A recent report, on the state of the elearning industry in Qu?ɬ�bec was commissioned by Alliance num?ɬ�riQC and conducted by Am?ɬ�lioraction. The executive summary, in French only, is available for viewing and the entire report will be available for purchase soon.
Here is my quick translation and summarization of the executive summary.
The report’s authors describe the Qu?ɬ�bec elearning industry as comprising about 60 companies, with a total of around 600 people. Most of these companies have fewer than 15 employees. During the past two years, many of these companies have seen 30 to 35% reductions in their annual earnings. These companies do not have the necessary resources to bring their products to market, especially since the elearning marketplace requires a complex "go to market" strategy.
Using Moore’s "chasm" model, the report states that Qu?ɬ�bec companies have done a good job of attracting the early adopters, but are failing at convincing the more conservative buyers about the merits of elearning. In Qu?ɬ�bec, most executives believe that classroom training yields better results than elearning. For this reason, the authors suggest that blended learning may be a better strategy for Qu?ɬ�bec elearning companies. They also suggest that the elearning industry look at creating complete, or end-to-end solutions, in order to compete in an industry that is witnessing major mergers and acquisitions. They see fragmentation as the major obstacle to their industry’s growth.
The authors suggest that the industry look seriously into partnerships and collaborative models. They see Alliance num?ɬ�riQC providing a provincial industry focus, and mention the national role of CeLEA for industry and CSTD for professional development.
Some of the 33 proposed actions include reinforcing the role of Alliance num?ɬ�riQC; increasing the business competences of business leaders – especially in marketing, exporting and partnering; and identifying events to educate major potential clients about elearning. They recommend that the markets to be addressed should be, in order – Qu?ɬ�bec, Canada, USA.
This is an interesting report, particularly for its similarities to other Canadian studies. There are some unique Qu?ɬ�bec perspectives, and I hope that the spirit of co-operation will go far beyond the provincial borders. Obviously, when you add the figures from the elearning industries in BC, Ontario, Quebec and NB, we’re still only a few thousand people, and it’s a big world.
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