BP: WebLearn

BP's senior management was determined to empower employees to succeed and transform the company into a digitally empowered organisation. BP invited Accenture to assist in the creation of the Digital Skills training program, branded WebLearn, and the development of an eLearning capability for the organisation. Through the program BP, employees learned how to access and use the Web as well as communicate in the Web environment.

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In April 1999, Lord John Browne, CEO of global oil and gas giant BP, issued a challenge to all BP employees: "E-mail has long been mission critical, but six months from now you will have to be Web-literate to survive in BP." (Guardian Newspaper, April 19, 1999). Responding to this challenge, BP's senior management was determined to empower employees to succeed and transform the company into a digitally empowered organisation.

Recognising that meeting these two objectives would require the company to align its people to this new strategy, BP developed a plan to actively engage its people to ensure that they understood and implemented this new vision in their day-to-day work. BP invited Accenture to assist in the creation of the Digital Skills training program and in the development of an eLearning capability for the organisation. This BP/Accenture partnership formed the Digital Learning team.

The initial Digital Skills training program, branded WebLearn, was developed, marketed and implemented by the Digital Learning team. Through the program, BP employees learned how to access and use the Web as well as communicate in the Web environment.

Delivered through Web-based training, the WebLearn program focused on three key competency areas required by the workforce if they were to use the new tools and technologies of the digital economy:

• Navigate—Giving users basic Digital Skills training (the WebLearn program) in Internet and PC use.
• Participate—Helping users to use the technology collaboratively.
• Innovate—Enabling users to "fly" and, by so doing, progressively participate in a virtuous circle of improvement and innovation.

By the start of 2002, the Digital Learning Team had already achieved a substantial increase in the digital competence of the organisation, over 26,500 courses having taken place with more than 14,000 registered users. The success of this program acted as a powerful catalyst for eLearning across the global organisation, and the Digital Learning team responded quickly to support these developments.

As the WebLearn program was rolled out across the world, the power of eLearning became apparent, and a demand for eLearning and eLearning expertise emerged and grew exponentially.

The Digital Learning team responded by creating a central eLearning Capability Group to help identify high leverage areas for eLearning, and to guide and support new opportunities. By creating an online resource centre from which project teams could manage their own eLearning efforts, and benefit from lessons learned and best practices around the business, the group was able to provide broad scale support across the organisation.

After just 12 months, BP had more than 30 live projects across the business, and was realising substantial benefits through using eLearning.

Savings were realised through reductions in the cost of training delivery. eLearning delivers substantial cost savings in terms of trainers, materials, travel and accommodation.

Productivity gains realised through the delivery of the early eLearning programs resulting from reduced errors, reduced time spent in training, and improved performance.

Most important in terms of progress towards the overall vision of a Web-based organisation, BP has implemented a number of eLearning programs to support the deployment of critical business improvement initiatives. The use of eLearning as a delivery channel has reduced the time to competence of employees in these areas by 30 to 50 percent.

Through the Digital Learning team, innovative learning technologies and techniques are being explored to deliver even better solutions to the organisation. New innovations currently being piloted include the availability of eLearning via mobile devices, team learning and the effective blending of BP's online and classroom curricula.

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