- With an employee population of 25,000 spanning four states and several hundred more joining the workforce each year, training employees on Southern Company's business fundamentals takes on a whole new order of magnitude. This task becomes even more important when the goal is to quickly assimilate new employees into the culture, tradition and operations of a $10 billion company in a continuously changing industry.
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) faces this very challenge and has turned to Apogee Interactive, an e-learning and Internet solutions company, to transform a 3-day classroom "Student of the Business" program into a blended Internet-based course. Apogee quickly designed and programmed the first of five modules of the course, complete with streaming media, interactive quizzes, pre- and post-tests and team exercises. Southern Company then piloted the first one-hour module among a cross-section of employees. Based on satisfaction ratings awarded during the pilot's evaluation, work on the other four modules is now underway.
"Because 'Student of the Business Fundamentals' is a flagship course and one of our most popular among employees, we are committed to maintaining the quality of the course content and preserving the benefits of student interaction within the e-learning environment," said Al Martin, director of employee learning for Southern Company. "This new training tool will provide a quality learning experience at a significantly lower tuition, and much lower employee travel costs." The completed course will feature a live, virtual classroom kick-off session, an on-line community and a comprehensive desktop reference tool accessible once the employee has completed the course.
Susan Gilbert, president of Apogee Interactive and 20-year veteran of utility training, added, "People like the flexibility of studying at their own pace, and retention is far better when information is presented when it's needed--not too early or too late depending on a classroom calendar. Combine that with enormous cost savings and convenience, and you begin to see why e-learning is becoming mainstream in leading corporations," Gilbert said.
Apogee produced and piloted a series of energy-related technical courses for Alabama Power last year. "The response was overwhelmingly positive. They liked the convenience factor," said David Boone, retail sales segment specialist for Alabama Power. Results from both the Alabama Power and Southern Company pilots echo what most corporations are finding with e-learning today: Employees like it and the growth in the industry shows it. E-learning is a $2.2 billion industry projected to reach $11.4 billion by 2003 according to International Data Corp.
In addition to custom course development, Apogee offers a full suite of energy-related and professional development courses through its Internet-based Study-Center.com division. Company information is available at www.apogee.net.
Southern Company is one of the largest producers of electricity in the U.S. and the parent firm of Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power, Savannah Electric and other subsidiary companies. More information can be found at www.southernco.com.
(end)
Contact: Karen Morris
Apogee Interactive Inc.
Phone: 678-684-6800 / Fax: 678-684-6832
Cell: 404-271-1489/email: kmorris@apogee.net
