E-Business Explained In Education Programme

E-Business Explained In Education Programme Offered By Trade New Zealand

Auckland, September 3, 2001 Trade New Zealand is launching an innovative e-business fundamentals course for exporters with a nationwide series of seminars starting this week.

The seminar series will be held in centres around the country and aims to introduce e-business and its benefits to exporters wishing to set up an online trading presence. The seminar series will also introduce the e-business fundamentals course Trade New Zealand is now offering in partnership with provider DigitalThink.

The trade promotion agency considers education of the exporting community as the key foundation plank of its eBusiness project, which is being delivered in partnership with a consortium led by KPMG Consulting and including Microsoft, TelstraSaturn and Cisco.

"Education and strategy development are prerequisites to success for exporters that are building their online presence and entering e-commerce," says Rod MacKenzie, General Manager of Marketing, Trade New Zealand and the eBusiness Project's leader.

"This course will assist exporters to gain an understanding of the technologies and issues, and should be an exporter's first step."

DigitalThink is a well-known leading provider of e-learning business solutions with an award-winning programme that teaches e-business concepts and strategies. DigitalThink's customers around the world include Charles Schwab & Co, McDonald's, Deutsche Bank and KPMG Consulting. DigitalThink's courses are taught completely online, meaning students can progress at their own pace, at any time that suits them - without having to commute to class. The 100% Internet-based courses feature personalised feedback and the support of course tutors, as well as online interactions with other students via tools such as discussion boards. The online format helps students get used to dealing with others online.

"Business leaders around the globe understand that to remain competitive, the skills and abilities of their people must stay on the cutting edge," says Bill Pai, E-learning Evangelist at DigitalThink. "DigitalThink's E-Skills Curriculum is a proven, immediately available, 'out of the box' solution for organisations of all sizes to keep employees current on today's critical business practices."

Trade New Zealand has put its own front-line staff through DigitalThink's training programme, including those based in offshore offices, before offering a course to exporters – ensuring staff have the most current business skills and information and can better assist exporters.

Online learning is a key growth area of the training and corporate education market, with estimates placing its growth at phenomenal rates. The importance of online learning as a strategy has been endorsed by many leading organisations and the New Zealand Government, which considers e-learning a key ingredient in its knowledge society project and has appointed a tertiary sector e-learning advisory group.

KPMG Consulting believes online learning offers many benefits, none more so than in the ever-changing world of e-business. KPMG Consulting says learners can progress through training at their own pace, in their own time and from virtually any location. There is a wealth of e-business training material available like DigitalThink that is easily accessed via the Internet. This availability allows New Zealanders to keep abreast of the latest developments in e-business thinking and technologies occurring globally, proving that geographic distance is no barrier.

TelstraSaturn has implemented an on-line learning platform as it enables the quick delivery of skills across a wide audience.

"E-learning is a cost effective way of enabling TelstraSaturn staff to take charge of their own development," says TelstraSaturn spokesperson Shaun Sheldrake.

To find out more about e-business and DigitalThink's course, costs and enrolment criteria, exporters should attend the seminar series, or alternatively contact their account manager or visit www.marketlink.com/education from September 6.

The seminar series will be held at the dates and times listed below:

- Auckland, 6 September, Carlton Hotel, 7-9am
- Hamilton 6 September, Ferrybank Hotel, 4-6pm
- Auckland 11 September, Carlton Hotel, 7-9am & 4-6pm
- Christchurch, 19 September, Park Royal Hotel, 10-12noon
- Wellington, 20 September, Hotel Inter-Continental, 7-9am & 4-6pm
- Dunedin, 25 September, Southern Cross Hotel, 4-6pm
- Palmerston North, 26 September, Quality Hotel, 3-5pm
- Nelson, 2 October, Trailways Motor Inn, 4-6pm
- Napier, 3 October, Blue Water, 4-6pm
- Tauranga, 4 October, Bureta Park, 4-6pm
- New Plymouth, 9 October, Plymouth International Hotel, 7-9am

Distributed by Aimee McClinchy, Communications, Trade New Zealand, ph 09-915 5628

About Trade New Zealand's eBusiness Project

Trade New Zealand's $13.1 million eBusiness project is being delivered by a consortium of leading technology providers, led by KPMG Consulting and including TelstraSaturn, Microsoft and Cisco. A partnership between the public and private sector, the eBusiness project is one of the largest of its kind being undertaken by a government agency. The groundbreaking project will educate exporters, help drive e-commerce growth and assist exporters to build an online presence by lowering barriers to entry. Trade New Zealand will increasingly deliver many of its services on-line, providing rapid access to a wide range of market information and intelligence.
www.tradenz.govt.nz

About DigitalThink

DigitalThink is the leading provider of e-learning business solutions to Global 2000 companies, delivering measurable business results through its award-winning content and powerful e-learning platform. The company's completely hosted, 100 % web-based solutions are tightly aligned with strategic business objectives, provide a highly engaging learning environment and include powerful management tools to measure learning effectiveness and return on investment (ROI). From workforce development to sales force effectiveness to customer acquisition and retention, DigitalThink e-learning has delivered bottom-line benefits to smart companies such as Charles Schwab & Co, Circuit City, Cisco Systems, Deutsche Bank, EDS, The Gallup Organization, GE Capital, KPMG Consulting and Sun Microsystems. More information can be found on the web at www.digitalthink.com

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