IRFA SUD, a training centre based in Languedoc Roussillon and Midi Pyrénées, has been training jobseekers with subsidised funding for 30 years. They have set up multimedia office application training programmes in partnership with Editions ENI, the creator of the MEDIAplus eLearning solution. IRFA SUD shared their experience with us.
Founded in 1974, IRFA SUD is a not-for-profit training organisation based in 10 departments in the south of France. It works with jobseekers and receives subsidised funding from the State, the Region and the ANPE.
Its office application training programmes started twenty or so years ago, initially consisting of classic, class-based training. Then, in the early 1990's, office application centres were created with the aim of reflecting the diversity of its audience and controlling the flow of jobseekers more effectively.
Indeed, "some people needed to be trained very quickly, and couldn't wait to sign up for a course scheduled to start in several months' time. The finance providers therefore asked us to set up a permanent entry/exit system," explains Mr Perche, IT Manager at IRFA SUD.
At the start, the trainers produced their own office application training materials, but the constant stream of new software versions meant that these materials had to be updated almost constantly. Furthermore, there was a general trend towards individualisation in training and distance learning. "And the IT tool was taking up more and more space - IRFA SUD has gone from 50 computers in 1990 to over 500 currently," comments Mr Perche.
This is why IRFA SUD decided to create multimedia resource centres, by setting up self-training courses in office applications. "After testing various tools on the market, we chose the MEDIAplus eLearning solution from Editions ENI, mainly for reasons relating to teaching quality, cost and technical functionality," explains the IT Manager.
Every jobseeker is given an individual interview when they join. If the person already has some knowledge of office applications, their actual level is assessed in MEDIAplus eLearning.
If they are a complete beginner, a simple list of their needs is drawn up. Then a personalised training programme is put together in MEDIAplus eLearning, and a contract is agreed upon with the jobseeker.
Overall, the experience has been very positive. "MEDIAplus eLearning training courses allow us to be much more responsive towards new software versions, giving office application training an up-to-the-minute feel. This makes the trainees and trainers feel valued and therefore motivates them. What's more, now we can offer real tailor-made training courses which are adapted to the needs of each learner," notes Mr Perche.
"We are also currently considering extending this type of training to other areas, such as accounting, French and so on," concludes Mr Perche.