The installation of an Intranet and the adoption of e-mail messaging represent a significant development for the L'Oreal group. All staff now have to acquire and master computer skills. And all this in a very short period of time. A successful rapid training program was designed based on the PROGRESSION® Solution.

"We have recorded time and cost savings, and above all increased efficiency." Françoise Schoenberger Director of Corporate HR (France)

Industry : Consumer goods and services Context : Setting up an Intranet network and making the use of e-mail more widespread Solution : Self-paced learning at learning centres Products and services used : PROGRESSION® for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook PROGRESSION® Administration Environment Consulting Tutor training Technical support Benefits : Training for all employees Time savings Flexibility

A learning centre was set up for staff at the Clichy headquarters and local subsidiaries, and an in-house project leader was appointed to supervise self-paced training for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook using PROGRESSION® software.

"The decision to replace the previous training system with a tutored self-paced learning process met three objectives," said Françoise Schoenberger, Director of Corporate RH (France). "Better adapt training to needs on the basis of an accurate individual assessment, improve flexibility, eliminate travel time, and reduce costs."

"Money was not the main objective," she went on. "It was just one relevant factor in the decision. What was really new was being able to offer our employees a computerized learning lab inside the company."

"Self-paced learning is not a very common practice," added Françoise Schoenberger, "so employees who were not familiar with computers expressed some reservations about the method. They were concerned about being left behind. And people who were already computer proficient worried that they might not improve their skills sufficiently." To address these concerns, the pilot centre operated on an experimental basis for 2 weeks before it was fully opened to the 1,500 employees at the Clichy site. Françoise Schoenberger expressed her satisfaction with the results: "The teaching method was a great success. The apprehensions were completely dispelled, both among the beginners and the experts."

Approval and Motivation

After several months, user satisfaction questionnaires continue to show a very high approval rating. Employees like both the instructional tool and the presence of a tutor, who is considered vital for supplying technical assistance and facilitating the transition. "On average, 13 people per day visited the centre during the first 4 months, one-third of whom were management-level personnel. Attendance remained quite high, even during the summer months." Each learner followed an average of two training courses, mainly on Outlook and Excel.

This success owes a great deal to effective project management and communication carried out in-house with the assistance of iProgress consultants. A brochure announcing the opening of the learning centre was distributed to all the employees, and the information was passed on by the HR departments and management of the subsidiaries. "Managers visited the centre and word-of-mouth rapidly played a major role. The news spread quickly, and the centre attracted more and more people. The concept of computer training has changed thanks to PROGRESSION®."

The challenges for L'Oréal went beyond the learning process itself. It was important to design more flexible and relevant instructional methods in order to facilitate the widespread use of new information and communication technology applications by staff members and to improve the company's overall performance. This fact has become obvious to both management and employees. "We reach a larger number of people with far greater flexibility, without making any changes to the training request procedure." Even the sales representatives are involved: after an initial skills analysis at the learning centre, they now have PROGRESSION® installed on their laptop computers, so they can use it at will.