SAN DIEGO — A Web-based training service acquired in the 2005 Liberty merger has been reworked by Harland Financial Solutions, and is now officially re-launched.

Credit Union University now offers more than 230 industry-specific courses. Naturally, UltraData Enterprise applications and compliance topics are the most extensively offered, but the service also provides courses on credit union philosophy, products and services, harassment and diversity, and non-operational disciplines like marketing and business development.

“Many of these courses are designed for front-line people, where there happens to be

quite a bit of turnover,” said

Jan Wilgus, director of product marketing.

That turnover, combined with tight HR budgets and full employee schedules, makes self-directed, online training a

good option for credit unions, Wilgus said.

“We provide training for our clients on-site, of course, but even when we come to them, it's still difficult to get everyone together in one room at the same time,” Wilgus said. “We're getting really good feedback from out clients because it's self-service, interactive and online.”

Kathy Hardy, senior manager of learning services, said the online delivery method is a good match for core system training, because it allows HFS to modify training modules as it adds

new releases.

“We currently have 15 core courses for UltraData users, and we'll continue to develop UltraData courses, as well as other product specific courses,” Hardy said.

Training managers control which employees have access to which courses, and can log on to access reports regarding test scores and progress.

Marc Reddekopp, product specialist, said credit unions

should remember their business model is unique in the financial services industry.

“Basic credit union knowledge, that's where I think the real value is,” Reddekopp said. “Until you experience credit unions firsthand, the concept is hard to understand.”

Reddekopp said courses were designed knowing many credit union employees come from the banking industry, and some front-line employees have no financial institution experience at all.

“The neat thing is that you can use this tool to train someone who has never been a teller before, and doesn't know what a credit union is, and still get some of your own work done during the day,” Reddekopp said.

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