Computer-based training can be an effective and efficient method for upgrading employees' skills -- but it isn't always. Before committing to a program of computer-based training, you must first decide whether computer-based training is the best instructional method for your needs. If it is, you then can determine what type of computer-based training can best suit your needs: a performance support system or an instructional program; off-the-shelf, customizable, or customized training; and independent study, on-site classroom, or off-site classroom training.

Selecting the best product, provider, and/or site requires additional work, and depends critically on what computer-based training features are most important to you. The information and checklists contained in this guide should help walk you through all of these decision steps.

Small and mid-sized companies may find their computer-based training options more limited than those of larger firms. Off-the-shelf computer-based training programs might be among the most effective and affordable training these companies can access. They might also be able to find appropriate customizable computer-based training programs, but customized programs would almost certainly be out of their reach.

Training through independent study or at off-site classrooms could also prove effective for these smaller firms, though setting up and operating on-site classrooms might well require more resources -- both time and materials -- than these companies could afford.

In theory, small and mid-sized companies should have no more trouble accessing performance support systems than instructional programs; the relevant distinction would be whether these were off-the-shelf, customizable, or customized products. Performance support systems, though, are still in their infancy. They tend to be customized, rather than off-the-shelf or customizable products, so they may well be unaffordable for smaller firms.

Small and mid-sized companies can expand their access to a wider range of computer-based training options by joining with other companies that have similar training needs. By forming into "learning consortia," these companies could more easily afford to purchase customizable or customized training or establish their own on-site computer-based training classrooms. Staff at local community colleges or community development organizations might be willing to help the companies organize and operate their learning consortia. (For more information on learning consortia, see the National Workforce Assistance Collaborative's publication Approaches to Forming a Learning Consortium: A Guide for Service Providers.)

Small and mid-sized companies should not rule out any training strategies that might meet their needs until they explore all of the alternatives available to them. There's a wealth of computer-based training options on the market, many of which could provide effective and efficient solutions to smaller companies' training problems. The resources listed in the appendix should provide these companies with a starting point for beginning their search for computer-based training products, providers, and sites.

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Questions? Contact Brett Bixler.