A recent survey of RedVector.com clients indicates professionals and corporate leaders had different reasons for adopting online education. Professionals cited the variety and depth of course offerings while corporate leaders cited cost savings and relevance of courses to business goals.

Recent research indicates the entire online professional education industry may experience similar growth in 2005:

• Spending on online continuing education passed the $9 billion mark in 2003, according to IDC Research, and grew to between $12 and 14 billion in 2004, according to Bersin and Associates.
• IDC predicts a 30 percent increase in yearly e-learning spending worldwide through 2008.
• The number of companies using online learning to train employees will grow by 50 percent in 2005, according to Bersin and Associates.

Economics has been a driving force behind growth in online professional education. With online courses, companies no longer have to pay travel and hotel costs and employees can be more productive since they aren't spending time traveling.

Growth in online learning is also driven by specialization in course offerings. According to the Distance Education and Training Council, more than 500 companies and organizations now offer online courses focusing on specific industries and professions.