2012 marks the continued rise of e-learning in oil and gas

Posted by The BIG Partnership on Wednesday, January 18, 2012

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Study supports Atlas’ growth aspirations as firms embrace learning technology -

LEARNING technologies will increase in importance during 2012 as oil and gas companies look to address their skills and competency issues, whilst improving their return on investments, according to learning and knowledge provider Atlas.
The Aberdeen-headquartered company has today welcomed research which shows that 78% of organisations are now using some form of e-learning, with over half planning to increase their use in the coming year.

The anticipated rise in technology-supported learning is expected to help Atlas, a leading provider of innovative learning, compliance and competency solutions to organisations in the oil and gas and other safety-critical industries worldwide, meet its ambitious growth targets.

The report, conducted by the independent not-for-profit organisation Towards Maturity, found that organisations reported a raft of financial and productivity benefits from learning technologies which included:
• 41% reduction in their training costs
• 35% reduction in time to proven competency
• 23% increase in overall staff satisfaction
• 20% improvement in customer satisfaction
• 18% increase in qualifications gained by staff

“Some companies have resisted embracing technology when it comes to learning and training, but it is evident that there is a shift-change happening in terms of understanding that it has a real place in not only supporting learning but also in bringing wider benefits to an organisation” said Atlas CEO John Rowley.

“Oil and gas in particular is an industry that relies on facts and empirical data. With thousands of vacancies across the industry and a large number of companies struggling to recruit the skilled personnel needed to fulfil projects planned for 2012, it would appear that many are taking a closer look at e-learning as a potential solution.”
The study, which collated information from more than 640 organisations around the world including energy majors Shell and BP, found that r 79% of companies used technology enabled learning to improve the induction process.

“This is of special interest in our sector, which traditionally has higher staff turnover. We are also an industry with a lot of compliance goals to meet, particularly around safety, so it is interesting to see that 75% are using it to improve their compliance with industry rules and regulations. Of those, 46% report an improvement in efficiency in demonstrating compliance as a result,” added Mr Rowley.

“Businesses across the board are also looking to learning technologies to achieve greater business agility. Around 77% of organisations now believe learning technologies can help them respond faster to changing business conditions, an increase of 11% from 2010.
“Looking at benefits achieved, we see that organisations do report a 32% improved ability to change products and procedures, which along with the 35% reduction in time to competency, shows that some at least are delivering on this belief.”

The study found that:

• 62% report that they are able to deliver learning faster
• 48% report that they now provide greater access to learning
• 44% report a reduction in the time learners spend away from their job
• 42% report they have extended the reach of their training
• 41% report a reduction in their training costs
• 38% report they are delivering a greater volume of training

“What most business leaders chiefly want from learning technology, in today’s challenged business climate is an increase in efficiency,” added Mr Rowley.

“There are a growing number of organisations who are experiencing those benefits first hand and this supports our expectation of substantial growth in the sector in 2012, supporting our aggressive growth strategy in terms of penetration of the international markets with the aim of doubling our sales over the next three years.”

Atlas has transformed itself following private equity investment from HG Capital in 2007. Since then, the business has experienced significant growth and expansion across priority international regions and market sectors.

In the last two years, employee numbers have risen 80% to 74 personnel and its client base increased from 150 to more than 600 companies worldwide.

ENDS (18.1.12)

Issued on behalf of Atlas by The BIG Partnership. For more information contact Laura Grant on 01224 615010 or 07813 880496.[/b]

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Company News Release