Petroleum giant uses remote learning to hone employee skills and cut training costs

PDVSA wanted to keep its far-flung workforce up to date on fast-changing technology and management practices while doing away with expensive, time-consuming training procedures.

Up to 70 percent of PDVSA's training budget went to transportation, lodging and meals, while time spent by educators and employees away from core duties reduced productivity. PDVSA needed a remote learning solution that would be more efficient, flexible and adaptable to employee needs.

Working with IBM Business Consulting Services, PDVSA implemented an e-learning solution that offers virtual classrooms on the Web. Courses cover everything from technical updates to management theory. Employees can access static and interactive course material on demand -- at their convenience -- as text, streaming video, slide presentations or other formats. And they can use online learning tools for realtime communication with instructors and discussion forums with other students. The solution, based on IBM e-learning tools and technologies, is integrated with PDVSA's enterprise resource planning application, which helps track class enrollments and student progress in individual learning programs.

"In the e-learning market, there are three important elements: technology, services and content," says José Guaita, distance education coordinator at the International Center for Education and Development, a PDVSA affiliate responsible for the company's training programs. "The IBM Business Consulting Services team spent hours with us, first analyzing our situation and showing us exactly how to solve our integration problems. And IBM was able to help us connect the various e-learning resources and tools that we needed and deliver them through a single user interface, enabling us to focus on enhancing course content."

PDVSA expects to realise a 100-percent return on its investment within three years. The company is already seeing lower operating costs and improved productivity from employees' increased access to training and the decreased time and resources spent arranging logistics. With about 30 percent of the company's total educational effort (close to 300 classes) moved to e-learning, some 16,000 employees have already taken at least one online course. Down the road, the company hopes to offer still more up-to-date e-learning content and tools, delivering them across the enterprise in a timely manner through a single, convenient learning portal.

"In today's economy, fostering a high level of expertise is more important than ever, but there's less time in the day for training," says Guaita. "With our IBM e-learning solution, we are enhancing our organizational efficiency, flexibility and cost-effectiveness, while assuring that our employees have the updated skills they need to work more effectively. All of it will show up on our bottom line."