The ING group, an international financial institution with operations in 50 countries, boasts more than 120,000 employees throughout the world and offers banking, insurance and asset management services and products to over 75 million clients (private individuals, families, small and large businesses, institutions, governmental bodies, etc.). With a view to ensuring its position as a financial institution of reference and to prepare for the future, the Belgian subsidiary of the Group strives to constantly evolve with regard to both its processes and to the building of its employees’ skill base.

With this in mind, the financial group has taken on new structural and strategic challenges for the short, medium and long terms. The Learning and Development Department has been tasked with developing HR objectives, which are then broken down into training objectives. For instance, business development (a strategic objective) demands good performance at the managerial level (an HR objective), which in turn means an assessment/return on investment with regard to training (a training objective).

A fresh look at learning methods

'In order to help the company evolve, the Learning and Development department decided to completely revise its conception of training as well as its methods', explains Hendrik Geleyte, Manager Development Advise within the department. A total overhaul of the company’s training programs was necessary in order to bring them in line with internal changes, especially with the development of new technology. 'We were looking for a flexible, integrated solution that could be adapted to the various types of training projects to be rolled out: a self-training portal, coaching, 100% distance learning, blended learning, etc.'

As such, it was the distance learning program offered by CrossKnowledge (first quarter of 2008) that won over the company’s decision-makers thanks to its many assets. 'This program is particularly formative for us since all training officers as well as the managers of the ING Belgium training project must be able to use distance training in their programs in an efficient, relevant manner, whether it be blended learning, 100% distance learning, upstream and/or downstream from other training initiatives', Nathalie Vandervinne, the Project Manager who coordinated the implementation of the CrossKnowledge solution, points out.

Some advantages of on-line learning are its flexibility and user-friendliness. Anyone who has access to a computer is able to study during their work hours, while on break or even at home. 'Thanks to this solution, we can train many employees in very little time', explains Cécile Leonard, Human Resources Manager. The advent of distance learning does, of course, not mean doing away with face-to-face teaching methods. As Cécile Leonard asserts, 'It should be a harmonious blend of both kinds of teaching methods, what we call ‘blended learning’. When it comes to teaching certain notions of interpersonal skills, there is nothing better than having a human being present.'

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