Linamar initially considered using an eLearning-only solution to satisfy this training need. Paul Cerisano, Training & Development Manager with Linamar Corporation, was however concerned that the lack of face-to-face interaction would be too great a sacrifice. Cerisano knew that he wanted to retain the opportunity to have his trainees network. So, it was shaping up a blended program.

To begin their evaluation Linamar researched a number of eLearning suppliers. When the Engineers in the trial group tested PrimeLearning.com®'s PrimeProject Management™ Fundamentals and the Project Management™ Professional curricula, they found that they liked both the user-friendly design approach and the content. As Cerisano put it, "Primelearning.com was the best choice".

Cerisano decided that he wanted to interleave the eLearning component with face-to-face classroom sessions. He sourced and assigned a local mentor to support the online students, and had the mentor schedule face-to-face class room sessions every two weeks over an eight week period. Says Cerisano, "We found that having the project management students meet every two weeks allowed us to capitalize on networking as well as focus on the eLearning material." He also found that, by having these interim milestones in the training program, the interleaved blended approach also helped motivate participants to completion.

After successfully completing the course, Linamar's learners commented positively on the ability to apply the principles learned in eLearning to real life scenarios in the classroom. Linamar has recently completed training for over 20 of its Project Engineers and, based on the success of these programs, plans to harness a blended model where it works best in future training initiatives.