How a Learning Management System Impacted an Economy: eLearning Fuels Economic Growth in Latin America

Lansdowne, VA (PRWEB) June 29, 2012

Reducing crippling poverty, violence, unemployment, strengthening the economy, solving social problems without creating massive debt—these are all issues governments face. Education is the solution to these problems that produces long lasting positive results. Governments are starting to see the benefits of eLearning that corporations have been experiencing for years: targeted, easily accessible education is the most efficient and sustainable agent of change.    Dextro, LLC, a consulting and training company in Northern, VA, specializes in large-scale training projects for Latin American governments and corporations and has developed an online learning platform that is having a positive impact on the Mexican economy.

Targeted training and accessible education for people living in poverty leads to greater job opportunities. It also has a significant impact on reducing violent crime and illegal drug use. “The ability for young people and working adults to break the chain of poverty and legally earn enough to sustain a family is a powerful disincentive to criminal activity,” says Nadja Giuffrida, CEO of Dextro, LLC.

In many Latin American countries, including Mexico, market conditions and businesses are adverselyaffected by a workforce that lags in education, business skills, technology and Internet access. In recent years, the Mexican government has worked to improve its economy by reducing poverty and encouraging market development. Because of its cultural expertise and large network of Latin American Government, industry and organization leaders, Dextro, LLC is consulted for private and public sector projects in Latin America.

According to statistics from the Mexican Ministry of Economy, there are more than four million businesses in Mexico that fall into the micro and small-medium category. They generate 52% of the Mexican GDP and 72% of employment in the country (INEGI, 2011). 65% these are family owned, where the management team is built on family ties, not necessarily on professional ability. Just 48% of these business owners have a university degree, 31% of their personnel have only completed middle school, 26% have a high school diploma and 21% have a limited level of elementary education (CIPI, 2012). 80% of these micro-small-medium sized businesses in Mexico are not professionally certified.

Typically, these businesses have a very high failure rate during the critical first two years in operation. Giuffrida realized that in order to “make a lasting change, Dextro would have to develop a system that allowed adult workers to fill gaps in their basic education and undergo training to advance their careers.”

To reach microbusinesses, Dextro deployed highly qualified consultants that have, to date, conducted on-site training to 8,000 microbusinesses. To reach small to medium sized business owners and employees, Dextro devised a custom elearning platform. DeLP has evolved into a comprehensive learning and content management system that centralizes business content from world renowned universities, business learning experts, and cutting edge language acquisition techniques. Users can learn a new language, best practices, finance, marketing and management.

DeLP’s strengths are its easy-so-use interface and extensive educational content. Prior to DeLP, those who wanted to improve their business skills online had to search for appropriate course materials themselves. DeLP provides a single portal for delivering training from a variety of sources so users have access to multiple courses simultaneously and can choose what they need to meet their personal goals.

As of today, more than 500,000 people and businesses use the DeLP platform, making it the global leader of online Spanish language business learning. The eLearning initiative in Mexico has increased the life span of small to medium-sized businesses from the statistical average of 18 months to well past two years and increased profitability to 25%.

Because of Dextro, LLC ‘s reach in Latin America and its relationships with government, industry, and organization leaders, the company is able to apply its technology and consulting services to projects that have a lasting impact on local economies.

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