Reuters expects to save over £1m a year by replacing classroom-based training with e-learning.

The news agency and information provider is rolling out Oracle's iLearning management system as part of an overall self-service strategy based on Oracle technology which includes online expenses claims.

Some 4,000 staff currently have access to e-learning content via the system, including business and desktop application skills training.

Charles Jennings, head of internal training and global learning at Reuters, explained that his aim is to move from event-based to process-based learning.

"For me the key is that learning has to be integral to everything," he said.

"It is widely acknowledged that transferring knowledge in a classroom environment is very inefficient. Well constructed e-learning content can give you both reach and richness."

Reducing the huge number of learning suppliers is also an objective, Jennings said.

Although current use of e-learning is small - less than 10 per cent of training is delivered over the web - the goal is to reach a classroom to e-learning ratio of 3:1.

"When we looked at putting in an enterprise e-learning infrastructure I was very insistent that we didn't do a functionality scrape and just buy the product with the best functionality," he explained. "It's really an issue about scalability, support and integration."

Chris Pirie, vice president of Oracle University, suggested that the drivers behind e-learning investments are more cost driven than ever before.

"The focus is much more pragmatic, [such as] understanding the return on investment of the training function," he said.

David Wilson, managing director at e-learning analyst Elearnity, explained that corporate decisions about e-learning are coming under the jurisdiction of mainstream training and human resources people.

He added that the days of small, financially flaky suppliers trying to outdo each other with features are numbered.

"Companies under extreme financial pressure are making the shift in learning behaviour," said Wilson.

"The challenge is that experiences to date have been mixed. But the entry of organisations like Oracle, mainstream consultants and enterprise resource planning vendors is part of a trend to move e-learning to a mainstream supply."

Compliance issues, time to market and mergers and acquisitions are all strong drivers for e-learning, but Wilson warned that the cultural issues associated with moving to an e-learning environment should not be underestimated.

Jennings explained that Reuters is considering offering incentives to encourage staff to take e-learning courses, and is also testing a pay-as-you-use model for content.

"I'm really happy to pay content providers for good content that we use. As for managing the cultural shift, you do it a bit at a time," he concluded.