, employees cite the following reasons for choosing technology-based training over traditional classroom training:

  • workplace flexibility, was noted by 49%
  • the importance of self-paced training was mentioned by 26%, and
  • 15% mentioned the swift delivery of materials to geographically dispersed employees

Despite these benefits, the poll found that only 60% of companies are using a high-tech medium to train their workers.
 
The survey also found that:

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  • 36% of respondents received job training by learning from their peers,
  • 27% said they obtained additional training through off-site seminars, and
  • 20% said they received training in classrooms
  • only 11% said they gained additional job training through self-paced online programs

Respondents to the survey included 8300 executives and employees from 183 corporations.

Europe Co's Should Focus on Women

June 18, 2002 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - European companies must step up their efforts in retaining and motivating female employees - or risk further lagging their US counterparts, a new survey reported.

Of the 500 women business executives interviewed in the survey, 66% said stereotypes and preconceptions were a leading barrier to advancement.

Other barriers they cited included:

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  • lack of female role models,
  • lack of line experience, and
  • family responsibilities

Some 63% of the women executives who took part had children and 75% were married or living with a long-term partner.

Yet the survey showed that most respondents, both male and female, believed their careers would be harmed if they took parental leave, sabbaticals or other flexible work arrangements.

Quick Action

Sheila Wellington, president of Catalyst, which conducted the survey, said European firms seemed to be undergoing a modernization process now, as they sought to deal with the continent’s ageing workforce and lagging productivity.

“This is an issue that can’t wait, as the birth-rate declines and as the population ages,” she said. “Smart European companies recognize the business case for inclusion.”

The survey, which covered 700 senior executives in 20 European countries, was sponsored by several multinational companies.

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