blueU recently published a survey of 55 of its customers in medium to large organisations. Over half are using e-learning now, with the remainder intending to do so in the next few years.
A study by Epic earlier this year showed that less than 20% of organisations in the UK were using e-learning, but the numbers rose to 57% within 2 years, and 76% expected to be using it within five. A survey by Skillsoft indicated 45% of organisations used e-learning regularly, with a total of nearly 85% intending to do so within 2 years. Even assuming that these organisations are targeting customers who already have an understanding of e-learning, at a conservative level the expectation is that half of the UK organisations will be using e-learning in the next two years.
It may be slower than anyone predicted but it does look like the e-learning market is growing.
Other features of the blueU survey are given below:
"According to the blueU research while there is still currently more take-up of catalogue courses (62%) than custom-built programmes (51%) we can expect a shift towards bespoke development in the future."
"Surprisingly, many respondents expect to use both in-house and supplier e-learning servers, with 15% already doing so. In house servers are used by 47% of respondents rising to 63% in the future, while vendor course servers are used by 35% rising to 55% later."
"IT training and soft skills are equally popular topics for e-learning, with nearly two-thirds of respondents already providing such training, followed by company products and procedures (47%). The research shows an equal split between those who develop in-house and those who outsource, and between those who re-purpose existing material versus those who design from scratch. Many people use a mix of methods."
"What is clear is that there are real opportunities for all," suggests Ian Clague, CEO at blueU. "Some companies are re-purposing existing materials while others are designing material from scratch."
