Public Sector

In the UK the public sector is often seen as playing catch-up to the private sector when it comes to innovation and its use of new technologies. A recent research report commissioned by IMC Learning UK, however, revealed that public sector organisations are leading their private sector counterparts in the uptake of e-learning tools and instruments. The study sought to discover what e-learning tools and instruments organisations are already using and what they are planning to use in the future and found that four in five (80%) respondents from the public sector state their organisation is using bespoke eLearning content, with 67% using e-learning authoring tools and 65% using Learning Management Systems (LMS). These results are significantly higher than those from respondents in the private sector, which were 58%, 44% and 46% respectively.

In a world where 24/7 access is expected, using e-learning the public sector is able to provide a consistent source of current training and information to all employees, no matter where they are located. e-learning can specifically help deliver the flexibility that the public sector needs to keep staff and local communities in step with the ever-present changes in government policy.

An example of effective e-learning adoption in the public sector comes from Fire Service College that has built an enviable reputation as the premier training establishment of its kind in the world. The Fire Service College has implemented FireLearn, an enterprise IT system for the management of all learning activities and the development and delivery of e-learning, in April 2008. It was developed to introduce a smarter and more flexible approach to delivering and monitoring training and development for the Fire Service College. One of the fundamental benefits for users of FireLearn is that it provides learners with the opportunity to undertake and manage their learning in a more flexible way - accessing materials, assessments and records, online, from home or work. It also enables learners with the Fire Service College to take advantage of life long learning opportunities rather than just physically attending courses on site.

This example of e-learning in practice shows how the public sector is actively embracing eLearning in order to improve its learning and development programmes, and ultimately provide greater benefits to the learner and organisation as a whole.

The next step for the public sector is to tighten its use of e-learning tools and content to ensure it can reach its full potential and continue leading the way. The need for cross organisation and department collaboration is regularly highlighted and this is one area where e-learning would be greatly beneficial.