The Royal Bank of Scotland selects Epic as strategic e-learning partner

Epic has been selected as a strategic supplier to The Royal Bank of Scotland for the next two years. Epic has been the Bank's longest serving supplier of e-learning services, having been instrumental in shaping what is now regarded as Europe's most successful implementation of e-learning within a large organisation.

The Royal Bank of Scotland expects to spend £2 million per annum on e-learning to further increase its workforce productivity and competitive advantage within the increasingly competitive financial services marketplace.

E-learning is playing a crucial role in securing the benefits of integration following the Bank's take-over of Natwest in 2000.

Underlining The Royal Bank of Scotland's commitment, Epic has secured contracts amounting to over £0.9m since February 2002. The Corporate Banking division has awarded Epic a £250,000 contract to develop a highly innovative simulation that provides Relationship Managers and support staff with an engaging virtual experience of new processes and systems that come into effect later this year.

For use Group wide, Epic is developing IT systems simulation training on mission critical Back Office systems. This contract is worth in excess of £300,000.

In addition, Epic has been involved in conversion and maintenance projects, worth an additional £350,000, that have prepared existing e-learning courses to be used throughout the larger Group in a more flexible and reusable fashion.

Lars Hyland, Key Account Director at Epic, said, 'Epic's relationship with The Royal Bank of Scotland has built steadily over the past six years, and we are proud to have been selected as a strategic partner. The Bank knows from experience how powerful e-learning can be in supporting market-beating business performance and is willing to invest strategically to further improve its competitive advantage.'

Brian McLaren, Head of Training and Online Learning, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, said, 'We recognised a need for a requirement to move away from the buyer/supplier relationships which we've had in the past with our bespoke e-learning development suppliers. The introduction of a preferred panel of suppliers gives us the back up which we require to support e-learning activity across a much-enlarged Group, which now has over 105,000 employees globally. It also provides the suppliers the unique opportunity to live within our culture and help shape our e-learning thinking as we progress forward with our growth plans. This is a true partnership arrangement and the way that we ultimately work together through forums and process design will reinforce that.'

Dave Buglass, Manager, Learning Infrastructure, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, commented, 'We've carried out a rigorous exercise against laid down criteria over the past 12 months, and this has helped us shape what we believe to be a strong set of companies who will provide us with the creative, leading edge thinking that we require. It has obviously taken a long time to complete, but, in a way, this has assisted with the timing and we're in a stronger position now to exploit and move forward at a quicker pace.'