Scottish Water employees get learning “on tap” : E‐learning cuts need for tutor‐led IT courses by around 70 percent

Purpose – Explains how Thomson NETg has partnered Scottish Water to provide a wide range of online courses, accessible from home, in professional and information technology skills. Design/methodology/approach – Presents information from interviews with employees of Thomson NETg and Scottish Water. Findings – Describes the range of bespoke content that has been created for Scottish Water's contact centre staff using Thomson NETg's course‐authoring tool, Lectora. Highlights the marketing campaign that helped to drive usage, so that learning time rose from 136 hours per month in December 2004 to 306 hours in March 2005. Practical implications – Advances the view that the ease of access to learning means everyone has the potential to learn and increase efficiency and productivity, from office staff to those working in the treatment works, depots and field locations. Originality/value – Demonstrates that the learning solution helped Scottish Water to reduce its need for tutor‐led IT courses by approximately 70 percent.