THE E-LEARNING'S CHALLENGE: AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. M. GRI, TRAINING MANAGER OF TIM

Concernine E-learning subject, in Assinform-Anee Annual report a new development stands out above the other things: there is a great deal of courses offered by a small quantity of big Companies, while, on the other hand, small and medium suppliers are hardly able to be on the market. Moreover the offer of E-learning lessons often doesn’t fulfil client’s expectations.

1) In Italy, unlike other European countries, training for employees is quite neglected. Do you think E-learning can contribute to change this situation?

I think that this kind of negligence on concern culture, not on actual costs. In order to be useful as a tool, to be widely diffused and to answer efficaciously to objectives, E-learning must rely on cultural context that give importance to professional training and make information systems’ use easier.

2) Which are, in your opinion the real advantages of E-learning on a vast or medium business scale? Which are the disadvantages?

In my opinion, the advantages are:

• information, knowledge and experiences’ currency;
• contents’ spreading on a vast scale and involvement of employees in learning activities;
• sharing enterprises’ aims and outcomes, through being part of a Learning Community.

There are also some disadvantages:

• economic ones: nowadays carrying out E-learning courses means spending a lot of money and often contents need to be continuously updated and this means additional costs;
• those related to training: “human touch” is essential within learning actions and I think E-learning, however it can be supported with Virtual communities, can’t take the place of a physical attendance.

Barbara Herreros