Introduction Butterfield bank is a bank based in Bermuda with operation in Europe, the UK, Canada and Singapore; they

possess a total employee count of 1450 people of which 472 work in the head office in Bermuda. Their area of specialization is Institution services Private Banking and wealth management division The Group services division There are 3 executives in the bank that play key roles both in the present context and also in the visionary context meaning where the bank sees itself in the future. John Stewart- The current CEO who was promoted 3 years ago Mary Ainslie-Served the bank for years and occupies the position of product development manager of the institutional service division Colin Richards-served the bank for sixteen years as the Training manager

Mary Ainslie has brought to attention key issues that is stagnating the development of the bank, to be more specific she has highlighted that the bank has been losing clients at an unacceptable rate in the Institutional services and private banking and wealth management areas she has also suggested that such issues can lead to more serious problems and has suggested E-learning as the solution to overcome the said issues which are listed below Financial Planners have insufficient product knowledge both of the banks products and also of competitor offerings. Planners lack knowledge in areas relating to international regulations which cover issues such as money laundering and cross border tax arrangement. To add to the above substandard customer service has prompted clients to look elsewhere.

However Colin Richards the banks training manager does not agree with implementing an E-learning system and sees training employees as a more viable solution. His reasons are listed below He believes E-learning to be much more expensive and points out that developers with specialized skill is required to implement an E-learning system, which the bank does not possess in-house. He does not believe that the current employees are ready for E-learning and points out that a high degree of self-motivation is required. He believes improving the quality of the current face to face training programs is the way forward. Therefore our team will provide an impartial verdict on whether or not E-learning is a feasible and suitable solution for the Bank.

Challenges It is clear that the bank faces the following 3 challenges Inadequate knowledge of their financial products and those of their competitors Insufficient Regulatory knowledge Poor client service As you may know Promoting Products to a businesss customer base and also having a thorough understanding of the functionality of such products is vital to a businesss success, therefore it is of utmost importance that employees are aware of both the business products and also the products of competitors, how else could they convince a customer to choose their product over a competitors, similarly it is also important to have a thorough understanding about the regulations that govern the products and services offered by the bank , the company has to explain to the customer what is legal, what is not legal and sometimes even the grey areas in law which can change at any moment for better or worse , Money laundering is regularly inspected by the F.B.I and any misdemeanors is likely to cause a storm such as when the online gambling industry came crashing down. Further it is also important to provide a banks clients with the best customer service possible, quick email responses and follow up on transaction errors is mandatory in the modern world of conducting business .therefore it is vital to provide better training to all employees for the betterment of the Bank. We have decided on implementing blended learning as a way of training the employees at the bank, we believe that a mixture of both E-learning andface to face interaction is the way forward .By going ahead with blended learning we canmake sure that everyone is crystal clear on what their role is in the organization ,Trainers could create blogs that would include the relevant details pertaining to the produts offered by the bank ,products offered by competitors ,international regulations which would include details on money laundering and cross border tax and finally include details on how to improve or provide effective

and efficient customer service, it enables everyone to become one community . The necessary knowledge would be fed to the employees and naturally the clients would be satisfied as employees implement the knowledge they gained through blended learning, it would serve as a solution that can overcome the current issues facing butterfield bank. Advantages of E-learning E-learning can be defined as learning, teaching or conducting and education program by electronic means Since E- learning is going to be a huge part of the blended learning system we wish to implement it is vital to have an impartial view on the advantages and disadvantages of E-learning. The advantages are listed below E-learning allows people to learn at any given time or place, in that respect it is highly convenient both to the provider and the learner E-learning develops creativity E-learning develops efficiency and effectiveness E-learning allows employees to refer material at any time; therefore employees can easily review and renew what they have learned at any given time. (learning resources are available 24/7) E-learning encourages employees to think rather than just see things in the trainers perspective It can be considered a faster learning process than learning in training rooms Likewise E-learning also comes with certain disadvantages, they are as follows E-learning does come with a huge initial investment that can put a strain on the banks cash in hand. E-learning could be ineffective for people familiar with room atmosphere and people who prefer to learn through human interaction

 There are always going to be security risks involved with E-learning Trainers may undermine E-learning as they may see it as a threat to their job therefore they would place more emphasis on face to face learning Blended Learning E-learning involves many forms of electronically supported learning and teaching, E-learning involves web based learning, Computer based learning, Digital and virtual opportunities. We believe that by combining face to face learning with Elearning we can create a synergistic combination that can cancel out each systems drawbacks and maximize the benefits for the organization. The challenge in implementing a blended learning system is to find the right balance in integrating both face to face learning and online learning .what we look for in blended learning is for it to serve as a community of instant feedback and inquiry ,it promotes multiple forms of communication and the ability to think critically and reflectively ,employees would be free to form their own perspective on things and challenge trainers in Internet discussions and most importantly communicate freely and openly which can be at times difficult in face to face training. However face to face training is more likely to be more memorable and will allow employees to interact with employees from other departments and can help build a community of employees willing to learn .A well designed blended learning system thoroughly organizes support material, content and activities via synchronous and asynchronous learning events which are delivered through a variety of modes ranging from online tutorials to traditional face to face meetings. Collaboration and communication is key in the success of a blended learning system, in other words blended learning puts the learners in a situation in which they are compelled to read,speak,listen and think which develops all aspects of an employees personality ,for example a person who would remain silent during face to face training would have to initiate communication between the community in order to keep up with the training program .The percentage of work done through online means and face to face interaction doesnt necessarily have to be equal ,in fact face to face training should only address more severe issues some of which cant be adequately covered by electronic means, The basic principle of blended learning is that it uses both written communication and oral

communication together effectively and uses different online media to provide a unique learning experience. Current Approach The current Training and development programs at Butterfield Banks is mainly the face to face training programs conducted by Mr. Colin Richards ,The training programs are conducted in fully equipped training rooms on the seventh floor of the head office. The training programs are said to consist of interactive face to face discussions and give employees a chance to interact with other employees, share a laugh and most importantly serve as a welcome distraction from their fairly routine work. However transport costs are said to be an obstacle with costs rising to $5.4 million 17% of the training budget Anticipated training requirements to implement a blended e learning system will include Trainers- existing trainers will have to be trained thoroughly on the concept of E-learning for that specialized developers with specialized knowledge will be required E-learning Modules-The company will need to buy custom made E-learning modules to suit the needs of the company Updating modules The company will need to hire a team that will update the E-learning modules accordingly Technology and Infrastructure- The company would require to have Fast and strong Intranet platform with a large amount of band width . Moreover assessment would be required to be conducted and feedback can be given via Skype or face to face ,In the same way videos can be used to inspire the employees and make them provide better customer service to clients.