Although some firms may use CUES Online's training and information service as a stand-alone training program, the majority of our customers apply our resources as a complement to existing training programs. Our courses offer excellent up-to-date learning material to complement in-house training.

In-house training programs need to be revised as learning material changes. Unfortunately, this is usually an expensive process that cannot be accomplished quickly. Since our courses are updated frequently, easily, and at no cost to subscribers, using CUES Online's courses can expedite and avoid  the expensive revision process when learning material changes.

To complement an existing training program, CUES Online's training service can be used as a continuing education tool, as a compliance-training tool, as a cross-training tool, and as a pre-training tool.

Continuing Education Tool: Studies indicate that employees remember less than 40% of what they are exposed to in a traditional training course. Much of the material is either missed or forgotten. CUES Online can improve that percentage by providing learning on demand. Since there are no per-course fees, employees are encouraged to take as many courses as they would like as often as they would like. Managers can have strategic training delivered when and where it is needed.

Compliance Training Tool: Our customers have found CUES Online University's training service to be an excellent compliance training tool. The financial institution regulators want to see that your employees have compliance training - that they have knowledge of the regulations. What better way than to have your employees complete relevant compliance training courses once a quarter and have the Certificates of Achievement as records. Our "no per-course fee" policy makes this an excellent tool for your company.

Cross-Training Tool: Most firms cannot afford to cross train. Yet, many employees could benefit from learning what goes on in other departments. Others would like to increase their knowledge to qualify for transfer or promotion. CUES Online's resources provide the perfect environment for cross-training. Since there are no usage fees, employees have access to cross-training courses at no additional costs. Furthermore, employees can access CUES Online's resources at home or wherever Internet access is available. Many firms treat CUES Online as an employee benefit.

Pre-Training Tool: Given the high cost of classroom training, CUES Online provides a way to shorten classroom time by eliminating much of the repetitive background and industry lecture material. This leaves precious classroom time for interaction, questions, and coaching. Before beginning a class, employees will possess a solid overview of the subject, knowledge of the terminology used, and a good understanding of how the activity affects the firm's success. Requiring employees to provide a "Certificate of Achievement" will confirm that the employee has successfully completed the course. This is especially beneficial for recent hires who are new to the financial services industry.

Tracking Progress

Many companies have asked for help in tracking employee training progress. There are different ways to do this. Most companies either create a spreadsheet, (e.g., Excel, Lotus 1-2-3), or use some type of "grade book" software such as that used in high schools and colleges. Both methods are useful.

If you choose to use a spreadsheet, you can either modify your existing spreadsheet (if you have one) or create a new spreadsheet. We have created a sample spreadsheet in Part 4: Marketing Material. Very simple spreadsheets are easy to create but they are limited in their reporting capabilities. The more options you want with your grading spreadsheet, the more extensive your knowledge of spreadsheets needs to be. We would recommend that you at least review some of the different "grade book" software programs. Many are relatively inexpensive and, if nothing else, they can give you ideas on spreadsheet formats.

If you choose to use "grade book" software, you have a couple of options as well. Some human resource management tools have a type of "grade book" software built into them. You can also acquire specific "grade book" software.  There are many different programs to choose from. In a recent edition of our newsletter CUES Online University News, we highlighted two "grade book" software programs: 1st Class Grade book (http://www.1st-class-software.com/) and ThinkWave Educator (http://www.thinkwave.com/).

Part 2: Using CUES Online in Your Training Program will discuss how to incorporate CUES Online University into a training program and how to encourage employees to use it. To go to Part 2, click here.