e Learning

e-Learning In Local Government

Last Updated Oct 5, 2008 06:45 AM

A briefing paper
e-learning in local government: a briefing paper Introduction This briefing paper builds on the general briefing to cover the role of e-learning in local government. It covers the range of uses and benefits around e-learning, the business case for deploying the technology and the barriers that currently exist to take-up across the sector. Sources of further information are also included. A scoping study undertaken for the IDeA Learning by Epic Group Plc identified local government as an ideally positioned sector to take advantage of e-learning.

The geographically dispersed nature of the workforce, the high and growing levels of internet usage, the fast changing nature of the legal environment, the recruitment difficulties, and the potential economies of scale point to significant benefits for local government. Increasing capacity E-learning has the potential to transform learning in local government at a time when the need is greatest. Transformational change in the sector is creating ever-changing knowledge and skills requirements, and traditional approaches to training and learning are struggling to keep up. Figures from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) suggest that local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales spend £296 million on training per year, averaging around £150 per employee. With learning requirements growing, and more people needing to be trained in more areas, this is simply not enough to keep pace with change. The white paper “Strong Local Leadership – Quality Public Services” spoke of a need to increase training and development capacity for members and officers. It is unlikely that classroom-based delivery alone can provide sufficient capacity to respond within budget and schedule. E-learning can provide additional capacity and speed of response to help facilitate change. Facilitating change In a climate of change, new initiatives and information need to be picked up quickly and consistently across an organisation. How quickly people can get up to speed and contribute effectively can either accelerate or stifle change. This “speed to competency” can be difficult to achieve with large, geographically dispersed organisations such as local authorities. The time, cost and logistical challenges of bringing people together can be prohibitive, particularly when streamlined workforces make it difficult to pull workers away from their jobs to off site training sessions. This usually results in delays and an inconsistency in the message delivered. www.idea.gov.uk/knowledge

With online technologies, new learning can be moved faster and more efficiently than people. E-learning can achieve just-in-time learning with greater reach, speed of response and consistency of message. E-government and e-literacy The Government’s targets for e-service delivery by 2005 have major implications for the e-literacy of officers, members and the community at large. To deliver and access e-enabled services will require a new level of competence with information communications technology (ICT) on a huge scale. Users will need basic competencies in standard desktop applications, email and the internet as well as the growing range of new systems that are appearing in local authorities such as customer relationship management (CRM) software. The cost of developing and delivering all of this training through classrooms is simply not viable. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) report “e-gov@local - towards a national strategy for local e-government” points to e-learning in its priorities for education. Again, e-learning is seen to play a key role in delivering the additional capacity needed to respond to this major challenge. With growing levels of online usage at the desktop and at access points in libraries and learning resource centres, e-learning can increase access to end-user ICT training, whether for a formal qualification such as the European Computer Driving License (ECDL) or for new systems training like CRM. Also by receiving learning in an e-format, users begin to experience greater levels of comfort and familiarity with e-enabled services.

Local authority customers will need the skills to access the e-services effectively, and e-learning can also provide a performance support function. Many high street banks for example have begun to provide e-learning on their websites to educate customers on their services. There are the complexities of some users having to develop the basic ICT skills to even begin to use e-learning, and while there are products relating to “learning to learn on the internet”, this may require a blended model with face-to-face sessions to prepare people for e-learning.

Return on investment and the best value agenda While claims that e-learning is a “cheaper” form of training delivery can be misleading due to initial development costs, e-learning can reduce training related expenses such as travel, accommodation and facilities. It can also provide economies of scale at higher learner volumes, as the cost of each additional e-learner is negligible once the materials have been developed. www.idea.gov.uk/knowledge

The scoping study undertaken for the IDeA by Epic Group Plc pointed to compelling financial benefits for a common training need such as health and safety. Assume that 20,000 staff in local government require health and safety training each year. The cost of delivering training to these staff using conventional classroom training is estimated at £86 per user for a one-day course. This equates to £1.72 million for 20,000 staff. An equivalent online course could be developed for £100,000. However, this course can be distributed over the internet at virtually no cost to all local authority staff. The course is also available online at any time a person needs it; and can be updated centrally so that staff always have access to the most up to date material. These financial benefits accrue to the whole of local government who would no longer have to incur the costs of delivering this training through the classroom. Even if only five per cent of local authority training was moved online the savings to local government could be in excess of £30 million per annum. This represents a return on investment of over 600 per cent and also enables a far greater number of staff to be trained with the same or less resources. Education Many of the capacity issues outlined have direct parallels within schools. There are growing staff shortages while the demands for teachers will continue to increase. Digital literacy is critical for future generations and this places added pressure on the system. E-learning is being deployed as a means of fuelling the expansion in schools within resource constraints. Deployed effectively, e-learning could offset the lack of resources, while providing children with a more engaging educational experience. Barriers to growth Despite the many opportunities e-learning presents, there are a number of barriers that inhibit its growth and potential effectiveness in the sector. These include: One: getting buy-in from management and learners With so many other projects, initiatives and agendas it can be difficult to get buy-in from various stakeholders in an authority, from senior management to the learners. There remains a lack of clarity around the direct benefits that e-learning can provide when compared to traditional alternatives and pragmatic decision makers rightly want to see more evidence before a departure from business as usual. There can also be resistance from the learners as they are used to attending classroom sessions. Such cultural expectations will need to change over time.

Two: duplication of effort While many of the learning needs in local authorities are similar, opportunities to share answers have been limited. Each time a new learning requirement emerges, authorities tend to build their own programmes and materials in response, resulting in a huge duplication of effort. In terms of e-learning, most authorities have to date had little option but to purchase costly, individual solutions. Three: high costs of e-learning development While e-learning can appear to be the best option for specific learning requirements, costs of development can be prohibitive.

One hour of bespoke e-learning content from an external supplier can cost an average of £15,000, an amount that most authorities can scarcely afford. A cost-effective alternative would be to develop materials internally but most authorities do not possess the required skills and knowledge to make it work effectively. Four: lack of sharing of knowledge and experience The vast majority of local authorities are at a very early stage with e-learning, with most involved in initial research or small-scale pilot projects. There is a need for authorities to share lessons learned as they begin their e-learning journey. Five: lack of sector specific e-learning The local government sector has specific learning requirements and these are not always reflected in the off-the-shelf materials that are available. The availability of generic e-learning resources targeted at local government is very limited, which again leaves authorities looking at costly bespoke alternatives.

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