EMC² is a global leader in the design, building and management of flexible, scalable and secure information infrastructures.
Historically, EMC classroom IT training has been presented by Learning Tree at EMC's Hopkinton, Massachusetts
headquarters. Employees outside that area have typically traveled to that site for their courses. In situations where larger groups
required training but were too distant to make travel cost-efficient, Learning Tree worked with EMC to conduct courses at
their desired locations.
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EMC made a strategic decision
to reduce costs in response to the changing
economy. That decision eliminated travel
budgets for training and also eliminated
funds for any classroom training outside
the Hopkinton facility. At the same time,
challenges from the business climate made
effective training of EMC personnel even more
important than before.
EMC turned to its training partner, Learning
Tree, for a solution that would allow EMC’s
worldwide staff to continue receiving critical
interactive training, meet cost reduction
mandates, and maintain the proven high
standards of Learning Tree’s training offerings.
Learning Tree and EMC set the bar high for
this project by setting initial expectations that
the ultimate solution to EMC’s challenge would
also solve many of the problems associated with
traditional online training solutions.
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Learning Tree addressed this challenge by
applying its newest training innovation,
Learning Tree AnyWare. AnyWare's live, online instructor-led training
enables EMC employees in locations as diverse
as California, Ireland and Spain to attend live
classroom sessions being held in Hopkinton.
The online participants receive all the benefits
and features that characterize Learning
Tree classroom training: they see and hear
everything that happens in the classroom; they
interact with their instructor and course participants
by voice in real time; they participate in small
group discussions and perform hands-on
exercises that are the same as those performed
by in-class participants. In short, EMC
online participants get the full experience of
live, hands-on classroom training—without having to travel to
the actual classroom.
Learning Tree began offering Learning Tree
AnyWare training to EMC employees in
November 2008, and additional classes are
scheduled with EMC into the foreseeable future.
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Learning Tree and EMC found that the
AnyWare approach effectively
dealt with the constant challenge of
traditional online training—high participant
dropout rates. Because the Learning
Tree AnyWare platform delivered a training
experience as rich and engaging as that
found in the classroom itself, EMC employees
remained actively involved, completing courses
that averaged 26 hours of classroom time
over four days. When asked why they found the
experience so engaging, online participants
responded that they felt “they were there.”
For Ralph Eldridge, Director of Services
Education for EMC Corporation, Learning
Tree came through with a solution that
addressed several issues: “Our experience
with Learning Tree AnyWare has been
extremely positive. This type of blended
classroom model has allowed us to achieve
our goal of making quality technical training
globally available. The students who attended
online felt they had received the same high-quality
presentation as those who participated
in the classroom and, more importantly, the
same rich lab experience they have come to
expect from a Learning Tree Course. We were
also appreciative of this very efficient approach
which also enables us to be ‘greener’ by
reducing travel and conserving energy.”
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