What is the E-Learning Resource (ELR)?

Emma McFarland explains how the E-Learning Resource will revolutionise the learning opportunities for money advisers working in Money Advice Trust [MAT] Partner Agencies.^X

After the bursting of the e-commerce bubble and the well documented misfortunes of the Internet's big players such as Yahoo and Amazon, you could be forgiven for thinking the Internet had been somewhat overhyped. But, from the ashes of the headlines which predicted the end of the high street, the office and life as we know it once the 'information superhighway' hit our lives, has emerged an unlikely success story - e-learning. For years, e-commerce's poor relation, e-learning is now the fastest and most successful growth area on the Internet.

The reason for e-learning's success is quite simple - it makes sense. Whilst buying a pair of shoes via a computer was never really going to be a winner, the ability of computers to act as both a gateway to access learning and a vehicle to deliver and support learning cannot be disputed.

Computers have long (in IT terms) been used to deliver learning via CD-ROMs and their effectiveness has been proven in numerous studies. Whilst the commercial sector has been quick to jump on the e-learning bandwagon, the voluntary sector has been slower to follow. This is understandable as technological solutions never come cheap and in such a fast-evolving sector, it can be difficult to keep up. In addition, IT resources and skills in the voluntary sector have, until now, been generally poor.

However, the potential of e-learning to improve on-the-job performance, motivation and support is immense. With the quality of money advice relying to such an extent on the dedication and existence of highly trained staff, e-learning was something the Money Advice Training Development Forum* [MATDF] simply could not ignore.

In this article I will describe in more detail what the MATDF E-Learning Resource [ELR] for money advisers is, its functions and benefits and how it will be implemented.

^XMAT Partner Agencies
England & Wales: Birmingham Settlement, FIAC, MAA, NACAB
Scotland: CAS, MAS
Northern Ireland: AIAC, NIACAB
Representatives from the Money Advice Trust and the MAT Partner Agencies together constitute the Money Advice Training Development Forum.

Emma McFarland works for the Money Advice Trust as Director in the E-Learning Resource project.