Managing the change from face-to-face to distance training for SMEs

FADxPMI is a project aimed at supporting the evolution from a training system firmly based on the face-to-face approach into one where Open and Distance Learning (ODL) techniques are widely used, especially to reach the staff of SMEs at their workplace. Within this project, the development of know-how among course designers and trainers in the design of distance training events was achieved through a course called Design of Distance Training. This paper focuses on this course and discusses its design principles as well as the problems related to the development and implementation of courses of this kind. The Design of Distance Training course covered a wide range of ODL techniques and, since participants themselves were mostly SMEs staff members, it provided an interesting picture of the kind of problems that may be faced in developing distance training for SMEs. Among these, the most important issue concerns the compatibility of training and job commitments. The low degree of acquaintance with the new methods can also be a problem, especially at the beginning. In spite of these problems, the course managed to boost the desired process of introducing ODL techniques in SME training and to raise awareness among participants about the main positive and negative features of these methods. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.