(PRWEB) September 15, 2005 -- In the last five years, the Philippines has made considerable progress in the area of technology-enabled learning, specifically educating the masses about eLearning as well as improving the overall internet communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and knowledge base. Despite these efforts, the Philippines continues to lag behind its Asian neighbors with respect to eLearning. According to Cape Group director, Alex Roza, “the digital divide amongst the population and the unstable political, social and economic environment of the country are the two largest barriers to the progress of eLearning in the Philippines”. The research conducted by the Cape Group from May through to August 2005 involved in-depth interviews with Philippine organisations to explore their use of technology-enabled learning. A number of the leading multinational and local organisations operating in the Philippines were interviewed to uncover their motivations for going down the eLearning path, the kinds of learning solutions implemented in their organisations, key success factors and plans for their eLearning solution. One major finding is that eLearning, as a whole, is still very much in its infancy in the Philippines; much still needs to be done in terms of people, process, content and technology before the full benefits of eLearning can be realised. Most of the multinational organisations have or are in the process of implementing eLearning tools and/or systems. In contrast, very few local organisations have embarked on this journey partly due to their financial efforts being focussed on improving their processes and backbone technology for areas such as supply chain and financial accounting. According to Cape Group principal for the Philippines, Praveen Sahijwani, “The accessibility and cost of computers and internet technology is still too high for the average person in the Philippines. Significant efforts and investment are needed from the public sector and more so, from the private sector to develop ICT skills amongst the broad population as well as make computers and internet technology more accessible to the masses”. Another significant finding was that for most of the Philippine organisations, performance management is currently of more of a focus than learning. Organisations interviewed appear to be concentrating efforts on developing and managing their top performers rather than extending employee development to the wider workforce segments that are critical to the success of the organisation. “Lack of immediate focus on learning and development of the critical workforce segments will affect The Philippines position in global competitiveness” said Ms. Sahijwani. Despite facing some challenges in promoting the use of technology-enabled learning, many of the organisations surveyed have realised both expected and unanticipated benefits. These companies are now focused on the journey forward which is to further develop and improve the technology infrastructure and learning content to meet the needs of the workforce. This piece of research is one of a series of reports on the use of eLearning in the South East Asian Region. Other countries examined were Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The report “Emerging Trends in elearning: A study of South East Asian countries 2005” compares and contrasts the elearning journey of leading organisations in this region. It was interesting to note unlike most other countries in Asia, the Philippines does not face the traditional language barriers where eLearning content is concerned. Given increased investment in the country’s infrastructure and education of the working force, The Philippines could easily spear ahead of its neighboring countries. The South East Asian report is available along with a report for each of the countries studied. The Cape Group 2005 eLearning report for the Philippines charts the eLearning journey of leading Philippine organisations and presents the challenges faced as they plan and implement their eLearning solutions. To purchase a copy of this report, please go to http://www.capegroupglobal.com/researchreports.html. The Cape Group is an independent Human Capital Research and Advisory services firm. The report is available at www.capegroupglobal.com or contact the Cape Group on +66-2-640-8264 ext 129. For more information contact: Praveen Sahijwani The Cape Group www.capegroupglobal.com Phone: +66-2-640-8264 ext 129 Mobile: +66-6085-5158