by Heather Tafel

In a time where travel costs are dramatically rising and corporate environmental responsibility must meet higher public expectations, E-Learning can be highly beneficial to your bottom line and your public image.

E-Learning or blended learning approaches can eliminate or reduce the need for expensive travel and room and board. Nucleus Research finds “E-learning solutions ‘reduced costs for travel, human resources overhead, regulatory compliance and customer support costs,’ along with second tier benefits, such as increased employee performance that directly impacts profitability. The study found that most companies could gain significant returns from even modest investments in e-learning technology.¹

These savings translate into significant environmental savings as well. “Open University’s study found that producing and providing distance learning courses consumes an average of 90% less energy and produces 85% fewer CO2 emissions per student than conventional face-to-face courses.²

Not only is E-Learning more cost-conscious and planet-friendly; it can also be much more effective. E-Learning gives your employees more flexibility in scheduling and more time to absorb the material. “Studies conducted by Harvard Business School and other organizations determined that the program (IBM’s online training for managers) enables managers to learn five times as much material at one-third the cost of a classroom-only approach.” The study found that the E-Learning was more effective because of the increased time that the managers had to spend with the material and the E-Learning simulations of real-life scenarios gave the managers a chance to apply the knowledge.³

There are many approaches to E-Learning from interactive “Show Me” and “Let Me Try” demonstrations to full simulations as well as blended electronic and classroom approaches. Talk to a Centrax sales representative to discuss how Centrax can help train your employees and make your company more lean and green. Call 312-946-2000 ext 2010 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more.

1. Frank Scavo, 2002 ROI and Laggards, The Enterprise System Spectator, http://fscavo.blogspot.com/2002_09_01_fscavo_archive.html#81541397 (August 2008).
2. Jenna Sweeney, E-Learning is Good for the Environment, South Florida ELearning, http://sfelearning.blogspot.com/2008/01/e-learning-is-good-for-environment.html (August 2008).
3. Joe Mullich, A Second Act for E-Learning, Training and Development, http://www.workforce.com/section/11/feature/23/62/89/index.html (August 2008).