Velsoft Training Materials is offering its learning management system free to companies to help them train staff remotely during the current pandemic. It is being inundated by demand for its product.

The New Glasgow, NS-based company last week issued a press release saying it would offer unrestricted access to its learning management system for companies scrambling to deal with the fallout from the Covid-19 virus. Until the end of April, companies can access all course authoring and learning management system software for free with no obligation.

Velsoft said the learning and development industry has been hit hard by the cancellation of face-to-face events – and that the situation will likely continue for some time.

"Many training events have been transformed to online or virtual events to stem the spread of the contagious virus," said Velsoft Founder and CEO Jim Fitt in a statement. "However, not every organization knows where to start in providing virtual or distance training."

Velsoft’s product turns written training materials into interactive, industry-compliant eLearning. The company exports to more than 160 countries and includes many global brands among its clients. The company has grown from 10 employees in 2010 to nearly 30 today and has offices in Halifax, the U.K., South Africa and Guatemala.

In an interview Monday, Fitt said the response to the offer of a free training platform has been strong, and the staff of 30 has been taxed to handle the calls, which amounted to 250 in just one day last week.

These calls can involve registering customers and walking them through the process of setting up the system. He added some companies are engaging in remote training for the first time, so the company has developed a video to help them get the biggest bang possible from the learning system.

“People want to use it right away so they don’t have the luxury of taking the time to get up to speed with it,” said Fitt.

Working remotely has quickly become an accepted practice, with companies attempting to shield their staff from the epidemic. Such companies as Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, Ford Motor, HSBC, AT&T, CNN, Citigroup and Twitter have directed employees to work from home to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, said the statement. Fitt added that companies with remote workforces will have to continue training programs to ensure the current disruption does not impact their prospects too severely.

"All we are hoping for is to help get things back to normal as quickly as possible," Fitt said. "Cancelling or postponing training will have a lasting effect on companies already bracing for impacts likely to reverberate across corporations long after the outbreak is eventually brought under control."

Velsoft Chief Operating Officer David Gormley said the company is paying close attention to what schools and universities are doing. "As the number of people impacted by the virus grows at alarming rates, students at universities in affected areas face the prospect of losing an entire semester or more," he said.

The company added that many higher-education institutions are responding to the COVID-19 outbreak by moving classes online.