Many companies now use computers in staff training and education. Computers are used as both a resource to present information and as a tool to develop practical expertise in staff.
Computers can be used as a resource to present information because of presentation programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint. This presentation package can be used for basic training such as an employee induction, the presentation could give information about the company and what the employees will be doing.
Computers can also be used as tools because they can help develop employees practical skills e.g. an employee who would be working with the companies database would probably be trained on a "dummy database" this would allow the employee to build up practical skills.
Among the many benefits of computer-based training the major benefit to an employer is the reduced cost. As they do not have to send people away on courses which means they don't have to pay for travel or accommodation. So the investment in a suitable training scheme often pays for itself, as the computers are already available. The only drawback is that the computer based training courses can be impersonal and the employee may have be computer literate to do the course.
One of the other advantages is that staff can train when they like at there own desks on the computer. The downside to this is that they are being taught by a computer, which cannot explain to the employee what they did wrong when they make a mistake, although some training packages may be able to do this to an extent.
Computers can also be used as simulators this could be simulating an aircraft to train pilots or simulating a database to help train staff that will be using it. In either scenario real life situations are simulated and the trainee can learn without the danger of performing live experiments. In the case of a pilot they can be trained to deal with dangerous situations such as hazardous weather conditions with no real danger involved. However simulations can still not replace real experience.
The previous text shows that the major advantages of computer-based training for employers are a reduction in cost and an increase in efficiency. This is because they do not have to send staff away on training courses because they can use the hardware the company already has to train them. The major benefit to the people being trained is the convenience as they do not have to travel away and can learn in there own time. They can also get immediate feedback on how well they are doing.
The only real disadvantage to using computer-based training is the impersonal touch of being taught by a computer.
