29 March 2005
Oman Bank International has become the first bank in Oman to implement KnolwledgePlanner, the powerful intranet e-Learning platform that offers an interchangeable Arabic-English user interface.

KnowledgePlanner has been developed by Element K Middle East in response to the growing demand for an intranet e-Learning solution for corporate, education and government customers. The first of its kind in the world, KnowledgePlanner works on along the lines of the widely used Element K's Internet based 'KnowledgeHub' Learning Management System.

"Oman has been aggressively promoting the benefits of e-Learning at all levels and in different fields. The Ministry of Education in Oman was the first to adopt the KnowledgePlanner solution, sending the right signal to the community and the corporate world," said Susan Bodinson, General Manager, Element K Middle East. "We can already see the fruits of such a dynamic policy across Oman."

"The strategic move by Oman International Bank to implement KnowledgePlanner will enable the bank to enhance employee performance by providing a user-friendly e-Learning tool," added Bodinson. "The advantages offered by KnowledgePlanner include the flexibility to incorporate company proprietary courses and customisation of student learning paths. In addition, the system is scaleable and can perform successfully whether the number of users is just 10 or 10,000 students. Further, the learning process is self-paced, giving the learner the choice to learn as and when he is free."

"One of the primary objectives of implementing KnowledgePlanner is to provide our employees an advanced channel for upgrading their skills through internal training programmes," said Hussein Mohammed Ali, Assistant General Manager, HR, Oman International Bank. "The interchangeable bilingual interface is also a great advantage, in addition to the cutting tools incorporated in the solution. These benefits make KnowledgePlanner a useful e-Learning solution."

Oman Bank International is offering 14 courses, with 100 users for each course. The courses include PowerPoint 2000 Introduction, PowerPoint 2000 Advanced, three levels of Word 2000, Outlook 2000 Introduction, Outlook 2000 Advanced, two levels of Excel 2000 and three levels of Access 2000.

KnowledgePlanner has been designed to offer the most advanced course management, student management, assessment and reporting tools. It is hosted on an organisation's intranet, allowing training administrators to develop customized learning environments and offer proprietary content and assessments for internal users within their organizations.

Customers can see noticeable improvements in productivity, quality and return on investment on implementing KnowledgePlanner. The system offers employers robust tracking and management of content so that members of the staff receive relevant and specific training that will create greater long-term savings and improvements in business processes. Another advantage is that it suits the needs of companies that are reluctant to provide Internet access to their staff for security, discipline or cost reasons.

-Ends-

About Element K
Element K is a leading provider of instructor-led courseware and e-learning solutions for technology and business skills serving training centers, Fortune 1000 companies, schools and universities, government organizations and individuals. Element K has a 20-year history in computer training and is a pioneer in courseware development and e-learning. The company launched its e-Learning offering in 1996, making it the first company to offer interactive IT content on the Web. Today, Element K offers more than 1000 online courses in information technology and business skills. Its engaging and interactive online training solutions feature collaborative, instructor-facilitated online courses, self-paced tutorials, vLabs hands-on exercises on remote hardware, professional certifications, a comprehensive reference library and KnowledgeHub, a hosted e-learning platform with robust learning management capabilities. Element K's professional services include learning management consultants to assist with deployment and a participation development team to help maximize participation and return on investment. For more information on Element K's offerings, visit www.elementk.com.
Microsoft is a trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Element K, vLabs, and KnowledgeHub are trademarks of Element K LLC.

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© Press Release 2005