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In this issue:

1. Identifying Target Groups for Succession Planning
2. New White Paper: Getting Started with e-Learning
3. 200+ New Online Courses Available
4. Course Review: Word 2000 MOS Managing Documents



1. Identifying Target Groups for Succession Planning
Provided in partnership with SkillSoft, PLC

Most succession planning programs seem to focus on replacing top-level positions. However, surveys are suggesting that there also is a need to focus efforts at lower levels. To determine if your organization has identified the right target groups with regard to succession planning, ask yourself the following questions.

• Are vacancies in executive and upper management positions in the company filled more quickly than those in lower positions?
  
  
• Are there positions in the company that seem to stay vacant for long periods of time after people leave?

Initial target groups are usually selected because they are weak in "bench strength." Bench strength, which is a term borrowed from sports teams, refers to an organization's ability to fill vacancies from within, or from the "bench." In most organizations, there are three common groups to target when initiating a succession plan.

• Top management. Most organizations have only a few top managers, but their positions are critical to the organization's success. The number of successors who can take over top management positions may decrease in an organization that loses middle managers due to layoffs or retirements.
  
  
• First-line supervisory positions. Most organizations have a lot of supervisory positions. As a result of continuous turnover, this group usually requires the most successors. This group is important to organizations because it is the entry-level position to management.
  
  
• Technical or professional positions. In the past, there usually wasn't a big demand for successors in this group. However, recruiting and training successors for these positions on short notice can be difficult with today's rise in technology. Organizations always need to be on the lookout for potential successors for this group.

The goal of most organizations is to include all positions when establishing a succession planning program. However, decision-makers may find that this can be difficult to accomplish due to a lack of time and resources. In such instances, decision makers may want to look at other variables or options when identifying target groups. Consider the following options.

• Decision makers may determine that weak bench strength lies with positions in various geographical locations, and thus target this group for succession planning.
  
  
• Decision makers may determine that weak bench strength lies with specific product or service line employees, and initially try to improve bench strength at this level.
  
  
• Decision makers may determine that weak bench strength lies within the management functions of the organization's operation and target succession planning at this level.
  
  
• Decision makers may determine that weak bench strength lies within the experience base of employees involved in international marketing and begin targeting this group for succession planning.

You may identify one group, or three groups, as initial targets for your succession planning program. Your choices depend on where the need lies to improve on bench strength weakness in the organization.

Remember, you should establish targets for succession planning based on the organization's perception of bench strength weaknesses. Focus your efforts on identifying appropriate target groups and on developing successors to fill vacant positions in these critical areas.

Interested in previewing more information on Succession Planning? Preview some of our web-based courses on Succession Planning Strategies & Management.



2. New White Paper: Getting Started with e-Learning

The face of workplace learning has changed. It is no longer possible to develop your human capital with a single approach. Today’s business environment calls for out of the box thinking, incorporating the advantages of many types of learning to benefit your company’s single biggest investment – your people. Evaluating the ever-growing corporate learning solutions that are available enables you to obtain full benefit from your learning programs, by selecting the range of learning resources that best match your strategic corporate goals.

What you can expect to learn from our white paper:

• Problems & Business Issues that e-Learning can Address
• How to Blend the Right Learning Modalities
• What Technologies You Need
• How to Measure & Ensure e-Learning Success

Dowload our latest free white paper, "Getting Started with e-Learning," today!



3. 200+ New Online Courses Available

We're pleased to announce that over 200 new online courses were recently added to our e-learning course catalogs. Below is a listing of the new courses by catalog:

• Business & Professional Skills
• End User Computer Skills
• Legal Compliance
• Technical General & Technical Web Development
• Technical Microsoft

Take a look at our recently added online courses!

4. Course Review: Word 2000 MOS Managing Documents

Course Group
End User Desktop Computing

Course Code
w2km01

Media
Web-based

Course Overview
This course shows how to open, save, and navigate through documents in Word 2000.

Objectives:

• Display existing documents and create new ones
• Send documents through e-mail
• Use the Save and Save As commands
• Create document folders
• Work with the Office Assistant
• Add hyperlinks

Topics:

• Opening Documents
• Creating Documents
• Saving Documents
• Managing Folders
• Documents and the Internet
• Working in Documents

Expected Duration
4 Hours

Nicole's Rating

3 Stars (Out of 5)

Nicole's Review
Word 2000 MOS Managing Documents is a very basic and straightforward course. It walks the user through step by step instructions on how to save a document, create and rename folders, and how to create hyperlinks. Though this course is very informative, it is best suited for the user that has never opened or used a word document. The information included does help when preparing for the MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) core certification exam. If you are familiar with Word, then this introductory course is not for you.

Nicole Fox is an Assistant e-Learning Account Manager for Business Training Library.

Interested in previewing this desktop computer skills course? Start a free demo today!

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