FTC
FTC gets wings to help high-flyers
The Financial Training Company was teaching top accountancy students with acetates and overhead projectors. Then along came Hitachi.
Training 30,000 high-flying students a year for professional accountancy exams and tax qualification programmes means the Financial Training Company (FTC) needs the highest standards of professionalism. The company also runs courses, such as CFA and CPD, for investment professionals, and offers tailored training for non-finance professionals, too.
FTC’s head office is in London, but the company also boasts 28 training centres around the UK and a growing presence in Asia. Founded in 1958, FTC is one of the UK’s longest-established financial-training corporations. Clients range from the big accountancy firms to a variety of companies from right across the industry spectrum.
prestigious names
The bulk of FTC’s students are drawn from major international accountancy firms, such as Deloitte, Price Waterhouse Coopers and KPMG. They are studying for professional exams with some of the most prestigious names in the industry. So, whilst the standard of teaching at FTC was extremely high, the lack of computer-based technology was not helping tutors get the most out of their students.
FTC’s training was geared around overhead projectors, pens and large sheets of acetate. Many of the problems with this approach involved viewing past exam papers, a key element of FTC’s teaching. If a tutor wanted to show students a past paper, it had to be photocopied on to acetate and viewed on an overhead projector. FTC tutors were also restricted in the type of material their classes could tackle - for example, research on a particular company could be done only outside the classroom, rather than in a ‘live’ situation.
It was time to embrace the 21st century.
up-to-date learning
FTC realised that, wherever accountancy students were trained, computer-based delivery was the norm. That’s why FTC needed to provide a more up-to-date learning medium.
In the second half of 2004, [manager’s name], FTC’s T4T (Technology for Tutors) Project Manager, began to look at alternatives. [manager’s name] investigated sensor boards (used by a number of FTC’s competitors), tablet PCs - a sort of laptop for projecting handwritten notes, complete with a swivel lid - and smartboards.
Then, an IT supplier suggested a panelboard, and recommended Hitachi’s T-15XL. Before long, [manager’s name] had contacted a local Hitachi reseller and arranged a demonstration. “All the tutors had a play on the board,” she said. “Our first impressions were that it was just so simple to use. It was very flexible and so easy to write clearly - and, in our business, handwriting is a big issue.”
robust
An even bigger issue was security. That’s why [manager’s name] and her colleagues were so pleased about the size of the panels. “Some of the other PC-based options we’d looked at were very small - the micro-technology was very impressive, but it did make the boards a very attractive and easy option for theft. With Hitachi, it’s obvious that we’re getting something very robust, something that can be used eight hours a day, every day - and still be there on Monday morning, raring to go.”
[manager’s name] was so impressed with the equipment that she immediately placed an order for 80 T-15XLs, as part of a long-term plan to equip all 190 classrooms with the panels.
The panel offers a fully interactive LCD screen controlled by a cordless electronic pen, with images projected onto a large screen. This allows tutors to operate and annotate over computer applications. The T-15XL is also ideal for demonstrating lesson points precisely and, with a speed of 205 dots per second, has no time delay. Add to this a good, full view of the screen, a height-adjustable stand and the ability to e-mail annotated notes to all students, and it’s clear why [manager’s name] was so enthusiastic.
professionalism
“There was an immediate improvement in the professionalism of our training delivery,” says [manager’s name]. “Perhaps the best thing was that we were able to provide students with visually clearer images. Also, having computer technology allows us to access the Internet in the classroom. This has been great for researching current legislation, as well as pulling up past exam papers.”
[manager’s name] organised everything, from researching the market to arranging installation and initial training - delivered by local reseller Kelway, but now passed from tutor to tutor.
With phase one a glowing success, she has now ordered another 115 T-15XL panels: “They’re written into our policy now - they’re standard issue for every classroom. The trick now is to investigate further methods of delivering training - that’s the second hurdle. But there’s no doubt that we’re offering a much more attractive and professional service.”
t: Nigel,
+44 (0)1772 435827
m: 07745 092037
e: nigel@mightier-than.com