With more than 20 years experience and know-how in corporate training, SkillSoft's International Sales Director of the Year in 2000 and current Vice President and Managing Director Asia Pacific, Glenn Nott, has witnessed the astronomical rise and rise of e-learning within Australian organisations, and the industry is shaping up to get even bigger.

According to Glenn, SkillSoft's e-learning presence in corporate Australia has grown threefold in the last decade, with its continued portfolio expansion, especially with the Top 500 organisations.

"It is those top Australian blue chip companies which have embraced the use of custom content development, particularly in the areas of compliance and induction training," he said.

However, some of SkillSoft's focus in Australia will be spearheaded into another area, to many, perceived as unchartered waters.

"2008 will be the year that SkillSoft will examine the SME (small to medium enterprise) market and create similar e-learning opportunities to an audience who would not have considered this training resource in the past." he said.

According to Glenn, there will always be a requirement for corporate Australia to use Instructor Lead Training (ITL). However, the evolving pattern is that organisations are turning towards e-learning as their top choice or blending e-learning into their existing ILT offerings.

"The perception of e-learning as being a clinical and impersonal form of training has disappeared many years ago, particularly with long time and sophisticated users of e-learning. Experience in e-learning is a bit like Italian food. If you had a bad experience at an Italian restaurant, it doesn't mean that you will never eat Italian food ever again. It simply means you won't go back to that restaurant.

"The same can be said for e-learning. One lukewarm course does not mean all e-learning should be abandoned."

With Glenn Nott at the helm, SkillSoft will continue to enable business organisations to maximise business performance through a combination of comprehensive e-learning content, online information resources, flexible learning technologies and support services.

"In the next five years, SkillSoft will have a deeper presence and expansion into the Asian market, as the emerging and blossoming markets in India and China will demand high levels of attention."

With the juggernaut that e-learning has become, Glenn has an important message to corporate Australia when it comes to online training.

"At the pace technology emerges today, no matter what they think they know about e-learning, take a look TODAY because what is available now is surpassed by something more engaging, more interactive and delivers greater impact tomorrow."

As Managing Director of the top e-learning house in Asia Pacific, Glenn considers himself to be fortunate to be in a position where he has access to the world's greatest business authors and such a vast array of business, leadership and management content.

"Daily, I dip into SkillSoft's content to upgrade my knowledge base. It could be as simple as a five-minute grab of information that I need when I am about to deliver a presentation or meet with a business leader. That's the beauty of e-learning. I get what I need, exactly when I need it."

From a career highlights perspective, Glenn Nott notes that in 1997, CBT Systems acquired Applied Learning. Applied Learning moved from being a small Australian company to being part of something global and a division of the most exciting company in e-learning.

In late 1997, Glenn took the role of establishing Asia for the company. Eleven years on, SkillSoft has developed its Asian business to be almost as large as it's very mature Australian market

SkillSoft aside, Glenn Nott is married with four children and lives on the Bellarine Penninsula, in Victoria.

"I have three other passions, firstly, I love to surf. I surf at Ocean Grove or Barwon Heads every Sunday morning. I have a dirt bike and road bike that I enjoy getting on for a few hours and I love AFL, particularly, the Richmond Tigers. I have been a member for almost 30 years and go to a game whenever I am in Melbourne."

From Glenn's perspective, e-learning needs in Australia are the same as in other countries.

"When I first started our Asia business in 1997, I went into Asia with zero experience and no mentor. I read a lot and had an open mind. What I found is that the needs of an eLearner in Australia are the same as an eLearner in Bangalore, Shanghai, Seattle, Dublin or Wellington.

"The basic need is, please provide me with the knowledge I need to do my job in a format that suits me and provides me the best opportunity of understanding. And that is what SkillSoft has done successfully and will continue to do."

GLENN NOTT SNAPSHOT

• Began career at State Bank Victoria at the age of 19
• At 23, became one of the youngest Managers at the time
• In 1992, at age 28, Glenn was a Top 5 Winner in the Australian Financial Review's "Young Business Achiever of the Year Award"
• During the last 20+ years, Glenn has held many positions involved with training and development and e-learning.
• In 2001, Glenn became SkillSoft's Vice President and Managing Director of Asia Pacific.