e-learning to stay top of the class
  from: Offshore Engineer
  Monday, April 07, 2008

Keeping on top of the training requirements of a geographically dispersed workforce is no simple matter. Fugro, with 200 plus operating companies and some 11,000 employees worldwide, looked to e-learning for a solution.

As chief surveyor in Fugro’s offshore survey division, Andrew McNeill’s says his challenge is to ensure that the skilled personnel the business deploys in the field today get the learning and support they need to remain ‘world class’ tomorrow.

Having just incorporated a state of the art e-learning system from specialist training consultant Mohive into the operation’s training mix, McNeill has set the business on course for a new style of collaborative working that promises to keep even the most remote operative up to speed.

‘One of the big problems with training in the oil and gas exploration business is getting people together for classroom courses,’ he says.

‘If they have been out in the field for six or eight weeks, the last thing they want to do is come into the office for anything. Although we plan courses for specific dates, due to the project nature of our work, unpredictable events sometimes mean delegates cannot attend: a key person who may need to go on the course can’t make it because their project over-runs or bad weather keeps their vessel at sea.

‘Any number of unexpected factors can hinder the training process. By offering training and support online, we’re overcoming many of the traditional problems associated with classroom learning. Our people can access training modules when and where it suits them.’

Lifelong learning

By turning its most experienced people into ‘subject matter experts’ capable of creating compelling e-learning programmes, Fugro is ensuring the lifelong learning within the business is passed on effectively to new recruits.

‘The collaborative nature of the Mohive system opens up vast possibilities for knowledge sharing,’ explains McNeill. ‘For the first time, the highly specialist knowledge that sits at the heart of our business can be harnessed and distributed. We’re turning the best people in our business into course developers capable of producing professional standard online training quickly and easily.’

Ultimately, the aim is to produce a series of modules, each lasting between ten and 30 minutes.

‘Already we have developed a number of induction and familiarisation modules for new staff,’ says McNeill. ‘Working in a large and decentralised organisation like Fugro means that for many new starts, gaining a fast overview of the breath and depth of the business they have joined can be a timeconsuming process. The new induction modules we’ve created are designed to address this.’

And as the collaborative culture drills deeper into the Fugro psyche, he believes knowledge acquisition in some of the business’ most important technical areas can be supported with new high definition e-learning modules.

‘One of the things we often find is that there is a gap between the university stage knowledge that comes into the business with new graduates and the pragmatic know-how required to do the job at a practical level offshore,’ says McNeill.

‘Giving new people an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the technical equipment and processes we use to gather data is one of the key areas of opportunity we see for elearning as the concept grows in our business.’

Being web-based and collaborative, the Mohive eLPS allows people to share information 24/7 and work together on the development of e-learning projects irrespective of distance or time zone.

Another key advantage, believes McNeill, is that the product is sold very differently to others in the market. ‘Mohive licences its product to the enterprise rather than to individual users: something that’s quite unique in the industry but actually mission critical if your goal is to open up the concept of course creation effectively across the enterprise.

‘We have experts here who may use the software for a week or two then not use it again all year. Working on a per licence agreement would not facilitate the same easy flow of information. It just wouldn’t be commercially viable. Ultimately we envisage 30, 50, perhaps even as many as 100 experts collaborating to develop Fugro courses.’

Best practice

Course development without adequate control poses obvious dangers in a highly decentralised operation like Fugro’s.

‘Without the right checks and balances, sharing or reusing material can be a recipe for disaster,’ McNeill agrees.

‘Everybody tends to think they have the best idea, but for many good reasons it’s often a lack of exposure to other ideas that has led people to form their opinion.

The new collaborative approach is changing the way people think in our business. By sharing knowledge and information across a trusted platform, best practice can evolve organically yet safely, within the controlled corporate framework that underpins our business.

‘The inbuilt workflow features also help us manage the development of material. Course material can be reviewed and commented on by peers or managers, before it gets distributed to the wider Fugro community.’ OE

Click here to register to receive your own copy of Offshore Engineer each month.