WE ALL WANT to be the leader in our industry and the power of fully competent employees is a vital factor in determining success. It is critical for an employer to recruit and retain the best skills in the marketplace. To do this it is necessary to recognize and meet the different levels of knowledge throughout the workforce. This is particularly true in organizations involved in the trading of commodities where there is in an increasing need for competency in hedging.

In response to this, The Oxford Princeton Programme has designed a flexible learning path to hedging competency. The competency path is comprised of a series of web-based training modules, which on completion results in standard commodity hedging competency. The approximate length of each module is two hours, complete with highly interactive practice exercises, quizzes, and a final test. All of the modules give users the flexibility to enter and exit as necessary; you are not required to complete the module in one sitting. The final module summarizes the application of hedging and concludes with a case study.

The benefit of this competency hedging path is its flexibility, in that it allows and caters for employees that have different levels of knowledge, skill and experience of hedging. Delegates can begin at any module in the path. For example, new hires to the organization would start at the first module of the path while those who have some previous knowledge of hedging may pick an entry point to suit their specific experience and requirements. On completion the employee can be confident that they have reached a level of competency in hedging and the employer can be assured it was money well invested.

Being entirely internet based allows for flexible e-learning. The courses are available 24 hours a day seven days a week and can be accessed from any PC anywhere in the world. This reduces time away from the office spent on traditional classroom training, as e-learning is available at your fingertips. Furthermore, due to its modular structure, web-based training allows companies and individuals to focus training budgets only on the areas where training is needed. This saves time and money while fulfilling individuals training needs. Web-based training allows an increasing amount of training to be delivered, but at reduced costs to the employer.

This hedging path is by no means static, we are currently developing another hedging path for advanced skill sets to complement our existing industry specific paths. The Oxford Princeton Programme also offers instructor led classroom training, which combined with our web-based training provides a complete package of training solutions. Our flexible approach to training recognizes that not all businesses have the same requirements and by working together we aim to satisfy your company's training needs.

For more information please visit www.oxfordprinceton.com/blue/competency.asp