App equips microfinance field staff with hands-on training
New Delhi, Dec 5, 2016: Grameen Foundation India, a technical services provider dedicated to advancing financial inclusion, today launched Grameen Learning Program (G-LEAP), a first of its kind e-learning app for microfinance institutions which enables any-time, any-where learning. Powered by HandyTrain, the app will help organizations train frontline microfinance staff and agents quickly and cost-effectively, anywhere and at anytime.
It’s a crucial tool, as India’s rural poor have an urgent need to access to financial services. India’s microfinance sector is the largest in the world, but there are still more than 200 million people across the country without access to formal financial services. Microfinance institutions play a key role in reaching the unbanked population, and in supporting those with accounts to use them effectively, but there are few training programs able to operate at the scale and quality required.
Current training programs for staff and agents of microfinance institutions require classroom or on-the-job training which is costly and limited in scope. It also does not adequately assess the whether the learners have adequately understood the training content.
At the launch, Ms. Chandni Ohri, CEO, Grameen Foundation India said, “Grameen Foundation India’s extensive experience in financial inclusion gives us a deep appreciation of the critical role of the front line worker, who bears the greatest responsibility for engaging, educating and motivating the end client. These employees need the right training and tools to do their job effectively. G-LEAP provides that solution, enabling field officers to learn on the job, while continuing to serve their clients.
G-LEAP is just the latest example of how the rapid spread of mobile phones in India is transforming the microfinance industry.
“It gives me immense pleasure to be associated with G-LEAP. Given India’s fast-changing scenario, we need a tool to quickly inform and train field officers in new skills. Current methods of training can lead to communication gaps, ineffective transfer of information, lack of understanding and with G-LEAP these challenges can be overcome easily,” said Mr. Anup Singh, MD at Sonata Finance Pvt. Ltd.
Sonata, Oxigen Money, and Citi Foundation have partnered with Grameen Foundation India to develop G-LEAP as part of a broader initiative, Integrated Digital Financial Services & Education Delivery. It aims to enhance the delivery and use of mobile financial services in underserved communities in India.
The initiative helps Sonata’s microfinance clients to adopt and use digital financial services in their daily lives. Grameen Foundation India has worked with agents with Oxigen Money, a mobile money provider, to train Sonata clients in using digital wallets to repay their microloans. The initiative has already served more than 23,000 clients in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Using G-LEAP, microfinance field officers will be able to develop a better understanding of digital financial services, deepen clients understanding of the services, and reach a greater number of clients more quickly. An estimated 27,000 clients will be reached as part of phase 2 of the initiative.
With this experience, Grameen Foundation India will now make G-LEAP available to the larger financial inclusion sector so they can ensure their field staff are appropriately trained.
G-LEAP can be licensed at a fee as low as ₹50 per user per month based on the offering selected. Pricing is determined by the total number of user licenses, custom content development and off-the-shelf courses licensed.
Key Highlights of G-LEAP -
- Compatible with Android version 4.1 and above
- Access to course content without Internet access
- Learning via multiple media such as text, visuals, videos and voiceover
- Self-regulated, self-paced learning with pre- and post-assessments
- Systematic tracking of learner-performance data
- Trackable record of competences gained by individual employees
- No requirement of additional hardware or software for training implementation
- Customized to suit organizational needs
To learn more about G-LEAP, please visit https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.handytrain.gfi
For more information, please contact us: info [at] grameenfoundation.in (subject: G-LEAP%20information) | T: +91 124 4100702/3
About Grameen Foundation India
Established in 2010, Grameen Foundation India (GFI) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Grameen Foundation. Grameen Foundation India’s mission is to enable the poor, especially women, to create a world without poverty and hunger We provides strategic and technical expertise to leading social enterprises, financial services providers and technology providers to extend financial services and information to underserved communities, especially women. Our focus is on developing technology-enabled solutions to drive access and usage of a range of financial services. Our institutional partners include commercial banks, mobile network operators, microfinance institutions, healthcare providers and others. Together, we create solutions that help poor people to generate income, build assets, strengthen their resilience and manage risk. For more information, please visit- www.grameenfoundation.in