ATLANTA, July 1, 2003 - The American Public Power Association (APPA) and the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) are leveraging an online Spanish course developed by Apogee Interactive to improve communication with Hispanic customers and coworkers.

The nation's Hispanic population has swelled by 60 percent in the past decade and accounted for half the country's population growth from 2000 to 2001. "We are meeting, serving, partnering with and employing more people whose native language is Spanish," said George Flury, manager of organizational development for MEAG. Serving this burgeoning population calls for employees to know some Spanish. Offering the 4-hour, online Apogee "Situational Spanish for the Energy Industry" course seemed far more effective than the traditional 52 hours of classroom instruction previously utilized by MEAG, Flury said.

APPA has provided an eLearning training portal through Apogee to its members for well over a year now. "Our mission is to help keep APPA members out in front of the learning curve with access to affordable and effective courses. ELearning helps fulfill this mission with 24/7 access whenever and wherever an employee needs training," said Cindy Magill, director of education for APPA.

A recent special promotion of the Spanish course through the APPA portal prompted strong response, largely from Florida, Utah and Tennessee municipal systems where Hispanic populations currently total 16, 9 and 2 percent respectively.

Reasons to gain a practical understanding of Spanish go beyond good customer service and coworker relationships. "Language has become the biggest obstacle to safety on some jobsites, as Spanish-speaking workers are finding more work in the electrical industry," according to Matthew Halverson, managing editor of Electrical Construction & Maintenance magazine. He cites how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun to investigate the relationship between workplace accidents and fatalities and language barriers.

The Apogee course addresses safety and other issues by dividing instruction into specialized job tracks for various employee groups such as supervisors of contract tree trimming crews, meter readers, line crews, customer service, marketing and office personnel. Employees learn key words and phrases needed through narrated lessons, practice sessions, a talking glossary, flash cards and quizzes with instantaneous scoring.

In addition, repeat online access to the course and printable pocket guides ensure employees can re-access the information they need when they need it. "Training today is far more integrated directly into an employee's job rather than something they do separately," said Susan Gilbert, president of Apogee Interactive. "We deliver training at the point and time of need, essentially embedding instructional design into a job." She pointed to the US troops' use of hand-held devices to look up words needed to communicate with Iraqis as a prime example of embedded instruction.

Apogee Interactive (www.apogee.net) is a leading provider of Internet solutions to the energy industry, having pioneered electronic learning in the early 90s with CD-based courses. The company now operates the largest Web-based portal of specialized energy courses (www.study-center.com) and provides custom course development.