AFK Sistema (WebTutor)

AFK "Sistema" is the large finance corporation, already more than ten years working not only in Russia, but also in many CIS countries. Its primary activity is investment. Work in the field demands from employees not only high qualification, but also its permanent increase. Use of distance learning allows to accelerate and to considerably reduce the price of learning process and retrainings of workers. As the platform for corporate body of SDO the product WebTutor was selected from AFK "Sistema". We asked several questions of implementation of this project to Maria Chukanova, the director of NP Uchebno-metodichesky center AFK Sistema.

Tell a little about the company: in what area it works what its geographically-distributed structure, the number of employees and so forth.

JSC AFK Sistema is the largest in Russia and the CIS the public investment company servicing more than 100 million consumers in such industries as telecommunications, high technologies, energy industry, radio and space technologies, banking services, retail, mass media, tourism and medical services. Today the Corporation totals more than 160,000 employees. What employee categories use the system of distance learning?

To the portal all staff of Corporation has access, the participants of corporate employee development programs and employees signed on compulsory education of personnel use generally.

Development of rates by own efforts or involvement of providers - what you select and why?

Development by own efforts. The basis of our rates - the information presentation, without technical difficulties, does not require additional programming therefore there is no need for providers. We use two environments for development of rates (CourseLab and iSpring) satisfying our current demands.

If rates and tests are developed independently, then how many at you people are engaged in it and from what they divisions? How do you motivate the internal experts to participation in development?

The employee from Department of IT converts the presentation from PowerPoint into Course Lab and 1-2 employees from operating unit develop a rate.

Whether you use webinars? If is not present, then why. Whether there are plans?

No, we do not use as there is no need yet.

How do you estimate efficiency of distance learning?

In a remote format there is a possibility of saving of time, the employee can undergo in-plant training, at home, in a business trip, a holiday, at any convenient time. Rates are structured and compact, there is a possibility of self-examination and accomplishment of practical tasks. For particular purposes of training is very good tool.

What place is taken by e-learning in activity of training center of the company? How it is connected with other forms of education? Whether there is a practice of the mixed training (blended learning)?

In a format of distance learning employees generally take courses of compulsory education.

Practice of the mixed training is used when implementing big corporate programs when the employee studies a part of material independently in an e-learning format, a part in a format of internal trainings.

What functionality of the educational portal is demanded at you in the company - polls, forums, news, social communications, tenders, chats, etc.?

News and rates.

Whether considered return from the project and if yes, that in what it consisted?

Return was not considered.

What most memorable results of system implementation of distance learning?

System implementation is implemented by the previous command, are not ready to answer the matter.

Whether you estimated payback of the project. What turned out?

No, did not estimate.

What was reaction of employees to system implementation of distance learning? Whether it changed eventually?

As it was already told above system implementation is implemented by the previous command. At the same time, in 2013 transition to version 3.0 was performed, the new bright design of a system is configured. We try to develop the portal and to add services, convenient and interesting to the employees. For example, in 2013 on the portal the digital library which received a good response was placed.

How did the menedzhement of the company belong to training automation?

Survey was not conducted, but from company management there is a translation request of the educational portal, including in a format of mobile application. Whether further development of a system of distance learning is planned and if yes, that in what direction?

It is planned, first of all regarding use of systems capabilities for the organization of internal training: placement of diagrams training, record on rates, formation of groups, a feedback. Regarding management of career it is going to create base of talents within the corporate project "Bank of Talents of Corporation" and to configure administration of HR base of subsidiary companies.

What do you think of consolidation in one system of functions of distance learning, accounting of resident instruction and automation of HR activity (selection and performance appraisal, development of career and so forth)?

At correct setup of these processes, it significantly would simplify administration of these processes and would allow to make them more transparent for employees.

What technical and organizational difficulties arose in implementation process and operation of the project?

We work at the new version of the educational portal now. The previous version was constructed based on the WebTutor system of version 2. During creation of the new portal we not only created new design, but also upgraded to the new version of WebTutor. During the project we had to make changes in terms of reference that led to the fact that the developer had to review assessment of labor costs and the project of transition to version 3.0 dragged on for several months. Instead of the end of September, 2013 the new version of the portal was started in January, 2014. What main advantages of WebTutor for your company can you note?

The great platform for training of employees, a possibility of maintaining statistics on distance learning.

Whether you detected some shortcomings of WebTutor when implementing the project? Or, maybe, you have wishes to its further development?

Lack of the graphical interface of change of design, some complexity in its thin setup.