A changing global economy has created new business cycles that are demanding rapid action and increasingly efficient operations, requiring new business fundamentals and changing the way companies function and conduct business. These new business fundamentals require that employees rapidly acquire new skill sets as the demand for trained professionals increases.

Even for the most experienced plastics professional, keeping current on the latest technology can be a challenge. To remain competitive and succeed, proper and ongoing training is essential. Yet in today's business climate, organizations face the difficult task of providing the necessary training amid the corporate calls for tighter budgets, hiring freezes, and doing more with fewer resources.

Given these parameters, Web-based training (WBT) has become an increasingly popular new trend over the past several years. In the simplest sense, WBT is the use of Internet technologies to deliver training online. Recipients can receive training on a 24/7 basis through browser access to the Internet, an extranet, or an intranet Web site, similar to common Web browsing activities.

This innovative delivery method provides high-speed access to training content at the user's convenience and at the user's locale, eliminating the need for travel and time away from work. These self-paced, Web-based courses are accessible anytime and anywhere through the Internet. By providing a cohesive, virtual training environment, companies can overcome production downtime, temporary loss of resources, and travel costs.

When properly implemented, WBT utilizes the immediacy, flexibility, and richness of the medium to deliver a learning environment that complements traditional classroom and "hard copy" delivery methods. Utilized as a foundation, WBT can even improve the overall effectiveness of instructor-led delivery instruction. Students can enroll in preliminary WBT courses, for instance, to prepare for an advanced, instructor-led class. In addition, WBT offers extremely powerful and compelling advantages for training employees in different locations. Global companies may have users working at differing levels of expertise, on a variety of products, in multiple areas of the world. WBT is ideally suited to address this type of worker training diversity.

Here you will find both Moldflow courses and courses from our education partner, Nypro Institute. Courses cover the latest releases of Moldflow products, including Moldflow Plastics Insight (MPI) 3.0 and Moldflow Mold Adviser, as well as several general courses on injection molding, materials and mold design. These Web-based courses provide Moldflow customers with a wealth of plastics industry information.

Moldflow's Web-based training provides the ideal foundation for a blended training approach, complementing our traditional training courses with the power and immediacy of online technology. This results in learning programs that provide increased retention and greater effectiveness.

Oftentimes, a training course cannot be scheduled to meet everyone's individual or departmental needs. In a manufacturing setting, for instance, people who work in around-the-clock shifts often can only be removed from the line individually or in small groups. Web-based courses are an effective tool that can be used throughout a workday to train individuals without disrupting the production line. Unlike an instructor-led course, Web-based courses can be used at any time, in any place a computer is available.

For more information about Moldflow's Web-based training courses and other education services, please visit the Education Zone at www.plasticszone.com.