Implement Technology Training Internationally

WilmerHale law firm, with offices in the U.S., London, Brussels, Beijing, and Berlin, has managed its technology training through a centralized learning management system (LMS) since 2002.

"We originally used spreadsheets to track training, but needed a robust system that would allow us to group learners by department and job description, assign courses to groups, send group e-mail notifications, and run reports," says Francine Wartow, co-technology training manager. "We also wanted to provide online scheduling and evaluations. The centralized system has made training much more efficient and cost-effective."

Wartow offers the following tips to others:

- "Know what users want. For example, our system includes a wish list feature where people can request courses from the catalog."

- "For company-wide technology rollouts, it's useful to be able to compare support calls to enrollment. If one group always needs support or does not use the new technology, it may be because they never attended the training."

- "Invest the time in preparation up front: creating the catalog and course descriptions, grouping, and coding courses, etc. It's a major, but necessary effort."

- "Market the system, including demos, and give it a positive spin. Unless people are excited about using the system to register, for example, they will sign up by phone."


Editor's Note: Global training holds some surprises in store. Read "The Global Trainer" at Trainingmag.com to find out what's in store when you take your company's training to a global scale.

Duncan Welder is business development manager with RISC, Inc., which designs and delivers learning management systems to provide rapid, effective training solutions for the adaptive organization. For further information, visit www.risc-inc.com or call 281 480-7910.